Trainline 'not available to buy'

[MattyH]

Hello. So, I have to go to Gatwick early Saturday morning from E Croydon. The 04:07 would be ideal. Trainline shows this service but says 'Not available to buy'. It's available to buy on Southern so I guess it's running (unless anyone knows differently)but I wondered why Trainline says this, anyone know (or, indeed, care)?

Thanks!

 

[jfowkes]

The XC app also reports it as not available to buy, saying it's sold out.

This doesn't help you much, but suggests that there's a problem with the data about that service rather than Trainline specifically.

 

[MattyH]

That was my feeling, to be honest. It's hard to imagine E Croydon refusing entry to the platform, I suppose, so should probably just turn up and see what happens...

 

[Bletchleyite]

That train isn't showing in Realtime Trains as having compulsory reservation (and Thameslink aren't one of the TOCs that generally partakes of that particular farce) so it does seem like something's got messed up in the data somewhere, and you could just rock up and buy a paper walk-up ticket without problems.

If it *had* been marked CR then I'd wonder if that was to prevent people selecting it because it might not run, but I can see no sign of that.

I think (but haven't checked) XC's site is Trainline derived, so I guess it's Trainline's data that's messed up? GTR don't use Trainline for their sites hence why that presumably will sell it.

 

[Benjwri]

This is happening because the train is arriving at 04:30, which Trainline is interpreting to not be valid on this ticket as it is after 04:29. This schedule moves around a bit and looking ahead you’ll see Trainline will sell a ticket when it is timed to arrive at or before 04:29, but not when it’s timed after then.

For some reason Trainline seems to have their system set up to interpret a day as starting and finishing at 04:30, and even if your journey is the next day, before 04:30 I believe it’ll sell you a ticket for the day before. It doesn’t seem to be able to understand it could sell a ticket for Saturday in this instance.

 

[Bletchleyite]

This is happening because the train is arriving at 04:30, which Trainline is interpreting to not be valid on this ticket as it is after 04:29. This schedule moves around a bit and looking ahead you’ll see Trainline will sell a ticket when it is timed to arrive at or before 04:29, but not when it’s timed after then.

That's quite a bug if Trainline can't cope with the idea that the railway day is 28.5 hours long! The correct ticket to sell for anything departing at 0001 or after is one dated for Saturday 5th, and that would be valid until 0429 on Sunday 6th.

There is a potential genuine gap if there are any journeys on the system departing at 2359 or earlier and arriving after 0430 where only Day Singles were on offer, but I can't imagine any such journey exists without period singles which would be valid (either because they're valid for two days in the case of Anytimes, or due to the "if you cannot complete" clause if they are Off Peaks).

If that's what it is, just buy a walk-up from the TVM.

 

[Benjwri]

That's quite a bug if Trainline can't cope with the idea that the railway day is 28.5 hours long! The correct ticket to sell for anything departing at 0001 or after is one dated for Saturday 5th, and that would be valid until 0429 on Sunday 6th.

There is a potential genuine gap if there are any journeys on the system departing at 2359 or earlier and arriving after 0430 where only Day Singles were on offer, but I can't imagine any such journey exists without period singles which would be valid (either because they're valid for two days in the case of Anytimes, or due to the "if you cannot complete" clause if they are Off Peaks).

If that's what it is, just buy a walk-up from the TVM.

I am pretty sure this is the case, I seem to remember being issued a ticket for the day before for a journey after midnight, but can’t find it now (I obviously no longer use trainline). Maybe someone else here has a ticket they could check?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Apr 2025 ==

Having taken a further look, it seems this is only an issue when it ends on exactly 04:30. I’m still pretty sure they issue a previous day tickets if before 04:30, so perhaps when it ends at 04:30 the system isn’t realising it needs to look for the next day?

 

[MattyH]

I have just seen that Trainline will sell me a Return ticket with the 4:07 as the outward journey, so, as I knew, the Forum has delivered the goods. Thank you.

 

[lewismachyach]

(I'd think that making this journey one-way, paying with Oyster or contactless would be better value, no?)

 

[bakerstreet]

Hello. So, I have to go to Gatwick early Saturday morning from E Croydon. The 04:07 would be ideal. Trainline shows this service but says 'Not available to buy'. It's available to buy on Southern so I guess it's running (unless anyone knows differently)but I wondered why Trainline says this, anyone know (or, indeed, care)?

Thanks!

As an aside, it may be worth having a plan B and checking the night before – and on the morning before leaving for the station – if your train is running.

I’m often on the Thameslink route to the north of the Thames, and overnight trains have had significant cancellation issues in the past few months because of shortages of staff.

Sometimes, but not always, some overnight services are replaced by bus services when Thameslink drivers are unavailable.

This link demonstrates the issue.

(Link to recent train times showing overnight services on the Thaneslink core route over the last 30 days between Kentish Town and Gatwick Airport via East Croydon)

Search - Recent Train Times

 

[talldave]

(I'd think that making this journey one-way, paying with Oyster or contactless would be better value, no?)

£4.10 with Oyster or contactless. A bargain considering it costs £5 just to drop someone by car at Gatwick.

 

[MattyH]

Thanks, yes to Oyster and to checking at 2amt to see what the status of the 04:07 is (would they run a bus for just one cancelled train I wonder or just say get the next one). Can't argue with that fare.

 

[bakerstreet]

(would they run a bus for just one cancelled train

They do to the north of the Thames between St Pancras and St Albans.

Through the night, trains only run once an hour, so for many passengers that might be a problem

 

[Alex-JER/LGW]

I had this issue on 21st March, 0307 & 0407 East Croydon to Gatwick services were cancelled with scheduled bus replacement at 0322 & 0422.However upon deeper investigation this possibly single replacement bus was starting at St Pancras and coming through Blackfriars prior.I was not overly confident that there would be space on the bus when it did turn up and the GTR staff at EC weren't overly helpful, they said that they would try to help if the bus arrived full, however as I had a 6am flight I opted to get the 0207 which was running and sit in the departures lounge.
Would suggest to be very careful relying on those services and any bus replacements which maybe delayed or have no space.

 

[MrJeeves]

If relying on overnight Thameslink, try to plan to arrive two+ hours earlier for your flight than you normally would.

Very likely to be bus-titued as others have said, and these buses are slower and often surprisingly full. I believe they are regularly single-deckers too. There's no alternative if services are cancelled and there's no space on the bus, other than politely asking staff for a taxi instead (and hoping they oblige, as is their responsibility!).

I believe GTR have tried to make up for some of the cancellations by running Southern services between Victoria and Three Bridges a few times, but it most definitely hasn't happened many times despite continuous Thameslink cancellations.