Details have been announced about the new Oyster fares from Liverpool Street starting on May 31st. TfL zonal fares will apply to all services between Liverpool Street and Cheshunt, Chingford or Harold Wood except where the TfL rate is higher than the old NR rate. Some fares, particularly off-peak outside zone 1, will be higher than current TfL fares. Brentwood will move to zone 9 for travelcard purposes and most of the fares will fall from todays level, but not to the same level as the fares to Amersham and Chesham. There will no longer be a premium for continuing your journey on the Underground or DLR. Some fares will drop by as much as 40%.
Most fares to Shenfield will remain set by GA although there will be reductions between zone 2-6 and Shenfield.
Even though GA will continue providing the services between London and Cheshunt via Tottenham Hale there is an agreement that will see TfL fares charged in line with the Overground route via Seven Sisters.
‘Graeter Anglia’?
Hi Greg,
Ooops! Thanks for the heads up, now corrected.
Hi Mike
Oh what a muddle these “new Overground” fares are! Off peak from Enfield Town, zone 5, to tube Zone 2 costs £2.40, which I believe is unchanged and the same as from Enfield Chase (National Rail fares). From Chingford, zone 6, it is £2.60 off peak – hardly any cheaper than peak (£2.80). I naively expected the off peak fares from these “new overground” stations to be £1.50, like the tube/overground fares – but NO! It seems there is now yet another fares table, just for the “new overground”. Very disappointing and confusing. (I know you mentioned this in your original article, but the penny didn’t drop until I looked at specific fares.)
So, have I got this right? Outside zone 1, the “new overground” PEAK fares are the same as the generally lower tube/overground fares but the OFF PEAK fares are the same as for National Rail (ie. higher). But to zone 1 it’s different again, and the “new overground” fares do appear to match the tube/overground fares, both peak and off peak.
It’s now almost impossible to memorise even a few fare comparisons, so complex have they become. Sorry to rant, but surely this defeats the original purpose of a zonal fares structure, which (I thought) was simplicity?
Hi Dave,
I think you’ve more-or-less cracked it. I’m as confused as anyone on these new fares. I’m trying to work out a way to describe things now that TfL have actually started using TfL-Rail for the soon to be Crossrail services. Not happy!
Question raised on another website. Can someone tag on using Oyster PAYG at Brentwood, board an outbound LO stopper, and then change trains at Shenfield and then take an AGA fast service to Liverpool Street and tag out there, paying a zone 1-9 fare without any penalty for going via Shenfield?
Hi John,
Yes, that’s fine. They can’t leave the station at Shenfield though. What was the other website?
I’m having an ongoing (and thus far unsatisfactory) correspondence with TfL concerning issues such as this. They have advised me that Oyster Cards, Travelcards, Freedom Passes and TfL child and adult concessions are only accepted on “TfL Rail trains which have our logo” and not on “the other National Rail trains on this route” (i.e. fast trains serving Stratford – Romford – Shenfield, plus some semi-fast on Sundays). I’m worried they are trying to separate the finances in preparation for Crossrail.
Please note that you can only use the above tickets on TfL Rail trains which have our logo and not on the other National Rail trains on this route.
Hi Paul,
Whoa! You can’t lump all those things together and get coherent restrictions because they’re different. This is my understanding of the situation:
Oyster cards: Valid on all rail services within the Oyster area except HEx/Connect between Hayes and Heathrow and SE High Speed.
Travelcards: Valid on all rail services within the relevant zones (except HEx/C, SE HS as above).
Freedom Passes, 60+ Oyster: Vaildity as per the TfL website. On some routes there are differences between TfL trains and other NR.
TfL Child/Adult Concessions: These operate as per normal Oyster cards as far as rail travel is concerned.
TfL Staff Concessions: Have various restrictions in line with conditions published on issue.
You may be better off discussing just one sort of card at a time. I’ll be happy to view/comment on any correspondence if you wish.
Hello Mike
It was TfL who did the lumping, I’m afraid. They appear to be drawing a clear distinction between TfL and NR at Shenfield, despite the fact that they reckon to be the fare-setting authority for journeys between Shenfield (oysterised, yet non-zonal) and zonal destinations (apart from zone 1). It looks to me as though TfL fare setting to/from Shenfield is confined to journeys that use their trains, but I can find no mention of this restriction other than in the personal correspondence from which I quote.
Hi Paul,
Oh dear. Would you be prepared to share your correspondence? I’ll send you an email address if you would prefer.
I have a question. Planning on using my Oyster card to travel between Walthamstow Central and Liverpool Street on the Chingford branch of the new Overground, then continue to use it in zone 1. I understand the cap for zone 1-3 is £7.50 (I think?). Is this still the case when travelling on this part of the Overground too, since Walthamstow is in zone 3? So if I travel around zone 1 and on this section of the Overground, I will be charged only £7.50 for the day.
I am only a visitor so apologies for my lack of knowledge.
Hi Dennis,
Yes, the zone 1-3 cap applies to all rail services within those zones apart from the high speed line between St Pancras and Stratford International. However, for the rest of August you may need to be aware of serious overcrowding on that line because the Victoria Underground line is shut between Walthamstow and Seven Sisters.
If you use oyster to tap in at Cheshunt, then tap the oyster readers at Seven sisters before getting onto the underground, does oyster know whether you have travelled on a London Overground train or a National rail train as they both make this journey? Obviously, the price would usually be different for Rail/Overground as, with overground, a further journey on to the Cheshunt one would count as a continuation of the same journey, rather than a separate one for rail, then tube.
Hi kq,
The fare is the same regardless of which train you use between Cheshunt and Seven Sisters. If you are changing to the Underground there then there is no need to touch at all as it is all one station.
Thank you for your reply! Saves me waiting at the station for the overground service. Does the same apply for using freedom passes, as my parents became very confused as to whether they were covered for any rail journey from seven sisters to Cheshunt or whether it was only valid on London Overground journeys?
Hi kq,
The freedom pass is different sadly. You can take any train within zones 1-6, but outside of that it can only be a London Overground service. Alternatively a ticket from boundary zone 6 to Cheshunt can be used with the Freedom Pass without worrying where the train stops.