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Hi there,
I am trying to work out the best way to travel from strawberry hill to old street (return) as it will soon be my new commute.
I tried to do a test run yesterday (Sunday off peak) just to get an idea and see if the daily cap charge would apply, however it cost £11.15 in total so not the £7.60 it said it would be. However, as it was a Sunday I did have to do a slightly different journey.
I was planning the journey to be the SWR from Strawberry Hill to Vauxhall, tube Vauxhall to Euston, then Euston to Old street.
Or
SWR Strawberry hill to Clapham Junction, then overground Clapham junction to Shoreditch high street.
Which one would be better/cheaper? & would the daily cap apply to either?
For context, here is the journey I did for £11.15
IN) overground Shoreditch high street – Clapham Junction, SWR Clapham junction to Strawberry hill.
RTN) SWR Strawberry hill – Waterloo, then bus from Waterloo to home.
I appreciate any advice!
Thanks
Hi, there are some very expert experts on here, who will give you the definitive answer. I noticed on the TfL site, Single Fare Finder, Strawberry Hill,(Zone 5) to Old Street Underground, (Zone 1) that the peak fare is £7.60 and the off peak single fare, which includes Sundays is £5.40 so you would expect to have paid £10.80 yesterday.
£11.15 is the combination of the single journey fares at £2.60 (Shoreditch High Street to Clapham Junction, Clapham Junction to Strawberry Hill £3.20. Strawberry Hill to London Waterloo is £3.80 and the bus trip £1.65.
The TfL site also says the Off Peak Cap Zones 1 to 5 is £13.10 so you didn’t exceed the amount the amount for the amount to kick in.
Just my two-penneth’ worth
Kind Regards
MikeHi Lauren,
There’s quite a bit to unpick here, so bear with me.
Firstly I’m not quite sure where you get a daily cap of £7.60 from. As Mike suggests above, that is the peak single fare from Old Street to Strawberry Hill changing at Waterloo. The zone 1-5 daily cap is £13.10 which you will be unlikely to reach as I explain below.
Secondly, did you exit and re-enter at Clapham Junction? If you did then there is no need. The Oyster system charges each complete journey, including any changes of train. If you have to exit and re-enter (like at Waterloo) then it will join the two bits together as long as you don’t exceed the interchange time. If you don’t have to leave the station then don’t.
Now to your journey. There are essentially three different routes for charging purposes. Most expensive is Old Street to Strawberry Hill changing between Underground and National Rail at Waterloo (£7.60). Next is Old Street to Strawberry Hill changing at Vauxhall (£6.70). This is because all your National Rail travel is in zones 2-5 and all your Underground travel is in zone 1 so the system charges it as two separate journeys even though it is one. Finally Shoreditch High Street to Strwaberry Hill is £5.70 as long as you don’t touch out at Clapham Junction. This is because the whole journey is treated as National Rail so there is no Underground charge.
Coming home it gets even better. Because your journey starts in zone 5 and ends in zone 1 you are changed off-peak fares during the afternoon peak. This makes both Old Street options £5.40 and the Shorditch option £3.80. There is no benefit to changing at Vauxhall off-peak for this journey.
So, if Shoreditch High Street is as convenient as Old Street for your home then I’d definitely recommend that route for a daily total of £9.50. From Old Street via Waterloo is a daily total of £13.00, so just below the daily cap.
Hope that helps.
Hi Both,
Thanks so much for your help!
Sorry Mike, it’s actually the other way around I would be starting at Strawberry Hill in the morning going to Shoreditch high street. Then coming back in the evening.
Can I ask what this would work out as? & what would be the cheapest option?
Thanks!
Hi Lauren,
OK, the only difference is that you will pay peak rates in the evening that way round. So for Shoreditch that would be 2x £5.70 = £11.40. For Old Street you’d cap at £13.10 regardless of whether you changed at Vauxhall or Waterloo. I think the quickest way across London on the tube is likely to be Waterloo and City between Waterloo and Bank followed by Northern line to Old Street.
Sorry for being confused by your journey description.
The problem with the Clapham route is simply time. If you have the time then there’s money to be saved as described but expect to sit on an Overground train for a bit before departure. I’ve only tried it a couple of times but due to scheduling I had about a 10 minute wait for departure (and the South London line doesn’t seem to be the fastest bit of track around.)
In reverse, the issue may be fitting onto the return train to Strawberry Hill. My journey is on the Epsom line and we have half the service we had pre-COVID so getting onto the train on a mid-week evening is a squeeze. For that reason alone, I tend to opt for a Waterloo change rather than anywhere else. That may not be a problem on your line of course.
With the W&C it’s the popularity and thus the crowds that may be an issue. I’ve only tried it post-COVID and it’s manageable if not completely stress free. Pre-COVID I suspect it was a nightmare. It probably is the fastest route, though, rather than running via Vauxhall and joining the crowds on platform 8 on the return journey.
I can’t advise anything extra as to cost since Mike knows much more than me and my payment mechanism is different.
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