Using Blackfriars Station as a pedestrian bridge

[andy33gmail]

I like to vary my commute each week. Today it included a walk from Liverpool Street to Strand, with 6 unnecessary bridge crossings in each direction - i.e. alternating sides. I offset by one on the way back

This included using Blackfriars station, from North to South both in the morning and evening

I asked the gate attendant how to buy a special bridge pass - which I thought was a thing - and was met with confusion and told to tap in and out

I seem to have picked up a £0.00 fayre and a £2.80 one - which I can try and get refunded

Is there a proper way to use the station as a bridge, or is that just not something the system permits?

 

[sh24]

It's a railway station, and not designed to be a bridge. There is, after all, a perfectly good road bridge next door!

 

[andy33gmail]

It's a railway station, and not designed to be a bridge. There is, after all, a perfectly good road bridge next door!

I know, and I used that too

 

[Bald Rick]

It's a railway station, and not designed to be a bridge. There is, after all, a perfectly good road bridge next door!

Strictly speaking, it’s designed as a railway station and a bridge!

However as it is a station as well as a bridge, it for use only by railway passengers holding a valid ticket that encompasses use of Blackfriars.

 

[andy33gmail]

Strictly speaking, it’s designed as a railway station and a bridge!

However as it is a station as well as a bridge, it for use only by railway passengers holding a valid ticket that encompasses use of Blackfriars.

So the strict interpretation would be that I should pay the cheapest available fayre. Which to be fair aligns with the £2.80 charge I see on my Oyster account

 

[sh24]

Strictly speaking, it’s designed as a railway station and a bridge!

That is a very good point!

So the strict interpretation would be that I should pay the cheapest available fayre. Which to be fair aligns with the £2.80 charge I see on my Oyster account

Yes. Though on reflection you could have tried for a platform ticket?

 

[Joe Paxton]

Strictly speaking, it’s designed as a railway station and a bridge!

However as it is a station as well as a bridge, it for use only by railway passengers holding a valid ticket that encompasses use of Blackfriars.

...or passengers who have just used or are going to use the Underground.

My understanding is that, for those using contactless or Oyster, anyone who has just exited from Blackfriars LU station can then enter the NR station, cross the river and exit with no extra charge. Ditto for those prospective Underground passengers who enter Blackfriars NR from the south side.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

However as it is a station as well as a bridge, it for use only by railway passengers holding a valid ticket that encompasses use of Blackfriars.

Indeed. Otherwise, what's to stop someone coming off a train at London Blackfriars making out that they're only there using the station as a bridge and so don't need to have a valid ticket?

 

[andy33gmail]

That is a very good point!



Yes. Though on reflection you could have tried for a platform ticket?

That was what I tried to articulate to the gate attendant, to no avail. Machines didn’t seem to offer it either

 

[sh24]

That was what I tried to articulate to the gate attendant, to no avail. Machines didn’t seem to offer it either

Ticket office only for platform tickets.

 

[andy33gmail]

Ticket office only for platform tickets.

In fairness, it hadn’t even occurred to me that one might exist in a non-terminus. I’ll see how I get on next time I take an unnecessary route

 

[sh24]

In fairness, it hadn’t even occurred to me that one might exist in a non-terminus. I’ll see how I get on next time I take an unnecessary route

There is even one at each end of the station/bridge so you can take your pick of approach routes (subject to opening hours)!

 

[andy33gmail]

Nice. Now I know

I wonder if there are cases where the same routing “trick” helps with the massive Elizabeth line platforms

 

[Bald Rick]

or passengers who have just used or are going to use the Underground.

which would be a valid ticket!

 

[Howardh]

If you use one entrance, tap in, your train doesn't turn up, so you change your mind and decide to use the bus, tap out on the other side, are you charged anything?

 

[Tester]

If you use one entrance, tap in, your train doesn't turn up, so you change your mind and decide to use the bus, tap out on the other side, are you charged anything?

Yes - a minimum fare. Designed to reduce fraud, but penalises such situations. If you make another train journey within a certain time, the original charge is cancelled, but I don't know if that works for buses.

Some places, e.g. Melbourne and Brisbane, Australia, allow a grace period, typically 15 minutes, with no charge.

