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The advertised default fare is labelled as “zones 1-2” in the fare finder, which is clearly wrong.
If you use a zones 2-3 Travelcard on Oyster without any PAYG balance on this route, your Oyster card will be blocked after the first use because your PAYG balance will end up negative, similar to the widely-reported problem when Oyster PAYG first went live about two decades ago that many Oyster Travelcards stopped working and negative PAYG balance was found out after investigation.
On the past weekend I made 3 journeys on the line and got charged £1.70 (National Railcard) again each as a result, between Kilburn High Road and Dalston Kingsland / Hackney Central.
I believe there is a large number of passengers overcharged as a result. I have sent an FOI request to TfL asking for the number of passengers travelling between Kensal Green – South Hampstead and Highbury & Islington – Stratford using PAYG or a non-zone 1 Travelcard, on
– days when the direct train runs
– other days, counting separately the passengers who touch and doesn’t touch the pink reader at Willesden Juinction.I have called the helpline, citing that the existence of a direct train and they have processed a refund for me.
I hope that the fare table will be fixed such that whenever such trains run again I can be charged the correct fare.
Surely the most likely route between Kilburn High Road or South Hampstead to other North London Line stations is a direct train, right? The only way via zone 1 while dodging all barriers is to go back to Queen’s Park, change at Oxford Circus then Highbury & Islington. Even for Queen’s Park or Kensal Green, the assumption that the passenger will take a direct train should take precedence over a change in zone 1 for the default route.
Direct trains have run on this route for years already, so there is no excuse for TfL not to set up the fare table to charge correctly on this route.
I made an off-peak journey using my Railcard Oyster from Kilburn High Road to Hackney Central on a direct train. It charged me £1.70 at touching out. The fare finder showed that it is a zone 1-2 fare which is clearly wrong as the Overground train only runs within zone 2.
I’ll wait for a few days and see if there is a refund. If not I’ll contact TfL saying that the fare is wrong.
