On 2 Apr, 07:27, Sarah Brown
wrote:

Not a part of London I frequent, but yesterday after training down
from Cambridge in the morning, going to an appointment in Hampstead,
followed by meeting friends in Lewisham (Tube + DLR), I needed to head
to a meeting near Enfield Lock station.

I realised my Oyster PAYG probably wouldn't be valid - no problem,
thinks I; I'll just get a paper ticket for the extra few stops.

Now if I'd had my wits about me in the morning, instead of buying my
usual CDR to London Terminals (11.90 with network railcard), I'd have
bought a one day travelcard and not bothered using my Oyster.

That would have been the best and most likely the cheapest solution.


As it was, I found myself arriving at Stratford, already nicely Oyster
capped for the day, on a Jubilee Line train, and that's where the fun
starts.

I got off the train, touched out, and wandered round the foyer area
looking for a ticket machine. I couldn't find one, so went to look for
details of when my train was. The information provided there needs a
bit of detective work to put together - one set of boards provides the
times, but not the ultimate destination, so you can't just find your
train from the departure screens if, like me, you have no idea where
it's terminating. A second poster, elsewhere in the station, provides
a list of platform numbers for various destinations.

I agree, the information as currently provided is somewhat shabby at
Sttratford.


"Perhaps there will be a ticket machine on the platform?", I think,
and so head to Platform 12 for my train (which is waiting idly to
depart in 10 minutes time). No such luck, so I wander back to the
concourse, find a member of staff, and ask where the ticket machines
are. She points to one about 10 metres from me, in a part of the
station I hadn't even considered looking in, *because it's the other
side of a gateline*. "Just touch out and use that one", she says.

There is actually a ticket machine within the fare paid area to the
right of the Jubilee line 'internal gateline' (as you are leaving the
Jubilee platforms), next to the current North London Line (aka London
Overground) Richmond-bound platform.


I tell her I've already touched out, and she asks where I came from,
and I tell her. She then says I have to touch out again, "to end my
journey", and buy a ticket.

The first gateline would have already 'ended your journey' - however
going through the second gateline should not have been a problem at
all. Stratford is unique in having this double-gateline arrangement
for Jubilee passengers (with the second 'internal gateline'), but it
has been set up correctly and so should work fine.


I'm a bit incredulous about this, as I've never yet encountered the
situation where I have to go through two sets of gatelines to get out,
but I do so, and then buy my paper ticket (6 quid - I'm going entirely
within the travelcard zones, I'm already capped for the day - not
impressed), and use it to get back in through the barriers I just came
through. I'm now hoping I won't be charged for an unresolved journey.


You certainly shouldn't get charged for an unresolved journey at all.

Incidentally you bought a zones 1-6 Day Travelcard just for a rail
journey to Enfield Lock (and back?) - no need! You could have just
bought a single or return rail ticket, or indeed a zones 2-6 Day
Travelcard (at £4.80) as appropriate.



What an utterly weird setup. Is there anywhere else on the network
where you have to go through two sets of gatelines to get out?


No. But that's what you have to do at Stratford.