Super off peak tickets valid until past midnight?

[rhizomergence]

Apologies for the (seemingly) super basic question.

I’ll focus on the super off peak (weekend only) day single and day return tickets between London and Cambridge.

I know in general tickets are valid until 04:29 the following day, from the national rail website.

Super Off-Peak Single tickets are valid for travel on the date shown on the ticket and until 04:29 the following day.

Consider the Sunday 23:10 service from KGX to CBG, arriving at 00:03 (early Monday morning) and the slower service departing 23:02 and arriving 00:29.

The restriction code for the super off peak day single (weekends) and the super off peak day return issued from Cambridge to London Terminals is FB, which states on national rail enquires:

Not valid on any train, Mondays to Fridays (except Bank Holidays)

What does this mean for being on the train as it rolls into Cambridge station 3 minutes past midnight on Monday? Is that allowed?

Trainsplit is happy to sell the super off peak day single for either of the services mentioned above, so it would seem like it is allowed. Trainline, however, refuses to sell this ticket and instead forces a split with the super off peak day single issued to Royston and an anytime day single from Roystom to Cambridge (or anytime issued for the whole journey).

Both are happy to also use the return portion of the super off peak day return from Cambridge to London Terminals, even for the service that departs Kings Cross at 00:02 and arrives 01:31. This is despite the return portion having the same restriction code saying not valid on any train at any time monday. But I thought the 04:29 exception should either apply to both the single and the return, or neither? (The retailers do not allow the super off peak day single on this service, though, instead forcing a monday anytime single, which means it is cheaper to buy a return dated the previous day and only use the return portion than to buy a single dated the correct day!)

brfares does however suggest for the return portion, travel is not allowed from 04:29 to 23:59, not at any time.

So which is correct?

 

[Watershed]

In practice, everything until 04:29 on Monday morning is treated as being part of Sunday evening, in ticketing terms. So you would be fine using a Sunday-dated Super Off-Peak Day Single (or Return) on any of those trains.

In terms of the underlying industry data which drives journey planners' results, there is a restriction which prevents them from selling a weekend-only Super Off-Peak Day Single/Return dated on a weekday (except Bank Holidays). However, this does not prevent a retailer from issuing a Sunday-dated fare in conjunction with an itinerary whose return train involves departing between midnight and 04:29 on the Monday morning.

Trainline appears to use different logic to most retailers, in preventing the sale of the weekend-only fare if any of the journey involves a weekday. I don't think they're interpreting/applying the data correctly.

 

[Jan Mayen]

In practice, everything until 04:29 on Monday morning is treated as being part of Sunday evening, in ticketing terms. So you would be fine using a Sunday-dated Super Off-Peak Day Single (or Return) on any of those trains.

In terms of the underlying industry data which drives journey planners' results, there is a restriction which prevents them from selling a weekend-only Super Off-Peak Day Single/Return dated on a weekday (except Bank Holidays). However, this does not prevent a retailer from issuing a Sunday-dated fare in conjunction with an itinerary whose return train involves departing between midnight and 04:29 on the Monday morning.

Trainline appears to use different logic to most retailers, in preventing the sale of the weekend-only fare if any of the journey involves a weekday. I don't think they're interpreting/applying the data correctly.

Straying off topic, but are Season Tickets/Rovers/Rangers regarded as expiring at 2400 on there last day of validity?

 

[Watershed]

Straying off topic, but are Season Tickets/Rovers/Rangers regarded as expiring at 2400 on there last day of validity?

Generally rail tickets are regarded as expiring at 04:29 on the day after the last printed/indicated day of validity. The exception would be Interrail passes, where travel days are activated for the date of departure, and an activated travel day continues to be valid into the next day for as long as you stay on the train - provided the pass itself has not yet expired.