Thameslink Services/Timetable from May 20th 2018

[Aictos]

I’ve certainly noticed revenue staff back with a vengeance in the last couple of weeks. Loads of checks last week including twice on one journey on one day.

A few years ago it was a lottery to see revenue staff on services even more so to have TWO checks on a single journey so it's about time that they are more visible, good to see more checks are being made and not just relying on ticket barriers at stations.

 

[Hadders]

I've noticed more checks. St Pancras gateline checking rejected tickets in some detail if their ticket doesn't work the barrier.

If anyone from GTR is reading this and can sort out the gate line at STP correctly returns tickets to London Terminals (as they have onward validity to Moorgate via the Underground) but tickets to London Thameslink are retained which is incorrect as they retain onward validity. London Thameslink tickets re also erroneously retained at City Thameslink.

 

[Fred26]

I've noticed more checks. St Pancras gateline checking rejected tickets in some detail if their ticket doesn't work the barrier.

If anyone from GTR is reading this and can sort out the gate line at STP correctly returns tickets to London Terminals (as they have onward validity to Moorgate via the Underground) but tickets to London Thameslink are retained which is incorrect as they retain onward validity. London Thameslink tickets re also erroneously retained at City Thameslink.

Surely they're retained because the journey has been completed. Unless I'm missing something...?

 

[Hadders]

A ticket from, for example, Stevenage to London Thameslink is valid as far as London Bridge or Elephant & Castle. I can break my journey at St Pancras and resume it later. This is why the tickets should be returned.

 

[samuelmorris]

In my humble opinion, now that many TVMs don't print credit card receipts, no tickets should be retained in case they're needed for DR claims or expenses forms.

 

[swt_passenger]

If anyone from GTR is reading this and can sort out the gate line at STP correctly returns tickets to London Terminals (as they have onward validity to Moorgate via the Underground)...

Are they still valid if arriving from a station on the MML rather than from the GN? The gates aren’t going to understand that.

 

[Hadders]

Are they still valid if arriving from a station on the MML rather than from the GN? The gates aren’t going to understand that.

Yes they are.

 

[Fred26]

A ticket from, for example, Stevenage to London Thameslink is valid as far as London Bridge or Elephant & Castle. I can break my journey at St Pancras and resume it later. This is why the tickets should be returned.

Oh I see.

 

[plcd1]

A ticket from, for example, Stevenage to London Thameslink is valid as far as London Bridge or Elephant & Castle. I can break my journey at St Pancras and resume it later. This is why the tickets should be returned.

Ticket gates are not and never have been programmed for break of journey. A gate cannot possibly know the intention of the traveller. On your more detailed point I suspect there is very little competence at TOC level as to the precise nature of ticket coding and gate ticket logic to allow tickets to be encoded correctly and the gates to apply an appropriate logic test - especially for a "grouped" destination like London Terminals or London Thameslink. There were compromises from the outset with the concept of "London BR" now "London Terminals". I should know, I worked on the LU team that created all the ticket coding and ticket logic data back in the 80s. The TOCs and Rail Delivery Group have probably stretched the use of the "BR" part of the coding stripe as far as they can. With the apparent desire to move to "smart" (hah!) ticketing on National Rail there is zero incentive for anyone to spend money on improving mag stripe ticketing.

 

[Hadders]

Ticket gates are not and never have been programmed for break of journey. A gate cannot possibly know the intention of the traveller. On your more detailed point I suspect there is very little competence at TOC level as to the precise nature of ticket coding and gate ticket logic to allow tickets to be encoded correctly and the gates to apply an appropriate logic test - especially for a "grouped" destination like London Terminals or London Thameslink. There were compromises from the outset with the concept of "London BR" now "London Terminals". I should know, I worked on the LU team that created all the ticket coding and ticket logic data back in the 80s. The TOCs and Rail Delivery Group have probably stretched the use of the "BR" part of the coding stripe as far as they can. With the apparent desire to move to "smart" (hah!) ticketing on National Rail there is zero incentive for anyone to spend money on improving mag stripe ticketing.

I’m aware of all that.

However, they return London Terminals tickets they should accept the same risk with London Thameslink.

 

[Mike395]

I’m aware of all that.

However, they return London Terminals tickets they should accept the same risk with London Thameslink.

MML-side London Thameslink tickets are returned at St Pancras or at least they were when I passed through a couple of weeks back.

 

[gingerheid]

Which means they must be running enough trains from September, unless there is another reason for the acceptance being withdrawn.

I'm going to go with the idea that there have in fact been many signs of them being chancers and getting off with it, and that anyone that had got off with what they've got off with would indeed feel emboldened to chance their arm more

 

[Hadders]

MML-side London Thameslink tickets are returned at St Pancras or at least they were when I passed through a couple of weeks back.

I'll check next time I go that way although if alighting at STP I'm normally using a London Terminals ticket rather than a London Thameslink one.

They are definitely retained at City Thameslink.

 

[Downthelane]

'Normal' service has resumed it appears.....

No trains and no updates at WGC or HAT.

