[x-posted to uk.transport.london]

On Sep 20, 11:48*pm, "Alan" wrote:

"Railist" wrote:

So here's a new one for me... a simple ticket purchase. This happened
last Friday.

BOUNDARY ZONE 5 to GATWICK AIRPORT. 17 SEPTEMBER,
returning 19 SEPTEMBER. Gold Card.
Purchase Location: East Midlands Trains ticket office, St. Pancras.

How much do you think they wanted to charge me?

Assuming you wanted Standard Class, the correct fare appears to be £14.40,
but I'm going to guess at £28.70 - they'll have entered the name of a Z5
station on the north side of Thameslink.

Hold on, £14.40 can't be right either - can it?!

I haven't got access to the NFM/ Avantix Traveller right now but
looking at the fare from East Croydon (which is in zone 5) to Gatwick
it's only £5.00 for an Anytime single (that's undiscounted - so it's
£3.30 with the Gold Card discount).

Now I understand that the Boundary Zone 5 to Gatwick extension ticket
may well be valid on the non-stop and premium Gatwick Express service
(unless it's specifically 'Route: Not GatEx' ?), but even that
wouldn't really explain the price - after all, a single ticket on
GatEx costs £16.90 as it is!

(Of course, if starting from St P one wouldn't normally have any
involvement with Gatwick Express if the Thameslink service is running
normally.)

Also, I wonder if the FCC ticket office might have possibly done a
better job of it than the EMT ticket office...

On 21 Sep, 01:31, Mizter T wrote:
[x-posted to uk.transport.london]

On Sep 20, 11:48*pm, "Alan" wrote:

"Railist" wrote:

So here's a new one for me... a simple ticket purchase. This happened
last Friday.

BOUNDARY ZONE 5 to GATWICK AIRPORT. 17 SEPTEMBER,
returning 19 SEPTEMBER. Gold Card.
Purchase Location: East Midlands Trains ticket office, St. Pancras.

How much do you think they wanted to charge me?

Assuming you wanted Standard Class, the correct fare appears to be £14.40,
but I'm going to guess at £28.70 - they'll have entered the name of a Z5
station on the north side of Thameslink.

Hold on, £14.40 can't be right either - can it?!

I haven't got access to the NFM/ Avantix Traveller right now but
looking at the fare from East Croydon (which is in zone 5) to Gatwick
it's only £5.00 for an Anytime single (that's undiscounted - so it's
£3.30 with the Gold Card discount).

Now I understand that the Boundary Zone 5 to Gatwick extension ticket
may well be valid on the non-stop and premium Gatwick Express service
(unless it's specifically 'Route: Not GatEx' ?), but even that
wouldn't really explain the price - after all, a single ticket on
GatEx costs £16.90 as it is!

(Of course, if starting from St P one wouldn't normally have any
involvement with Gatwick Express if the Thameslink service is running
normally.)

Also, I wonder if the FCC ticket office might have possibly done a
better job of it than the EMT ticket office...

Why can't it be like the Torpoint ferry? you get, on no booking,
everyone pays the same. The saving in wages, advertising and office
space if all the promotional staff were disposed of would be
considerable.

On 21 Sep, 01:31, Mizter T wrote:
[x-posted to uk.transport.london]

On Sep 20, 11:48*pm, "Alan" wrote:

"Railist" wrote:

So here's a new one for me... a simple ticket purchase. This happened
last Friday.

BOUNDARY ZONE 5 to GATWICK AIRPORT. 17 SEPTEMBER,
returning 19 SEPTEMBER. Gold Card.
Purchase Location: East Midlands Trains ticket office, St. Pancras.

How much do you think they wanted to charge me?

Assuming you wanted Standard Class, the correct fare appears to be £14.40,
but I'm going to guess at £28.70 - they'll have entered the name of a Z5
station on the north side of Thameslink.

Hold on, £14.40 can't be right either - can it?!

I haven't got access to the NFM/ Avantix Traveller right now but
looking at the fare from East Croydon (which is in zone 5) to Gatwick
it's only £5.00 for an Anytime single (that's undiscounted - so it's
£3.30 with the Gold Card discount).

Now I understand that the Boundary Zone 5 to Gatwick extension ticket
may well be valid on the non-stop and premium Gatwick Express service
(unless it's specifically 'Route: Not GatEx' ?), but even that
wouldn't really explain the price - after all, a single ticket on
GatEx costs £16.90 as it is!

(Of course, if starting from St P one wouldn't normally have any
involvement with Gatwick Express if the Thameslink service is running
normally.)

Also, I wonder if the FCC ticket office might have possibly done a
better job of it than the EMT ticket office...

I wonder if there's a bug, because the Anytime single is yellowed like
the AP at the same price.

But the Anytime return from East Croydon is £11.

Looking at NFM06, using the following;

ORIGIN : Boundary Zone 5 (0044)
DESTINATION : Gatwick Airport (5416 / GTW)
DISCOUNT : Network Gold Card (NGC)

Gives the following.

£9.40 - (SOR - Standard Anytime Return )
£7.40 - (SDR - Anytime Day Return)
£5.15 - (CDR - Off-peak Day Return)
£4.75 - (SDS - Anytime Day Single)

As the OP is travelling out one day and returning a couple of days
later, would the SOR fare cover both journeys (as there's no mention
of the word 'day' in the title)? If not, I suppose 2xSDS would need
to be used, giving a total cost of £9.50.

Rdgs

M

"Mizter T" wrote in message
...
[x-posted to uk.transport.london]

On Sep 20, 11:48 pm, "Alan" wrote:

"Railist" wrote:

So here's a new one for me... a simple ticket purchase. This happened
last Friday.

