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Looking at the TfL fare finder, there are now three entries for Farringdon.
Farringdon LU
Farringdon EL
Farringdon NRAll three show the default fare as being LU mode, but change at London Bridge (it assumes you’re travelling via New Cross Gate) as mixed mode when as far as I’m aware Thameslink between London Bridge/Elephant & Castle and Kentish Town NR is on the LU fare scale?
I use Forest Hill further down the line and I have to use the pink reader at Whitechapel (or Canada Water) to get the LU fare to Farringdon which isn’t mentioned for Surrey Quays.
Another pink reader touch required to commute to Farringdon where the default fare from Forest Hill is the NR fare via London Bridge rather than using LO/EL via Whitechapel.
I must remember when I go there next week to touch the pink reader at Whitechapel otherwise it’s £3.30 off-peak instead of £3.
I remember commuting there a decade back when the NR single fare on Oyster was cheaper than the TfL/LU mode using LO/H&C, but clearly that’s changed.
The current service pattern since the pandemic is 2tph from Forest Hill to London Bridge on Southern.
The majority of services from Forest Hill are 8tph to Highbury and Islington (4tph each from West Croydon and Crystal Palace), so I’d expect most passengers commuting to Liverpool Street/Moorgate change at Whitechapel for the Elizabeth or H&C services.
Moorgate is also possible by changing at Highbury & Islington for Great Northern.
As you’re going in April, it’s best to wait until the new fares are announced, which usually increase in March.
I’m not too bothered about the TCR OSI as it was a sensible transfer after I visited the bank on TCR.
The second one was frustrating as I went to do some quick Christmas shopping in John Lewis and then walked over to Hanover Square to use the Elizabeth line. I was in a rush to return home, so the OSI if I stayed for longer wouldn’t have been an issue.
Clearly TfL are aware as I got an automated refund recognising that it should have been £3 for two journeys including the OSI at TCR and the journey from Bond Street EL to home being £3.
Mike should be able to confirm but there is a cut off time before peak cuts in. It’s happened to me at the end of the peak, where I’ve been able to tap in just before 7pm and be charged the off-peak fare.
I’ve never tried it as a fellow B&T user. As it caps Monday to Sunday, I find it easier to buy a weekly pass as I start on a Thursday without losing the opportunity to cap.
Apologies on the Woolwich Arsenal DLR fares, it appears the official TfL single fare finder didn’t refresh yesterday when I posted after checking Woolwich EL.
Good to see the Woolwich (and Woolwich Arsenal DLR) fare issue from stations south of New Cross Gate on the Overground has been solved with it now being charged at the standard TfL rate without having to use the validator.
Abbey Wood is still at the NR fare, presumably it’s too much of a revenue loss to Southeastern to allow passengers to be charged at the TfL rate using the validator at Whitechapel?
Whitechapel to Bethnal Green NR is another glaring omission, but I think that’s down to why Shoreditch High Street is in Zone 1 for revenue issues to stop passengers cutting across to North London via SHS or Bethnal Green.
The NR 2-3 fare made sense when Southern operated the London Bridge to Victoria loop service via Crystal Palace, but seeing as that’s largely been axed, it makes sense to have the pink reader options at Surrey Quays and Clapham Junction for this journey.
I’ve now added a FOI request to TfL regarding fare charging from London Overground stations south of New Cross Gate to those two SE London Elizabeth line stations.
The previous request was a standard enquiry as I didn’t want to waste public resources on a FOI, but I think it’s something that needs raising at a higher level.
It’s clearly an error at their end as they’ve managed to get pink reader options for stations on the SLL, yet nothing here. In any case, I’m going to make a trip on the Elizabeth Line today to Tottenham Court Road where the fare is correct, but really wanted to go to Woolwich without having to spend an hour on the 122!
Reply from TfL regarding fares on the southern ELL extension to Woolwich & Abbey Wood.
“In this case i am afraid that the only ways to make this trip are noted on the tfl website under alternate fares and if your desired trip is not there then it is not available. We are still in the process of updating our system to incorporate the Elizabeth line into our website and online tools (single fare finder) so this could change but for know these are the only available routes that allow you to skip zones 1.”
I fear journeys to Woolwich and Abbey Wood will remain on the NR scale from Forest Hill (to protect Southeastern revenue) as when I tried Forest Hill to Custom House NR, it came up with the correct TfL fare of £1.70 off peak.
The TfL fare finder has removed Woolwich on the dropdown when typing in “Woolwich”, but still shows Arsenal DLR or NR and Dockyard.
Thanks Mike. I recently got £11 back from TfL for legacy cards which I wasn’t refunded from, so have decided to keep the credit for emergencies while using the Oyster for bus journeys with a B+T pass, while using contactless for rail for now as I prefer the convenience of not having to top up.
Normally if I add the photocard to my existing Oyster card, they don’t charge me anything else as I’m spending £10.90 on buying a Bus & Tram Pass, so had to spend £5 on the deposit, £1.50 on PAYG and £10.90 for a 7 day pass.
Don’t get me wrong, the local newsagent is one of the few retailers that know how to use the terminals for more than just standard PAYG/travelcard transactions and were very helpful in resolving my issue after my other card failed this week.
I wish there was a way where discounts could be associated with a contactless card than having to use Oyster when it comes to things like this as I already use Contactless for rail journeys.
