ticket from Wokingham to East Croydon via Clapham junction

[zhaoww]

I need to buy a month season ticket from Wokingham to East Croydon. I searched for your internet site of network rail found 4 different options for Wokingham to East Croydon:
WOKINGHAM to EAST CROYDON


STANDARD 1 month
Wokingham - Zone R56 Zones
(1 Adult)
This ticket is only valid for routes passing through Staines.
£250.8

STANDARD 1 month
Wokingham - Zone R56 Zones
(1 Adult) , Any - £290.70

STANDARD 1 month
Wokingham - Croydon Stations
(1 Adult) Not London - £292.

The station ticket seller insist on selling me the most expensive ticket, saying that for option1 and 2, I would get a penalty ticket if I change at Clampham as it is in Zone 2.

I checked the railway routing plans option 1 and 2 should be valid if I dont get out of Clapham junction.

Can someone advise?

 

[LexyBoy]

Welcome.

I think the advice you've received is correct - if you wish to travel via Clapham Junction you need the Not London ticket.

The first two you list are between Zones 5-6 and Wokingham. Since they are zonal tickets, travel is only permitted on between Wokingham and the boundary of Zone 6, and then anywhere within Zones 5 and 6.

I agree, it is very confusing the way that the National Rail site shows these options. A while ago someone posting here was being threatened with prosecution for making a very similar journey - travelling into Zone 2 with an outer zones to outside London ticket.

 

[FGWman]

Yes I agree. The wokingham - zone 56 tickets will only be valid from wokingham to zones 5 6. By going to clapham junction you are in zone 2 so ticket is not valid.

 

[bb21]

I agree with the above. The only way I can see to travel on a Wokingham - R56 season to get to East Croydon would be (possibly) to use First Great Western service to Redhill via Guildford and Dorking Deepdene and then towards London. (I need to check routeing permissions for this.)

If you need to go via Clapham Junction, you have the following option:

Wokingham - East Croydon
Route Not London
Monthly Season
£292.70

Or for the travelcard versions:

Wokingham - London Zones 2-6
Route Staines
Monthly Travelcard
£316.10

Wokingham - London Zones 2-6
Route Any Permitted
Monthly Travelcard
£353.70

R56 stands for Zones 5-6. Clapham Junction is in Zone 2 and is not covered by this travelcard. You will more than likely get a Penalty Fare if you travel in Zones 1-4 with a Zones 5-6 travelcard if caught.

 

[zhaoww]

Thanks very much for all the suggestions. I am still puzzled or confused while the Via Staines route is even suggested. Option 1 you have to go through Staines and it is the cheapest. Option 2 is almost the same as that via Non-london route.

 

[yorkie]

Wokingham to London is valid via Reading and Slough. However Route Staines prevents this and restricts you to the more usual route. I'm sure Route Staines will be sufficient for your needs, to get to East Croydon.

 

[Lampshade]

Staines to London is valid via Reading and Slough.

Why? hock:

 

[LexyBoy]

Staines to London is valid via Reading and Slough. However Route Staines prevents this and restricts you to the more usual route. I'm sure Route Staines will be sufficient for your needs, to get to East Croydon.

The ticket quoted is to Zones 5-6 though, not to East Croydon.

@Lampshade - I think yorkie meant Wokingham rather than Staines in the first instance; via Reading is a permitted route (don't know off the top of my head whether it has a specific fare or is a mapped route), and faster than the direct route into Waterloo.

 

[John @ home]

I am still puzzled or confused while the Via Staines route is even suggested. Option 1 you have to go through Staines and it is the cheapest. Option 2 is almost the same as that via Non-london route.

Your Option 1

Wokingham - Zone R56 Zones
This ticket is only valid for routes passing through Staines.

is valid by rail Wokingham - Staines - Feltham and then allows unlimited rail travel wholly within Zones 5 and 6 (only), and unlimited bus and tram travel throughout Greater London.

You could use this ticket to travel Wokingham - East Croydon by, for example,
Rail: Wokingham - Staines - Feltham - Twickenham
Rail: Twickenham - Kingston
Bus X26: Kingston - East Croydon
This would be a slow journey.

Your Option 2

Wokingham - Zone R56 Zones

is valid by any Permitted Route between Wokingham and the first station in Zone 6, and unlimited bus and tram travel throughout Greater London.

This ticket could be used for the journey above and for some others eg.
Rail: Wokingham - Weybridge
Rail: Weybridge - Surbiton
Buses: Surbiton - Cheam or Sutton
Rail: Cheam or Sutton - Croydon
This does not increase realistic journey opportunities significantly.

Your Option 3

Wokingham - Croydon Stations
Not London

allows travel by rail between Wokingham and any of the three Croydon Stations by any Permitted Route which does not pass through any station in London Group for routeing purposes. This ticket does not include any bus or tram travel.

