This restriction will be clarified, with the minimum fare applying for journeys starting between 4.30am and 10am Monday to Friday.
That sounds like more than a clarification - actually a relaxation - good news for people travelling in the early hours of the morning for two reasons:
1. Currently the minimum fare also applies between midnight and 04:30 - although you can get around this by using a ticket dated the previous day, but (a) you must remember to buy it before midnight, and (b) all travel must be completed by 04:30.
2. The current conditions apply the minimum fare to any journey that involves travelling during the barred timeframe. If the new conditions are changed to only bar journeys that *start* within the barred timeframe, that opens up some nice possibilities for railcard usage on journeys that span the 04:30 horizon.
For example, suppose a 16-25 Railcard holder wishes to make an early morning single journey from Maidenhead to London Paddington, departing on the 04:08 service arriving into Paddington at 04:47. As this journey spans the 04:30 horizon they need to buy a ticket dated the current day. The Off-Peak Single is not valid so the only option is the Anytime Single, priced at £11. Under the old rules, the minimum fare (£12) applies to this journey and as the undiscounted fare is cheaper, there is no point in using the railcard for this journey.
Under the new rules, because the journey starts within a period when the minimum fare doesn't apply (even though it continues into a period when it does), it is valid to use a railcard-discounted anytime single at £7.25 - a nice saving of £3.75 afforded by the "clarification" of the rules!