-
Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
Southern's "the key" extended to London
- Thread starter cjohnson
- Start date
- Status
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R
RailUK Forums
This makes sense as the Key is only valid if touched in "at the start of the journey" (link). It's not clear whether "journey" in this context refers to the ticket or to the passenger's full journey, but in any case there will be situations where touching in at the passenger's origin is not possible (as for neilm).
No, you need to be let out manually I understand.
I would have thought it would ha r been a good opportunity to implement such a system where by all the permitted stations and routes one is allowed to alight at were included on the key with the ticket. Or is that simply to complicated for the key to handle?
How do they know if someone has completed their journey is they then don't board the train again and pass through the barriers?
When exiting I assume staff would have to manually check that the ticket on the key was valid for a break of journey at that station.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
I think that would be too complex - it would probably have to be calculated at the barriers which would result in over-long touch in times.
Also, the industry has no interest in making passengers aware of the flexibility of tickets - quite the reverse.
If you're referring to the requirement to touch in and out then I guess that showing staff your card suffices. Though going on the conditions of use, you "may" be issued a Penalty Fare if you do not touch in, which of course would not be possible at an intermediate station.
Well at the moment there's no incentive to use smart tickets outside London, whilst they have disbenefits compared to paper, so I'd agree!
You can nominate any station with Key validators or gates to load your ticket but you cannot change the station once nominated.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Barriers are opened with the Key at intermediate stations where the key is valid. Whether it recognises it as a break of journey or completion of journey is a question I don't know the answer to.
Last edited:
That's useful to know. The only downside remaining, in key enabled areas, is the lack of being able to combine a season ticket with another ticket, or the combining of any tickets when you want to stay on board.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Hi
Just an update, I have got my 'key' and looked online and you can pick up tickets at other stations, so I assume for example I can collect my Hassocks to Brighton ticket at Haywards Heath but enter the station with my season ticket, since my smart ticket should not actually open the gates for me?
Will be interesting to try all this out!
Just an update, I have got my 'key' and looked online and you can pick up tickets at other stations, so I assume for example I can collect my Hassocks to Brighton ticket at Haywards Heath but enter the station with my season ticket, since my smart ticket should not actually open the gates for me?
Will be interesting to try all this out!
The way I'm looking at it, there's no collection when I use the Key since I just start the journey going through a barrier (which implicitly collects) . You may need to check with Southern in your case as you're not going to be able to indicate that you've started the journey until you finish it!! At least with the ticket loaded in advance you'll pass an on-train ticket inspection.
It might still be worth asking though, since if I was coding the system and you had a valid ticket on the card and touched "out" at the destination station I'd assume that you'd validly completed the journey, even though for some reason you'd not touched in.
I have recently purchased a monthly season ticket from Littlehampton to Falmer. Started with this ticket yesterday. Have to say the process of loading at the station really isn't clear.
So my experience so far.
Yesterday: Outward Journey
Swiped in at Littlehampton no problem.
Swiped out at Falmer no problem.
Yesterday: Return Journey
Swiped in at Falmer no probelm.
Changing at Brighton wanted to nip out for a drink, swipe card, goes red. Swipe card again goes green. Change at Worthing no swiping required.
Change at Angmering, Swipe card to be told invalid or expired, this was not a barrier just a blue swipe machine. Get back to Littlehampton, swipe out fine at a barrier.
Today:
Working from Durrington and decide to cycle to angmering station and catch train to durrington, a journey within the range of my season ticket.
Get to Angmering, barriers are open, however swiping goes red and beeps alot. Arrive at Durrington, again no barriers but swipe blue reader to leave, again the invalid message.
Will be cycling to Goring by Sea tonight and expect to get an invalid message on blue swipe machine as no barriers. Will be departing at angmering where there are barriers so will be interesting to see what happens when i go to leave the station.
Am i wrong in thinking i should be able to make these types of journeys with my season ticket?
So my experience so far.
Yesterday: Outward Journey
Swiped in at Littlehampton no problem.
Swiped out at Falmer no problem.