BOUNDARY ZONE 5 to GATWICK AIRPORT. 17 SEPTEMBER,
returning 19 SEPTEMBER. Gold Card.
Purchase Location: East Midlands Trains ticket office, St. Pancras.

How much do you think they wanted to charge me?

Assuming you wanted Standard Class, the correct fare appears to be
£14.40,
but I'm going to guess at £28.70 - they'll have entered the name of a Z5
station on the north side of Thameslink.

Hold on, £14.40 can't be right either - can it?!

I haven't got access to the NFM/ Avantix Traveller right now but
looking at the fare from East Croydon (which is in zone 5) to Gatwick
it's only £5.00 for an Anytime single (that's undiscounted - so it's
£3.30 with the Gold Card discount).

Now I understand that the Boundary Zone 5 to Gatwick extension ticket
may well be valid on the non-stop and premium Gatwick Express service
(unless it's specifically 'Route: Not GatEx' ?), but even that
wouldn't really explain the price - after all, a single ticket on
GatEx costs £16.90 as it is!

I entered Boundary Zone 5 to Gatwick Airport, but I couldn't find the Gold
Card discount code! As he's travelling out & back different days, I guessed
at a SOR for that trip, so £14.40, with the discount, it shows £9.50.
I'd guessed at Mill Hill Broadway being in Zone 5, but it seems it's Z4, in
saying that, the undiscounted £28.70 (£18.95 disc) seems to be the same,
regardless of whether you leave from Cricklewood (Z3), Hendon (Z3/4), Mill
Hill Broadway (Z4), New Barnet (Z5) or Hadley Wood or Elstree (Z6) .
Stations in the equivalent zones on the Watford DC/WCML seem to be a lot
more expensive.

Come on then - will 'Railist' please put us all out of our misery!
How much were you charged?

Matt Forbes wrote:
Come on then - will 'Railist' please put us all out of our misery!
How much were you charged?


He has probably forgotten by now. ;-)

On 22 Sep, 11:41, Bruce wrote:
Matt Forbes wrote:
Come on then - will 'Railist' please put us all out of our misery!
How much were you charged?

He has probably forgotten by now. *;-)

Haha here goes....

Firstly, a very pleasant and cheerful lady at St. Pancras at around
550am.
I was originally advised that the ticket would be £14.40 return. I
knew this was nonsense.
The lady said 'that was the fare - that's what they give us' when I
challenged it.
She wasn't necessarily obstructive but was basically said that First
Capital Connect load their fares on to to East Midlands Trains
computers - which I thought was bull. "If you think it's cheaper you
need to go to the First Capital Connect night window...."
I then asked her (knowing the answer), to try East Croydon to Gatwick
instead. "Oh my word. Well doesn't that just go to show you..." was
her amazed response at the £5.00 ticket one way fare.
Without hesitation, she offered me £5 , or £11 return. I looked at her
but she didn't get it. She knew I had a Gold Card because she went
into detail about why it wasn't valid at that time on a Friday
morning. So I bought a £5 single "Anytime Day single", she said 'They
change the rules everyday, it's so difficult to keep up', and then on
Sunday bought a £3.30 ticket back.

So initially, £14.40, then £11 when the fare that I should have had
was £8.30 return, but without a railcard no more than £10 return.

OFF TOPIC...
Later that day, I went to the Trenitalia ticket machine at Verona
Porto Nuovo station, for a longer distance journey from Verona to Lake
Garda.
Their ticket machines allow you to alter the "from" point, will book a
seat on relevant trains even when that train is mid-journey, and the
Regionale train fare (no seat or advance booking required) was €2.85
each way. Just remember to validate the ticket. Semplice.

Railist wrote:
OFF TOPIC...
Later that day, I went to the Trenitalia ticket machine at Verona
Porto Nuovo station, for a longer distance journey from Verona to Lake
Garda.
Their ticket machines allow you to alter the "from" point, will book a
seat on relevant trains even when that train is mid-journey, and the
Regionale train fare (no seat or advance booking required) was =802.85
each way. Just remember to validate the ticket. Semplice.


What is "meerkat" in Italian? ;-)

"Railist" wrote

Firstly, a very pleasant and cheerful lady at St. Pancras at around
550am.
I was originally advised that the ticket would be £14.40 return. I
knew this was nonsense.
The lady said 'that was the fare - that's what they give us' when I
challenged it.
She wasn't necessarily obstructive but was basically said that First
Capital Connect load their fares on to to East Midlands Trains
computers - which I thought was bull. "If you think it's cheaper you
need to go to the First Capital Connect night window...."
I then asked her (knowing the answer), to try East Croydon to Gatwick
instead. "Oh my word. Well doesn't that just go to show you..." was
her amazed response at the £5.00 ticket one way fare.
Without hesitation, she offered me £5 , or £11 return. I looked at her
but she didn't get it. She knew I had a Gold Card because she went
into detail about why it wasn't valid at that time on a Friday
morning. So I bought a £5 single "Anytime Day single", she said 'They
change the rules everyday, it's so difficult to keep up', and then on
Sunday bought a £3.30 ticket back.

So initially, £14.40, then £11 when the fare that I should have had
was £8.30 return, but without a railcard no more than £10 return.

I think, as hinted earlier in the thread, that the GBP 14.40 ticket would be
valid as a Boundary Z5 to Gatwick Airport return valid on GatEx. The much
cheaper ticket from East Croydon would not be valid unless your combination
of tickets did not require you to be on a train which stopped at the station
where you changed tickets, and GatEx is non-stop from Victoria to Gatwick
Airport. Network Railcards do not give a discount on GatEx, and AFAIK this
applies to Network Gold Cards as well.

Peter