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MikeModerator
Hi Chris,
The £7 fee is non refundable.
MikeModeratorYes, they are both easy. According to Google maps the Brondesbury one takes about 3 minutes while the West Hampstead one is probably only a minute (but you do have to cross the road). Obviously there is the walking time within the stations to add in.
If you click on “Information Pages” at the top, then “Interchanging Trains” and finally “OSI List” you’ll get a list of all the interchanges. In the Outer London OSIs section, click on the distance alongside the OSI you’re interested in and it will display a map showing how to get between the stations. Note that the West Hampstead map shows the route between the two furthest apart, the Overground station is in the middle.
MikeModeratorYes, I can’t argue with that, Si.
MikeModeratorWell, thanks very much for your dedication, which I know you will have enjoyed. The whole misunderstanding stems from my mistaken belief that Wembley Park was further east from West Hampstead. No idea what caused that, but it explains my sentence “I’d only normally suggest it if turning away from London.”
MikeModeratorHi Alan, my geography has let me down badly there, you are right of course.
MikeModeratorThanks for the input, Alan. Curious as to why you think Kilburn-Brondesbury is quicker than West Hampstead? I’d only normally suggest it if turning away from London.
MikeModeratorHi Alexander,
Beyond zones 1-9 there is no set rationale for setting fares or caps. They are both set by the operator responsible for the fares. In the case of Reading to London this is GWR. Because PAYG fares are all singles, peak fares are charged going away from London in the afternoon peak. This is so that commuters pay two peak singles (equivalent to an Anytime return). If all your travel is after 0930 then the off-peak cap will apply and will limit the effect of a peak single.
The routeing guide is not really about fares in the same way my tables are for zones 1-9. It’s concerned with defining permitted routes.
Until TfL work out how to handle discounts on contactless then sadly you may find paper tickets with a discount are cheaper than contactless fares.
MikeModeratorSo, I’ve done some manual analysis and it appears as though Chiltern are copying the usual pattern of charging off-peak in the afternoon peak if the destination is in zone 1. Additionally it’s off peak if you only use Chiltern trains, hence the two Ruislips, Sudbury Hill Harrow and Wembley Stadium all get afternoon off-peak. This may be the way all the Project Oval extensions work, we’ll have to see.
There are some anomalies, particularly the alternative routes for Oxford Circus.
MikeModeratorThanks for the further thoughts. I’m not at this stage suggesting who is wrong, if indeed anyone is. There are some potentially unwanted side effects to what is currently set up though. More later.
MikeModeratorYou can also travel back from Watford Junction to Watford High Street if you take the faster train. Every 15 minutes and takes about 3.
MikeModeratorHi Richard,
Clapham Junction is not on the list of places to avoid, so you can change there. You could use the Southern service to Watford Junction from there, or use London Overground and change again at Willesden Junction.
11/05/2024 at 00:38 in reply to: Default Route Merstham (NR) – Liverpool Street Underground Station #5780MikeModeratorYes, that would work Feathers. It’s a bit of a roundabout route though. Merstham to East Croydon to Norwood Junction to Whitechapel to Liverpool Street is probably more direct, albeit with an extra change or two.
MikeModeratorHi Jolyon,
It all depends where you are changing and whether you have to go through a gateline or two between trains.
At Farringdon, everthing is within the same gateline so there is no need to touch in/out, unless you end up going the wrong way which will mean touching out, crossing the road, and touching back in. The two journeys will be joined together unless you take longer than 10 minutes to cross the road (you won’t). If you follow the signs for Thameslink at Farringdon you shouldn’t end up at the gates. There is no need to touch either of the validators between the Elizabeth line escalators and the northbound Thameslink platform – they are only needed if you are using a paper ticket on Thameslink.
At Woolwich/Woolwich Arsenal you will have a short walk between stations, but again if you do it within 20 minutes the journeys will be joined together. I think I’d go the other way from City Airport to Canning Town and then to Custom House on the DLR. At Custom House you must touch out at any of the validators above the DLR station before touching in through the gate for the Elizabeth line.
In short, yes the system will join together the bits of the journey so you’ll only pay for one trip.
MikeModeratorHi Chris,
I very much doubt that the fare tables will be changed just for this one day, so sadly it will be a NR Mixed fare (NR-T). Do let me know if I’m wrong.
MikeModeratorThat’s good to know. I know why it was the cheaper fare, but I thought they might have over-ridden it for Heathrow.