Yesterday: Return Journey
Swiped in at Falmer no probelm.
Changing at Brighton wanted to nip out for a drink, swipe card, goes red. Swipe card again goes green. Change at Worthing no swiping required.
Change at Angmering, Swipe card to be told invalid or expired, this was not a barrier just a blue swipe machine. Get back to Littlehampton, swipe out fine at a barrier.
Today:
Working from Durrington and decide to cycle to angmering station and catch train to durrington, a journey within the range of my season ticket.
Get to Angmering, barriers are open, however swiping goes red and beeps alot. Arrive at Durrington, again no barriers but swipe blue reader to leave, again the invalid message.
Will be cycling to Goring by Sea tonight and expect to get an invalid message on blue swipe machine as no barriers. Will be departing at angmering where there are barriers so will be interesting to see what happens when i go to leave the station.
Am i wrong in thinking i should be able to make these types of journeys with my season ticket?
Last edited:
paul1609
Established Member
Brighton Barriers are for some reason totally inconsistent. A daily ticket for me (anytime or off peak day return) (my journey is Appledore to Fareham or Portsmouth) never works in either direction.
An off peak return won't let you out but will let you back in.
My old season ticket Ashford to Fareham used to work all the time in both directions.
My new season ticket Rye to Zones 1 to 6 is totally inconsistent it may or may not work in either direction, although its never queried by staff ( I generally buy the Brighton to Fareham/ Portsmouth bit off the guard).
I only ever go through the barriers to get coffee or food so my break is at most 15 mins.
An off peak return won't let you out but will let you back in.
My old season ticket Ashford to Fareham used to work all the time in both directions.
My new season ticket Rye to Zones 1 to 6 is totally inconsistent it may or may not work in either direction, although its never queried by staff ( I generally buy the Brighton to Fareham/ Portsmouth bit off the guard).
I only ever go through the barriers to get coffee or food so my break is at most 15 mins.
Season travelcards have now been formally launched on the Key. Daily travelcards will be available later in the year.
http://www.southernrailway.com/sout...outhern-travelcards-now-available-on-the-key/
http://www.southernrailway.com/sout...outhern-travelcards-now-available-on-the-key/
I'm waiting for the Key availability to be extended to the full Thameslink route, I assume that will be when Southern and GTR lines are integrated.
Slightly OT, but does anybody know whether it might be possible (one day) to load Key journeys on an ENCTS card? Are any objections likely to be commercial or technical?
They are both ITSO and it would avoid having to carry two smart cards.
Slightly OT, but does anybody know whether it might be possible (one day) to load Key journeys on an ENCTS card? Are any objections likely to be commercial or technical?
They are both ITSO and it would avoid having to carry two smart cards.
mattdickinson
Member
It's certainly technically possible.
In Tyne & Wear a Metro Gold Card to enable travel on the Metro can be loaded onto any ENCTS card.
http://www.nexus.org.uk/metro-concessionary-fare
Last edited:
Where have you been? Its been promoting the key for at least the last year.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
By September 2015 according to GTR publicity material/passenger charter.
I know but this was the first time I had seen the free prefix, making it freaky!
I've had my card almost a year, used it once; without the day Travelcards promised for Feb 2014 it's useless to me.
And I've discovered that splitting paper tickets gives me an "Any Permitted" travel option for less money than a Southern only ticket, for less money. So even when they do deliver on their Travelcard promises, I would be stupid to use it.
I'd contact them and compain as that contradicts their publicity.
mattdickinson
Member
St. Pancras is not a valid London Terminal as far as The Key is concerned.
The only ticket that would work at the moment is a Hassocks to Z1-6 Travelcard
Last edited:
The map says it's somewhere a break of journey can be done on a Key, not the start of end of a journey - but then it says that for all London Terminals which I'm sure isn't right. Some of them have asterisks, but nothing says what that means.
mattdickinson
Member
The key
to the map just says "* London Terminal Stations",by which they mean "* London Terminal Stations at which a smart ticket from Southern stations outside Z1-6 issued to London Terminals will be valid at"
Last edited:
- Status