Validity of advance tickets on connecting Thameslink services

[redcaboose]

I make a journey quite frequently from Bournemouth to the Dunstable area, usually using an advance ticket bought well beforehand. Depending on what's available, I can go to either Luton or Tring; I then complete the journey by bus.

When I route to Tring, the only leg of the ticket with a timed train restriction is the Bournemouth - Waterloo segment, whereas if I route to Luton, both the SWR & Thameslink segments have a specified train on the ticket. Now on both journeys, I'm usually at either Euston or Blackfriars in time to catch the preceding train to the original itinerary. I know it's OK to catch the next LNWR service. since the ticket only specifies "& connections". But the train from Blackfriars has a time on the ticket, so I'm usually sitting on the platform for the best part of half an hour, when I could easily have caught the preceding train.

Did I read somewhere that the "& connections" part of the ticket is valid on the next available Thameslink train, or do I have to travel on the specific train on the reservations coupon? It's particularly annoying when that specific train ends up being delayed or cancelled, and I end up in Luton the best part of an hour later than if I'd just taken the first available connecting train.

 

[Vexed]

Historically in internal documentation, GTR allowed advance ticket holders where they are a connection to another non-GTR TOC to travel on different GTR services than booked. However my understanding is that this has been quietly withdrawn or accidentally removed.

From the December timetable, half of the Sutton loop trains will terminate at Luton instead of St Albans. These are non-reservable (like the LNR trains to Tring) so won't be printed on CCST. You could get a journey planner to offer an Advance on one of these instead of the fast trains to Luton. The fast trains to Luton are reservable (which means they would be printed on CCST, as you have experienced) so technically you're not allowed to travel on them without an explicit reservation on an Advance. If you're booked on a non-reservable train you can take an earlier non-reservable connection train, but not an earlier reservable train.

How enforceable this is with paper tickets is questionable - "I didn't know I had to get a specific train when my ticket doesn't say which one".

With eTickets, all legs are printed even if they are non-reservable.

It's particularly annoying when that specific train ends up being delayed or cancelled, and I end up in Luton the best part of an hour later than if I'd just taken the first available connecting train.

If the train you're reserved on is cancelled, you're allowed to get on an earlier one. You don't need to wait for one after. This is part of the new 2 trains before acceptance rule.

 

[Haywain]

Historically in internal documentation, GTR allowed advance ticket holders where they are a connection to another non-GTR TOC to travel on different GTR services than booked. However my understanding is that this has been quietly withdrawn or accidentally removed.

It was confirmed just a couple of months ago that the easement remains in place:

Connecting services on Advance

Thanks for that. It would be for the case of maintaing a connection, apparently Twickenham Station has crowd control in place so if I can get away earlier I will. Also, providing you turn up in good time for your initial service, if the train company delays you, then you are entitled to...

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== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Sep 2026 ==

I make a journey quite frequently from Bournemouth to the Dunstable area, usually using an advance ticket bought well beforehand. Depending on what's available, I can go to either Luton or Tring; I then complete the journey by bus.

As an aside, I would suggest that Leighton Buzzard is a better option than Tring as it has a much more frequent bus service to Dunstable.

 

[redcaboose]

It was confirmed just a couple of months ago that the easement remains in place

Thank you, that is helpful and reassuring, and may save me quite a bit of time. Because of the bus connections, getting the train 15 mins earlier could sometimes save me over an hour on the journey.

As an aside, I would suggest that Leighton Buzzard is a better option than Tring as it has a much more frequent bus service to Dunstable.

That's certainly true if Dunstable is your final destination, plus the bus runs from just outside the station.

What I didn't make clear is that journey's end for me is on the 61 bus route between Dunstable and Ivinghoe; the direct bus service to Leighton Buzzard is abysmal and goes nowhere near the station. Luton & Tring are pretty much equidistant by bus in terms of time, and it's the same bus either way.

If just travelling to Dunstable, Luton is the best option by far, because there's a direct service on the busway every few minutes.

Back to my regular train journey.

It usually takes me about half an hour playing with the booking website to get the best value ticket; sometimes it's via Luton, sometimes via Tring, sometimes something else entirely.

I find getting a low fare to sometimes be quite hard work, and needing some clever selecting of options in the journey planner. And when something goes wrong on the day, there's always a bit of concern that I'm doing something which might invalidate the ticket. If in doubt, my usual recourse is to ask the guard on the train before boarding, but obviously that's not an option on a DOO service. I must say that I've found the railway staff to be generally very helpful.

If all the ducks line up, the cheapest option* I've found is two separate Advances; Salisbury-Waterloo & St Pancras-Luton via EMR with a bus between the two (I have a bus pass so the connection is free). I generally book these with around an hour and a half to get between the London terminals, and as yet haven't missed any connections. But if I book the journey as two separate tickets together on a single booking reference, and the first is seriously delayed, is the advance for the second train still protected?

*actually I've found a cheaper one, though only very rarely available at a good price. An Advance Bournemouth-Oxford, then a bus to Aylesbury to pick up the 61 there. If it's a nice day, the break in Oxford can be rather pleasant.

If I have to make the journey at short notice, the cheapest option I know of is an off-peak (or super off-peak if the timings work, which usually they don't) return Salisbury-Tring via Kensington Olympia. Anyone know of anything better? There's no meaningful difference for me in the bus journey from home to either Salisbury or Bournemouth.