 

[Downthelane]

Overrunning engineering work announced at 8.10....That's all right then....

https://www.greatnorthernrail.com/t...728440000#INCB4A994A1C2414BFFBAFFAD875E5D2934

 

[philjo]

I was waiting an hour for a train to Cambridge this morning.
0713 Thameslink (from Brighton) was delayed at Finsbury Park then was teminating at Royston 45 minutes late.
the 0725 stopper was shown as cancelled - it was actually running non stop Hitchin to Cambridge to went through at 0750.the 0749 stopper turned up at 0812 so I was over 60 minutes late arriving in Cambridge.
in the meantime, 2 other Kings Lynn trains had gone through non stop.
0712 Baldock to Kings Cross also cancelled.

Screens & auto announcements said overruning engineering works.
Staff manual announcements on the platform said the cause was availability of train crew.
The journeycheck site said that the delays were due to electrical supply problems
So take your pick!

 

[Teflon Lettuce]

A ticket from, for example, Stevenage to London Thameslink is valid as far as London Bridge or Elephant & Castle. I can break my journey at St Pancras and resume it later. This is why the tickets should be returned.

As I understand it you cannot break your journey on a single journey or the outward portion of a return.

 

[Steve Harris]

As I understand it you cannot break your journey on a single journey or the outward portion of a return.

Hmmm..

Back in February this year i did just that, on a Single from Sandy to Peterborough.

I didn't know if i could or not, but I enquired at the ticket office and was told i could.
So unless things have changed since then...

 

[maniacmartin]

As I understand it you cannot break your journey on a single journey or the outward portion of a return.

It really depends on the specific ticket. You can break your journey unless the restrictions for the ticket type forbid it.

 

[nickswift99]

As I understand it you cannot break your journey on a single journey or the outward portion of a return.

It depends on the specific ticket you hold but in general terms, BoJ is permitted on walk-up fares (Anytime/Off-Peak Returns and Singles) unless specifically prohibited. I can't find any example of such a restriction on Stevenage to London Thameslink tickets.

 

[Hadders]

As I understand it you cannot break your journey on a single journey or the outward portion of a return.

Your understanding is incorrect. BoJ is always allowed on Anytime tickets and is allowed on the overwhelming majority of Off Peak tickets as well.

 

[BRX]

Your understanding is incorrect. BoJ is always allowed on Anytime tickets and is allowed on the overwhelming majority of Off Peak tickets as well.

Is this something that's changed in the past 10 years or so? Because in my mind I've always gone on the assumption that you can't break outward journeys on off peak tickets; certainly not overnight at least.

 

[mmh]

Is this something that's changed in the past 10 years or so? Because in my mind I've always gone on the assumption that you can't break outward journeys on off peak tickets; certainly not overnight at least.

Yes - the default used to be break of journey allowed on the return portion, but not the outward portion on off-peak tickets. It was changed to be allowed both ways after the "simplification" of ticket types to Anytime, Off-Peak and Advance (that worked well!), but individual restriction codes can remove the ability to break the journey - some of the routes I often use restrict break of journey on the outbound leg, I don't know if there are any or many which remove BoJ for the return leg.

 

[BRX]

Yes - the default used to be break of journey allowed on the return portion, but not the outward portion on off-peak tickets. It was changed to be allowed both ways after the "simplification" of ticket types to Anytime, Off-Peak and Advance (that worked well!), but individual restriction codes can remove the ability to break the journey - some of the routes I often use restrict break of journey on the outbound leg, I don't know if there are any or many which remove BoJ for the return leg.

Cheers, somehow I'd never clocked that.

 

[Teflon Lettuce]

Yes - the default used to be break of journey allowed on the return portion, but not the outward portion on off-peak tickets. It was changed to be allowed both ways after the "simplification" of ticket types to Anytime, Off-Peak and Advance (that worked well!), but individual restriction codes can remove the ability to break the journey - some of the routes I often use restrict break of journey on the outbound leg, I don't know if there are any or many which remove BoJ for the return leg.

I stand corrected then

 

[CMS]

Deleted

 

[Bedpan]

The thing about BoJ though, at least if you have an off peak ticket but no doubt the same applies for an anytime as well, is that the outward journey has to be made on the date of the ticket, but you have a month to come back. So if for instance you want to have a few days away and visit more than one place, you have to go to the furthest point and then you are free to work your way back during the validity of the ticket. So for instance we travelled to St Ives on day one, then on the way back stopped at Liskeard, (and bus to Polperro) then Plymouth (train to Calstock), then Exeter, then home on day 4 I think it was.

(Apologies for deviating even more from the thread).

 

[OwenB]

(Apologies for deviating even more from the thread).

In fairness, I think this has become more of a support group.

 

[bramling]

Yes - the default used to be break of journey allowed on the return portion, but not the outward portion on off-peak tickets. It was changed to be allowed both ways after the "simplification" of ticket types to Anytime, Off-Peak and Advance (that worked well!), but individual restriction codes can remove the ability to break the journey - some of the routes I often use restrict break of journey on the outbound leg, I don't know if there are any or many which remove BoJ for the return leg.

I thought it was just Saver and SuperSaver tickets where BOJ was prohibited? I don’t remember it being prohibited on CDRs, although I could be misremembering. Vary rarely enforced of course...

 

[urpert]

There's even station alerts saying "your station will receive more services from September 2018".

I dont see why the Sevenoaks line got those announcements because it isn't.

Shame, I was hoping for the Kentish Town - Orpington services back during the day