Hi Roger,
It seems to me absurd that two offpeak journeys are charged as a peak fare on a through ticket.
That is generally how PAYG works. The problem is getting significantly bigger now the area is expanding.
When PAYG arrives, will TfL’s back office system recognise that it is impossible to catch a peak train from Zone 1 if a passenger catches the 1853 at Windsor?
It depends how the peak charging is set up from Windsor. Currently if you travel east from the GWR mainline west of West Drayton (including Windsor & Eton Central) you are charged off-peak all evening no matter how far you go. The detail of how charges will be set up for the Project Oval expansion is not yet being made clear. This is sadly typical of this governments approach to transparency.
Is anything known about delivery of Phase 1 which I take to be PAYG, Phase 2 is presumably provision of concessions.
Phase 1 was due to go live last December but was pulled at the last minute. It’s now supposed to be this Spring, but no date is yet known. Phase 2 will include more extensions, as well as provision for concessions. As with everything, detail is conspicuous by its absence.