Day out Birmingham to London

[crosscity]

I want to get to Clapham Jct as early as possible with an off-peak ticket from Kings Norton, Birmingham next Thursday. The LM off-peak Travelcard is good value at £31.00 and would get me there just before 11:00 but is slow with journey times of around 3h.

I am considering the Off-Peak Return from Kings Norton (KNN) to Clapham Junction for £36.70, route Kensington Olympia with restriction 2C. brfares.com says that on the outward leg I must arrive at Kensington Olympia after 11:00.

To satisfy the 11:00 restriction the earliest I can arrive at Clapham Jct is at 11:24, by catching the 9:10 VT New St-Euston to Watford Jct (arr 10:15), leaving there at 10:21 to Willesden Jct (arr 10:52), then the 10:58 from there, passing through Kensington Olympia at 11:10.

If I had a London Terminals, or TravelCard ticket the earliest Virgin train I could catch is the 10:10 from New St arriving at Euston 11:32.

My questions are:
1) Am I right in thinking that I can use the ticket on the 9:10 New St-Euston provided I get off at Watford Junction?
2) Can I break my journey with this ticket and catch the 6:50 VT New St-Euston to Milton Keynes (arr 7:40), then the 9:22 LM train to Watford Jct (arr 9:58), and then the 10:21 from there?
3) Other than the LM-only travelcard ticket can anyone offer a cheaper option than this ticket? I will have this plus an £8.50 Zones 1-6 travelcard, so total cost £45.20.

 

[John @ home]

I am considering the Off-Peak Return from Kings Norton (KNN) to Clapham Junction for £36.70, route Kensington Olympia with restriction 2C. brfares.com says that on the outward leg I must arrive at Kensington Olympia after 11:00.

... Am I right in thinking that I can use the ticket on the 9:10 New St-Euston provided I get off at Watford Junction?

Sorry, no. The the 0910 Birmingham New St - London Euston is scheduled to arrive London Euston at 1032.

Part of restriction 2C is

These restrictions apply Monday to Friday. By any train on other days. ...

OUTWARD TRAVEL
You may travel on any train that is scheduled to ARRIVE as shown below:

ARRIVE: LONDON EUSTON Before 0720 or at or after 1129.

This means that you cannot use any train scheduled to arrive London Euston 0720 - 1128 on any part of that train's journey to Euston.

 

[crosscity]

Thank you John@Home. Your reply isn’t what I wanted to hear, but at least I have learnt something.

In light of your reply, I can’t see why the restriction of ‘ARRIVE: KENSINGTON OLYMPIA At or after 1100’ is even mentioned, as travelling from the north you are nobbled by both the Euston (1129) and Watford (1045) restrictions. It is not possible to get to Olympia from north of Milton Keynes on other than a train going to Euston, and tickets issued at stations served by the hourly Southern service from Milton Keynes use a variety of restrictions (C0, C4, 4A, 4B) but not 2C. If I was starting in the south (Eg Brighton-Birmingham) 2C is not used either. All very confusing.

So it would appear the earliest I can arrive at Clapham Jct is with the LM Off-Peak Travel Card for £31 or the ‘via High Wycombe’ Off-Peak Travelcard for £55, both of which could get me to CJ for about 11:00. The first is slow, and the second expensive… might get the Any Permitted Travel Card at £51, spare the expense, forego the morning hour, but at least make it up by catching a fast train from Euston coming back.

 

[soil]

05:09 bus from Kings Norton to New Street, arr. 05:30
05:50 train from New Street, arr. Milton Keynes Central 06:38 (Euston 07:13)
07:01 train from Milton Keynes Central, arr. Clapham Junction 08:17

 

[bb21]

07:01 train from Milton Keynes Central, arr. Clapham Junction 08:17

Scheduled to arrive at Kensington Olympia at 0806, therefore not permitted.

I assume you mean using this itinerary on the £36.70 ticket.

 

[crosscity]

Thank you all for your efforts. I will have the £36.70 ticket from Kings Norton, and will catch the compliant 10:10 New St to Euston, getting off at Watford Junction.

What is the earliest local train I can catch from Kings Norton to New St with this ticket? and why? (I would like to meet my friend at New St at 9:30. He is coming from another part of the West Midlands, but we will both be travelling from New St together).

 

[calc7]

Thank you all for your efforts. I will have the £36.70 ticket from Kings Norton, and will catch the compliant 10:10 New St to Euston, getting off at Watford Junction.

What is the earliest local train I can catch from Kings Norton to New St with this ticket? and why? (I would like to meet my friend at New St at 9:30. He is coming from another part of the West Midlands, but we will both be travelling from New St together).

The restriction code only mentions trains arriving/departing stations in the London area. As your Cross-City Line train is clearly not one of these, you may take any such train.