28/01/2024 at 16:45 in reply to: Travelling from Euston to Watford Junction for Harry Potter Studios #5347MikeModeratorHi Janet,
Sorry for the delay. Accompanied children under 11 do travel free between Watford Junction and Euston, as per this map: https://content.tfl.gov.uk/free-travel-areas-without-oyster-adult-accompanying-map.pdf.
The adults can use either Oyster or contactless. No need to book tickets in advance.
MikeModeratorHi Roger,
I’m guessing that one journey was made during the afternoon peak, requiring the anytime single fare for that direction coupled with the off-peak single fare in the other.
The changes were introduced on December 3rd, so you just missed the change at the end of November. This is very much being driven by the Department for Transport. I’m not sure that they fully understood the implications for people travelling in the afternoon peak. They were supposed to happen at the same time as the contactless rollout, but that got delayed until the Spring.
When contactless does get rolled out I would expect the fares to be capped at the cheaper of (a) Sevenoaks to zones 1-6 travelcard and 2x extension fares to Bletchley, or (b) Bletchley to zones 1-6 travelcard and 2x extension fares to Sevenoaks. Unfortunately the DfT are being ultra secretive about exactly how the extension fares will be set, and TfL are complying with the instruction not to discuss this publicly. It is very frustrating.
Even worse for people like you is that concessions are not due to be implimented until phase 2 of project Oval, and that may be quite a while away given that phase 1 is now very late.
MikeModeratorHi Ian,
Norwood Junction to Clapham Junction via Surrey Quays is two trains rather than one and takes considerably longer than the direct Southern services. To get to Imperial Wharf requires a further train in both cases so I presume that they figure few if any people would do it.
You could email TfL and ask if they’d consider adding the fare. It would presumably be beneficial to them as it would indicate using more of their services. It would have to be cleared with the TOCs though as Southern also operate between Clapham Junction and Imperial Wharf.
MikeModeratorHi,
I’m not aware of any provision for applying for and maintaining a 60+ Oyster other than online. It’s a non-statutory concession so I think they’re free to operate the scheme however they feel is appropriate. You could contact TfL and ask them, or perhaps write to your London Assembly member as the concession is funded essentially by the mayor.
As a 60+ Oyster card holder myself, I wouldn’t be without it for any reason. You could set up a specific email address just for that purpose and only use it for maintenance of the 60+ card. It would be an interesting case study in proving whether or not TfL do share your data with anyone. I suspect that they don’t, but I have no proof either way.
23/01/2024 at 12:16 in reply to: Capping for extra zonal fares when you already have a season ticket #5336MikeModeratorHi Michael,
Back office capping is only calculated at the full adult rate. It is just possible that if enough journeys were made between 0430 and 0930 that it might apply capping after the event.
MikeModeratorHi Feathers,
Yes, that is the route. I’m not sure how quickly LO are going to be able to run services. Even if they do, it would depend on whether they are allowed to alter the fare charged between New Cross Gate and London Bridge.
MikeModeratorYou might be right, Si. Either way it is a complete mess with so many different routes without needing to exit a gateline.
MikeModeratorThat will be Overground to Highbury & Islington, then GTR to Moorgate and exit via the Elizabeth line station to Liverpool Street.
Since the Elizabeth line opened anything valid at Moorgate is also valid at Liverpool Street LU and vice-versa. The GTR bit is the reason for the higher NR only fare.
MikeModeratorSo it would appear that the authorisation was after the first bus journey and was for a full bus cap. When the amount is confirmed over night it probably won’t change the time of charge.
I’ve not heard of that high a charge being authorised, but then I rarely use buses as a first journey (the station is nearer than any bus stops for me). I also usually use my 60+ these days.
TfL perform an authorisation after the first touch when you haven’t used the card for a few days, or sufficient time has passed since the previous one. I’ve never really got to grips with the criteria for when they authorise or not. If you use it every day then they may not authorise as long as the daily payment requests are honoured.
MikeModeratorHi Michael,
The top 3 are correct.
Neither Gatwick Express nor Heathrow Express charge an off-peak fare at any time. They are railcard discountable, and you are correct that Gatwick does seem to allow the discount in the evening peak. That may be a mistake. HS1 is technically outside the zones which is why they don’t allow off-peak in the evening.
I don’t know what the arrangements will be for the new extensions of PAYG.
- This reply was modified 10 months, 3 weeks ago by Mike.
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