Can someone explain why it is that if you buy a cheap-day return from a
station on the Brighton Line in Sussex to City-Thameslink you are only
allowed to return by First Capital Connect (ie. from C-T or London Bridge)
and not from Victoria? The ticket is marked "Route - FCC only".

In message , at 18:33:28 on
Sat, 25 Jul 2009, Albert remarked:
Can someone explain why it is that if you buy a cheap-day return from a
station on the Brighton Line in Sussex to City-Thameslink you are only
allowed to return by First Capital Connect (ie. from C-T or London
Bridge) and not from Victoria? The ticket is marked "Route - FCC only".

This has been much discussed, mainly with regard to Gatwick - where
there is apparently a "not Gatwick Express" version of the ticket that
is in effect an "any-permitted" (except Gatex).

But I agree that to the casual traveller they do appear to try very hard
to force the FCC-only ticket onto you. (I've even been sold an FCC-only
ticket to Waterloo East, which is in theory impossible).

What station is it?
--
Roland Perry

"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...
In message , at 18:33:28 on Sat,
25 Jul 2009, Albert remarked:
Can someone explain why it is that if you buy a cheap-day return from a
station on the Brighton Line in Sussex to City-Thameslink you are only
allowed to return by First Capital Connect (ie. from C-T or London Bridge)
and not from Victoria? The ticket is marked "Route - FCC only".

This has been much discussed, mainly with regard to Gatwick - where there
is apparently a "not Gatwick Express" version of the ticket that is in
effect an "any-permitted" (except Gatex).

But I agree that to the casual traveller they do appear to try very hard
to force the FCC-only ticket onto you. (I've even been sold an FCC-only
ticket to Waterloo East, which is in theory impossible).

What station is it?

Three Bridges

"Albert" wrote:

Can someone explain why it is that if you buy a cheap-day return from a
station on the Brighton Line in Sussex to City-Thameslink you are only
allowed to return by First Capital Connect (ie. from C-T or London Bridge)
and not from Victoria? The ticket is marked "Route - FCC only".

I suspect because that's the cheapest walk-on fare for that journey. (Cue
examples of ten cheaper fares).

If you want to return from another terminal, such as Victoria, you need to
tell the clerk/machine, and there will be a 'London terminals' option to
suit, in this case (I suspect) with sub-options excluding or permitting
GatEx.

Following criticism from the likes of Which?, there seems to be increased
focus on offering the cheapest fare first, which will almost inevitably be
the option with least flexibility.

Chris

In message , at 19:25:10 on
Sat, 25 Jul 2009, Albert remarked:
Can someone explain why it is that if you buy a cheap-day return from
a station on the Brighton Line in Sussex to City-Thameslink you are
only allowed to return by First Capital Connect (ie. from C-T or
London Bridge) and not from Victoria? The ticket is marked "Route -
FCC only".

This has been much discussed, mainly with regard to Gatwick - where
there is apparently a "not Gatwick Express" version of the ticket
that is in effect an "any-permitted" (except Gatex).

But I agree that to the casual traveller they do appear to try very
hard to force the FCC-only ticket onto you. (I've even been sold an
FCC-only ticket to Waterloo East, which is in theory impossible).

What station is it?

Three Bridges

What you want is the £13.40 "not gatex" CDR.
--
Roland Perry

Albert wrote on 25 July 2009 18:33:28 ...
Can someone explain why it is that if you buy a cheap-day return from a
station on the Brighton Line in Sussex to City-Thameslink you are only
allowed to return by First Capital Connect (ie. from C-T or London Bridge)
and not from Victoria? The ticket is marked "Route - FCC only".

If you ask for "cheap day return to City Thameslink", surely the natural
assumption is that you want to return from City Thameslink? If you
wanted to return from a different London station, perhaps you should
have said so.
--
Richard J.
(to email me, swap 'uk' and 'yon' in address)

"Richard J." wrote:

If you ask for "cheap day return to City Thameslink", surely the natural
assumption is that you want to return from City Thameslink? If you wanted
to return from a different London station, perhaps you should have said
so.

That was my initial reaction, but if we assume use of the ticket machine
rather than the booking office, and further assume (for sake of argument)
that the OP is unfamiliar with rail travel, it's not quite so clear cut, is
it?

The other day I used a machine to investigate options for rail travel from
Brighton to Exeter. The permutations ran to four pages (six buttons per
page, I think), with sundry routing combinations - some compulsory ('via')
and others forbidden ('not London'). That's the kind of ticket choice that
clerks have been known to get wrong, let alone the average punter left to
work it all out for themselves.

Chris

Chris Read wrote on 25 July 2009 21:24:14 ...
"Richard J." wrote:

If you ask for "cheap day return to City Thameslink", surely the natural
assumption is that you want to return from City Thameslink? If you wanted
to return from a different London station, perhaps you should have said
so.

That was my initial reaction, but if we assume use of the ticket machine
rather than the booking office, and further assume (for sake of argument)
that the OP is unfamiliar with rail travel, it's not quite so clear cut, is
it?

It depends on how he selected his destination. Presumably he chose
"City Thameslink" rather than "London" or "London Terminals" or whatever
the machine offered. If, however, he chose the latter and the machine
only offered him an FCC-only route because it was cheaper, then I agree
that that's not helpful.

We're speculating here. Hopefully Albert can say how he specified the
ticket he wanted.

The other day I used a machine to investigate options for rail travel from
Brighton to Exeter. The permutations ran to four pages (six buttons per
page, I think), with sundry routing combinations - some compulsory ('via')
and others forbidden ('not London'). That's the kind of ticket choice that
clerks have been known to get wrong, let alone the average punter left to
work it all out for themselves.

OK, but it's hardly comparable to Three Bridges - London.

--
Richard J.
(to email me, swap 'uk' and 'yon' in address)

In message , at 20:55:40
on Sat, 25 Jul 2009, Richard J. remarked:

Presumably he chose "City Thameslink" rather than "London" or "London
Terminals" or whatever the machine offered. If, however, he chose the
latter and the machine only offered him an FCC-only route because it
was cheaper, then I agree that that's not helpful.

The machines are confusing, even for someone who knows what he's looking
for. There should be a "not Gatex" fare to City Thameslink, as well as
to "London terminals", but whether the machine displays it without a
fight is another matter.

There are other oddities too, for example the "FCC only" ticket to
Farringdon is actually marked "Not Underground" (on the ticket, who
knows what the screen says). In practice the only extra flexibility that
this apparent re-naming gives is the ability to change at Croydon.
--
Roland Perry

"Richard J." wrote in message
m...
Albert wrote on 25 July 2009 18:33:28 ...
Can someone explain why it is that if you buy a cheap-day return from a
station on the Brighton Line in Sussex to City-Thameslink you are only
allowed to return by First Capital Connect (ie. from C-T or London
Bridge) and not from Victoria? The ticket is marked "Route - FCC only".

If you ask for "cheap day return to City Thameslink", surely the natural
assumption is that you want to return from City Thameslink? If you wanted
to return from a different London station, perhaps you should have said
so.

Our original intention was to return via City Thameslink, but it was not
until we were already in London that we noticed what the ticket said, and
though Victoria was now far nearer, we still had to go right back to Ludgate
Hill (hooray for pensioners' bus passes!). Being seldom a train user, I
thought "London Terminuses" meant just that, I didn't realise they made
these distinctions.