XC Strikes - tickets for Manchester to Southampton

[Vexed]

I need to travel from Manchester to Southampton tomorrow (Sunday) returning on Bank Holiday Monday. For Sunday it looks like XC will be running hourly, I'd prefer this over travelling via London as I can flex my travel time to where the double sets are allocated and/or travel in first class (good value £20 onboard for weekend first) to avoid too much overcrowding.

On Monday it looks like I need to go via London as XC isn't serving Reading/Southampton.

Prices with a 16-25 railcard, the tickets available are a £101.45 Off Peak Return routed VIA LONDON and a £100.00 Off Peak Return routed NOT VIA LONDON. Am I correct in thinking that the VIA LONDON fare is valid on XC as the NOT VIA LONDON fare is cheaper? As it would be a zero fare excess.

Does anyone have experience or thoughts on whether XC would readily accept the VIA LONDON fare on Sunday without much of an argument on board. Or would it be better to get a NOT VIA LONDON ticket for the outward and get an excess in Southampton for VIA LONDON on the return journey? Would probably have to pay contactless for London Underground in the second case.

Pretty annoying there's no any permitted ticket here as the routeing guide does include various routes via London.

Any thoughts are appreciated. This might become completely academic of course if XC has a meltdown on Sunday and I have to go via London both ways, we'll see!

 

[Watershed]

The via London fare is valid on CrossCountry both because of the fact it's more expensive (the Routeing Guide says you can travel in accordance with cheaper geographically routed fares) and because the XC services follow a permitted route to & from London.

The latter is because Southampton to London is valid via Reading, and London to Manchester is also valid via Reading. So you are simply 'throwing away' the validity that would allow you to double back between Reading and London.

In the past we have seen a case of a passenger wrongly being prosecuted by XC for using a perfectly valid via London ticket in this way - it was resolved in their favour, but I don't think they ever got the compensation they deserved.

If you want to play it safe you could buy the 'not via London' fare and obtain a change of route excess to '+Any Permitted' at a ticket office before returning. The excess would be issued on Credit Card Sized Ticket stock (CCST) and should work the Underground barriers.

 

[Timetraveller]

Quite a few cancellations Cross country services from Manchester today. Either starting further down the line or terminating short due to stock being displaced or crew shortages. So most services will be very busy. A Not via London ticket is also valid through Kensingston Olympia changing at Clapham Junction and Watford Junction

 

[Vexed]

Thank you both.

With the cancellations it looks like Cross Country were a bit optimistic with their timetable today so I'll end up going via London both ways.

In the past we have seen a case of a passenger wrongly being prosecuted by XC for using a perfectly valid via London ticket in this way - it was resolved in their favour, but I don't think they ever got the compensation they deserved.

Sadly I'm not surprised.

The excess would be issued on Credit Card Sized Ticket stock (CCST) and should work the Underground barriers.

I'd always assumed excesses wouldn't have anything written to the magstripe, cheers.

A Not via London ticket is also valid through Kensingston Olympia changing at Clapham Junction and Watford Junction

Good to know but with the fare difference being so small in this case it's probably not worth the time penalty.

 

[Haywain]

I'd always assumed excesses wouldn't have anything written to the magstripe, cheers.

Not much of use other than the cross-London marker - that's the only useful bit.