 

[Royston Vasey]

Are these 10p platform tickets no longer available?

https://www.mylondon.news/news/transport/special-ticket-you-need-buy-27724926.amp

 

[Richardr]

If you use one entrance, tap in, your train doesn't turn up, so you change your mind and decide to use the bus, tap out on the other side, are you charged anything?

No idea about that exact case, but KeyGo has certainly resolved automatically a few issues like that for me, so may work. An example was I went from St Albans City intending to go to Bedford, but the line was then closed between Luton and Bedford. After a bit of a wait I was able to get a train back from Luton Airport which was as far as our train went. KeyGo recognized what had happened and gave me a zero charge.

 

[edwin_m]

A couple of weeks ago I was returning to St Pancras from an office near Aldgate and realised just as the doors had closed that I'd left something at the office. I caught the next one back from Liverpool Street which happened to be a District to nearby Aldgate East, collected my item and returned to Aldgate all within 15 minutes. I had no idea how many fares I would be charged between the multiple entry/exits and the OSI, but the answer turned out to be just one.

 

[Fenchurch SP]

You could have done three bridge crossings within the station, one for each platform. If you get a travelcard season you should be able to pass through with no additional fare (but you would have to ask to be let through if you tried it multiple times).

 

[andy33gmail]

You could have done three bridge crossings within the station, one for each platform. If you get a travelcard season you should be able to pass through with no additional fare (but you would have to ask to be let through if you tried it multiple times).

By the same argument, I should have done each road bridge at least twice; one per pavement, and in some cases on the central res too

 

[Russel]

I've used it as a footbridge a couple of times, simply because the view is always impressive and so is the station it's self, I've never been charged anything because I've reached the contactless Zone1/2 cap already.

 

[norbitonflyer]

I had a point-to-point season ticket to London terminals, and frequently used Southwark and Blackfriars stations as part of an almost completely indoor route from Waterloo to Queen Victoria Street. I don't know what the cheapest season that wuld be valid would have been.

So the strict interpretation would be that I should pay the cheapest available fayre. Which to be fair aligns with the £2.80 charge I see on my Oyster account

Would you have reached the cap later in the day anyway?

I've used it as a footbridge a couple of times, simply because the view is always impressive and so is the station it's self, I've never been charged anything because I've reached the contactless Zone1/2 cap already.

 

[andy33gmail]

Would you have reached the cap later in the day anyway?

Nope. Only used National Rail.

Well aware though that from the data they have, I could have:
1. Tapped in
2. Tapped out but not walked through the barrier
3. Travelled to a non-barriered station

And then made a return journey later in the day.

(But I didn't)

 

[Tester]

Nope. Only used National Rail.

Well aware though that from the data they have, I could have:
1. Tapped in
2. Tapped out but not walked through the barrier
3. Travelled to a non-barriered station

And then made a return journey later in the day.

(But I didn't)

Just as well!

To the best of my knowledge that won't work (as well as firmly being in penalty fare territory).

If you tap in and out at the same place within (I think) two minutes it will charge a maximum fare.

Over two minutes up to ?? minutes it will charge a minimum fare, overrideable by another journey within ?? minutes.

Over ?? minutes back to maximum fare territory.

 

[Edvid]

This is what TfL say:

Same station exits

• Between 0 - 2 minutes: a maximum fare. If you re-enter the same or a different station within 45 minutes, you'll be refunded. This doesn't apply if you take a bus or tram before re-entering a station
• Between 2 - 30 minutes: the minimum pay as you go fare from that station
• More than 30 minutes: two maximum fares. We'll assume two separate journeys have been made and both will be incomplete

Associated refunds

We aim to automatically refund you for a same station exit if you have not had one in the last 7 days. If you haven't received an automatic refund after 48 hours, claim a refund online.

 

[andy33gmail]

3 mins apart each time on the Oyster app. First one wasn't charged, second one they refunded when I requested a refund for tapping in/out without travelling. Always just curious about how these things work

 

[Tester]

3 mins apart each time on the Oyster app. First one wasn't charged, second one they refunded when I requested a refund for tapping in/out without travelling. Always just curious about how these things work

Yes it's a fine balance between passenger friendliness and revenue protection.

Many tap in tap out systems allow a 'change of mind' free exit, but with so many unbarriered stations you can see the temptation.

A recorded manual refund is arguably a fair compromise.