Thameslink - ticketing changes

[bakerstreet]

Sorry if this has already been documented.
Thameslink in some blurb I picked up today have pledged to alter Advance tickets so they are 'based on time slots rather than specific trains' and introducing single leg pricing 'reducing price of journeys that are peak one west and off-peak the other from 2016.
Both from 2016

I particularly like the more flexible advances. Hope it catches on. Reminds me of intercity west coast shuttle advance in the 90s which were valid for the afternoon or the morning of the chosen date.

Ps FCC only tickets have now become Thameslink only. Not sure if all are still available though.

 

[swt_passenger]

Ps FCC only tickets have now become Thameslink only. Not sure if all are still available though.

Except as you'd expect for those on the other half of the former FCC route map, where they have become 'Great Northern only'...

 

[Simon11]

Do you have any source for this?

 

[user15681]

I did mention this in the Govia gets Thameslink franchise thread the other day, but that's easy to miss as it's a long one or if you're not following it. Simon11, the source was probably 'Connections', available on thameslinkrailway.com under 'About us' and 'customer report' or in paper leaflet form in stations.

Other ticket trials include flexible seasons for part time workers and the Key extended to the entire franchise by September 2015.

 

[andrewkeith5]

Sorry if this has already been documented.
Thameslink in some blurb I picked up today have pledged to alter Advance tickets so they are 'based on time slots rather than specific trains'

Ah, finally! This is how I have been thinking Advance tickets should be for ages. Instead of a specific service, if each ticket had, say a 1 hour or 2 hour timeframe for use, there would no longer be and problems with late running trains - as long as you board within your slot, it shouldn't matter which train you board.

 

[Paul Kelly]

Do Thameslink actually set any advance fares where they are the main TOC? I would have thought their trains would only ever be the "connecting service" on advances - so passengers are not tied to a particular train anyway, and can travel on a different connecting service (as long as they don't miss their booked train on a different TOC). So this is the situation already, unless I've missed something.

 

[user15681]

Do Thameslink actually set any advance fares where they are the main TOC? I would have thought their trains would only ever be the "connecting service" on advances - so passengers are not tied to a particular train anyway, and can travel on a different connecting service (as long as they don't miss their booked train on a different TOC). So this is the situation already, unless I've missed something.

True. These time slot advances are due 'from 2016', so perhaps it can be deduced that Thameslink will introduce advances with them as the main TOC from then?

 

[Deerfold]

Ah, finally! This is how I have been thinking Advance tickets should be for ages. Instead of a specific service, if each ticket had, say a 1 hour or 2 hour timeframe for use, there would no longer be and problems with late running trains - as long as you board within your slot, it shouldn't matter which train you board.

When I first used a SuperApex Leeds - London in 1991 my £19 return ticket was valid on either of the first two trains on a Saturday morning (~0500 and ~0600) with a return on any service the same day.

So I left my home station around 2300 the previous evening, getting back around 24 hours later.

 

[talldave]

If I try to buy a Gatwick - Blackfriars ticket from Southern's website, I can have a "Great Northern Services only" ticket or a "Thameslink only" ticket. It's very tempting to buy the former and see what happens...

 

[swt_passenger]

If I try to buy a Gatwick - Blackfriars ticket from Southern's website, I can have a "Great Northern Services only" ticket or a "Thameslink only" ticket. It's very tempting to buy the former and see what happens...

Perhaps try it on Gatwick Express with a walk from Victoria as well, just to cover all potential arguments at once?

 

[Hassocks5489]

On Saturday at Hassocks, I bought what was previously known as the FCC-only Super Off-Peak Travelcard. It was routed GT NORTHERN ONLY! The clerk said "The machine [Shere SMART Terminal] is printing them wrong" and wrote on the back accordingly. The implication was that it would be changed soon. Surprisingly, it did work the gates at East Croydon. A nice one to add to the collection

 

[talldave]

Nothing surprises me any more when it comes to Southern's incompetence - I mean, they've only had several weeks to test these things haven't they?

And you would have thought they could have coped with changing "FCC Only" to "Thameslink only" without duplicating every former FCC ticket with a Great Northern one? Or is that the only way they can cope because they don't understand which ticket applies to which franchise?

Either way, another great exhibition of Southern stupidity. I am not even going to bother asking their customer service muppets what's going on. The franchise will be over by the time they either (a) understand the question or (b) do anything about it.

 

[Class377/5]

Nothing surprises me any more when it comes to Southern's incompetence - I mean, they've only had several weeks to test these things haven't they?

And you would have thought they could have coped with changing "FCC Only" to "Thameslink only" without duplicating every former FCC ticket with a Great Northern one? Or is that the only way they can cope because they don't understand which ticket applies to which franchise?

Either way, another great exhibition of Southern stupidity. I am not even going to bother asking their customer service muppets what's going on. The franchise will be over by the time they either (a) understand the question or (b) do anything about it.

Nothing to do with Southern, who are a separate company. Your confusing Govia for Southern.

 

[talldave]

Nothing to do with Southern, who are a separate company. Your confusing Govia for Southern.

So Southern aren't responsible for their ticket sales website??

 

[Class377/5]

So Southern aren't responsible for their ticket sales website??

You've not stated that. The whole G Northern appearing on Thameslink tickets is GTRs doing as they have set the ticketing up. Not Southern, a legal separate company fault if they made an error.

Some people need to realise the to area very different and the only joint things are coming from Govia not Southern.

 

[Paul Kelly]

All ticketing websites take a central feed of the same information. E.g. BR Fares also shows Hassocks to London Bridge route Gt Northern Only.