Validity of late night travel

[Pumbaa]

Is there a blanket time for late night travel?

Ie what time would a ticket for the 24th be valid until on the morning of the 25th? Or does it depend entirely upon route and ticket type?

 

[yorkie]

I think it's 2am (without checking FRPP) but there are easements e.g. you can use tickets dated for the previous day on 03xx Leeds-York. (You won't get a ticket check on that train anyway IMX but I guess the barriers will still be in operation - at least I'd hope they would be to prevent undesirables getting on after a night drinking in Leeds! So, in theory, the barriers would accept tickets at that time... or perhaps not and staff have to manually let them through, I am not sure).

That applies to when you start your journey; if you have already started it then you can continue it for as long as needed (if overnight stay is required it must be resumed by 12pm the next day).

 

[ashworth]

On two or three ocasions during the past year including last Monday I have caught the 2am Southern service from London Victoria to Three bridges on all occasions getting off at East Croydon. I have always used a Travelcard for that day that has been valid from Midnight or one from the previous day valid until 4am.
However, although this train is a 4 car train and is full to standing I have never seen anyone check tickets. You can just walk straight onto the train at Victoria and the barriers have never been in use at East Croydon at that time in the morning. These train run every hour throughout the night and the 1am train is usually an 8 car train. Is it normal for no-one to ever have their tickets checked on these night services out of London if not do many of the regular users bother to get a ticket?

 

[glynn80]

On two or three ocasions during the past year including last Monday I have caught the 2am Southern service from London Victoria to Three bridges on all occasions getting off at East Croydon. I have always used a Travelcard for that day that has been valid from Midnight or one from the previous day valid until 4am.

Day Travelcards are indeed valid on the night services out of Victoria but are actually valid until 04:30.

I have also travelled on these services and never seen a ticket check either, doubt many guards want to deal with a train in which 90% of the passengers are bladdered.

 

[ashworth]

The passengers may be bladdered but I have always found them fairly quiet and well behaved. Very different from the very loud, often abusive drunken behaviour on Saturday evening trains on my local line from Nottingham to Mansfield. I am talking about trains that leave Nottingham as early as 8 and 9 pm which are not pleasant to travel on.

Back to London I am just surprised that as well as not having a ticket check on the train on all the occaions i have used the service you can walk straight on at Victoria and off at Croydon without having a ticket check.

FCC also run trains half hourly during the night from London Bridge on this route, but I can't remember if there are ticket checks at london Bridge as i've only used that service once after midnight.

 

[glynn80]

Back to London I am just surprised that as well as not having a ticket check on the train on all the occaions i have used the service you can walk straight on at Victoria and off at Croydon without having a ticket check.

FCC also run trains half hourly during the night from London Bridge on this route, but I can't remember if there are ticket checks at london Bridge as i've only used that service once after midnight.

How many staff do you think want to be manning barriers at 3am in the morning? Without staff they must open all barriers for safety reasons.

FCC do run late night trains but after around midnight IIRC, the barriers at London Bridge are opened just as they are at Victoria.

 

[clagmonster]

I have travelled on the 01:00 out of Victoria a couple of times recently, both as overnight fill in moves, and was gripped both times southbound, although saying that it was the same guard both times.

 

[yorkie]

. Is it normal for no-one to ever have their tickets checked on these night services out of London if not do many of the regular users bother to get a ticket?

I doubt many save the 10pence cheaper cost of buying a single to London though! So they probably do have tickets.

I got a 00:40 train from London Bridge to East Croydon a couple of weeks ago and I was the only person who got off at East Croydon! One barrier was left open which I walked through. I went to London Bridge rather than Victoria because it's cheaper from St Pancras as you get the tube journey free*!

* Cross London transfer is included for free on tickets from STP, and if there are no through Thameslink trains - as there aren't at that time of night due to the route improvement works - then you get go to on the tube at no extra cost.