I’ve recently been in correspondence with GTR regarding paper tickets from Hertford North to Luton and wondered whether contactless can actually handle it. Both paper and contactless are priced at £13.80 off-peak.
GTR have confirmed that the paper ticket is not valid via Stevenage despite the route via Stevenage / St Pancras being the fastest by 22 minutes most of the day. The only permitted routes are via Gordon Hill (either Finsbury Pk./ St Pancras or Highbury & Islington / West Hampstead): going via Stevenage requires two separate tickets, costing significantly more. The contactless fare doesn’t specify the route so am I correct that travelling via Stevenage using contactless, now the OSI is live, would trigger that £13.80 fare?