I have now got the numbers I want in FOI-4165-2526:
For cards affected by the Zone 1 charge:
On a diversion weekend:
No journeys between the stops on the diversionary route and the eastern section of the Mildmay line with a pink touch at Willesden Junction;
3233 journeys between the stops on the diversionary route and the eastern section of the Mildmay line without a pink touch at Willesden Junction (the journeys which I consider being overcharged).
On a normal weekend:
8 journeys between the stops on the diversionary route and the eastern section of the Mildmay line with a pink touch at Willesden Junction (the intended use of the pink reader fare);
196 journeys between the stops on the diversionary route and the eastern section of the Mildmay line without a pink touch at Willesden Junction (for which travel via Zone 1 is assumed);
6792 journeys between the stops on the normal route and the eastern section of the Mildmay line.
The above number clearly shows that, when the diversion is not in place, the amount of journeys taken between the stops on the diversionary route and the eastern section of Mildmay line is only a tiny fraction compared to when the diversionary route is active. In contrast, the diversionary route still carries half of the normal traffic, which can now totally justify the recent enhancement of the diversionary service to 4 tph (which used to be 2 tph), compared to 8 tph on the normal route. It also means that half of the normal Mildmay line traffic is now overcharged due to the diversion, 16 times of the number of Zone 1 journeys on a normal weekend whose revenue needs to be protected. As these journeys are rarely made without the diversion, but with significant traffic when the diversion is active, the revenue protection need, as such, is clearly disproportionate to the detriment of normal Zone 2 only passengers who are forced to use the Zone 2 only diversionary route and getting overcharged because the normal route is closed.
For journeys involving Swiss Cottage / South Hampstead:
On a diversion weekend, there were 280 journeys where a pair of touches were made between the stations within 20 minutes, while on a normal weekend, there were just 89, which means that this signposted “fake-OSI” serves a real interchange function between the diversionary Mildmay line route and the Jubilee line, fulfilled by West Hampstead under normal circumstances, penalising passengers again due to the diversion.
I will write to my MP soon about this matter as I live in the affected area, using all of the stations between Willesden Junction and Gospel Oak regularly.