 

[t0ffeeman]

How about....

Wokingham - Guildford then
Guildford - Epsom
Epsom - Croydon


Maybe this ticket is a hangover from the old old Thameslink( or SWT) days to West Croydon

 

[yorkie]

Why? hock:

Sorry, the customer is travelling from Wokingham and the ticket is route Staines, I accidentally put Staines as the origin instead of Wokingham. Lexyboy is correct.

 

[zhaoww]

The question is then if had the ticket of Woking to London 5-6 en rout vis Staines, can I take the train to redhill or Guildford, and change it there to East Croydon?

 

[Urban Gateline]

The question is then if had the ticket of Woking to London 5-6 en rout vis Staines, can I take the train to redhill or Guildford, and change it there to East Croydon?

Woking or Wokingham? The OP was refering to Wokingham originally so I'll assume you made a typo!

NRE seems to think that journey should always be routed via Clapham to get to East Croydon. The route via Staines would be by SWT so maybe they are cheaper than the FGW/Southern alternative via Redhill.

If you only use Clapham as an interchange then I don't see the point about penalty fares being a valid one as you wouldn't have to pass through any ticket barriers to get the Southern train from there to East Croydon. If it is "route staines" then I can't see where else you'd change except Clapham Junction! (or am I possibly being really thick here?)

 

[bb21]

Considering the Wokingham - London Zones 5-6 Travelcard:

I don't think you would be allowed to go via Redhill on a Route Staines ticket as I can't find a permitted route which goes that way.

On a Route Any Permitted ticket, it is debatable whether it is a permitted route. I am of the opinion that it is, however there are people on here who disagree.

 

[MikeWh]

According to the season ticket calculator on the Southern site you would need a Wokingham to Croydon stations (not London) ticket to go via Redhill. This is the most expensive option at £292.70. The options to zones 5 and 6 do not permit travel any closer to London than zone 5 other than by bus or tram. The issue is what is a permitted route between Wokingham and London zone 6. I cannot answer that question, but hopefully someone else can. Via Staines is undoubtbly the quickest way but doesn't help you getting to Croydon. The not restricted to Staines option obviously allows other routes, but it isn't clear what they might be.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

If you only use Clapham as an interchange then I don't see the point about penalty fares being a valid one as you wouldn't have to pass through any ticket barriers to get the Southern train from there to East Croydon. If it is "route staines" then I can't see where else you'd change except Clapham Junction! (or am I possibly being really thick here?)

You cannot be serious. A ticket from outside the zones to zones 5 and 6 is clearly not valid in zones 1-4. Any RPI encountering you on a train in those zones (or where the next stop is within those zones) will issue you with a PF.

 

[bb21]

NRE seems to think that journey should always be routed via Clapham to get to East Croydon. The route via Staines would be by SWT so maybe they are cheaper than the FGW/Southern alternative via Redhill.

On a point-to-point Wokingham - Croydon Stations ticket (season or one-off), both Route Not London and Route +Any Permitted allows routeing via Redhill using map CS.

If you only use Clapham as an interchange then I don't see the point about penalty fares being a valid one as you wouldn't have to pass through any ticket barriers to get the Southern train from there to East Croydon. If it is "route staines" then I can't see where else you'd change except Clapham Junction! (or am I possibly being really thick here?)

That's not the point. If the OP is caught somewhere beyond the last station in Zone 5 on a Zones 5-6 Travelcard then he will be liable for a Penalty Fare, except in certain circumstances.

 

[Urban Gateline]

On a point-to-point Wokingham - Croydon Stations ticket (season or one-off), both Route Not London and Route +Any Permitted allows routeing via Redhill using map CS.



That's not the point. If the OP is caught somewhere beyond the last station in Zone 5 on a Zones 5-6 Travelcard then he will be liable for a Penalty Fare, except in certain circumstances.

I completely agree, on the train there is the chance the OP could be penalty fared if he did go past Zone 5, BUT then how can you go "route Staines" to get to East Croydon? Where are you supposed to change? That's what I don't get!

 

[bb21]

I completely agree, on the train there is the chance the OP could be penalty fared if he did go past Zone 5, BUT then how can you go "route Staines" to get to East Croydon? Where are you supposed to change? That's what I don't get!

On a Zones 5-6 Travelcard, I think the nearest station he'll get to East Croydon on the railway is Norbiton. He'll then have to detrain and carry on with the bus. On a point-to-point season, I agree that Clapham Junction is the most sensible place.

 

[MikeWh]

I completely agree, on the train there is the chance the OP could be penalty fared if he did go past Zone 5, BUT then how can you go "route Staines" to get to East Croydon? Where are you supposed to change? That's what I don't get!

I don't think it should be giving this option. I think it's seeing Croydon in zone 5 and offering all the options to zone 5 without considering how you get there once in zone 6.