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Finding the route from Clapham Junction to West Drayton for the default TfL fare

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infobleep

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Hi there

The default single fair finder on TfLs Web Site lists the fair for Clapham Junction to West Drayton, with a discount applied, as £1.

Does anyone know what the route is for this ticket or how one works out what the route is for themselves? I ask because when I do a timetable search it only seems to return routes that make use of the alternative fares.

f I can work out the default route for this journey I could then perhaps apply the logic to other routes where the timetable only gives routes that are valid for the alternative fares.

I've never understood why the default fare isn't the one that covers the services that the timetable brings back. It would also be helpful if all routes, not just the alternative ones, listed the route details.

Thanks
 
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PermitToTravel

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I suspect that that's the fare that'll be charged if you make the journey without touching any other readers on the way, e.g. by changing at West Brompton and Ealing Broadway.
 

Alan White

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TfL's inability or refusal - I don't know which - to define the default route and correlate the journey planner with the fares can be most frustrating.

In this case, I suspect that the default route is:
Overground CLJ - Shepherd's Bush
Central line Shepherd's Bush - Ealing Broadway
GW Ealing Broadway - West Drayton

I base this assumption on a similar journey I made a few months back which I subsequently discussed with TfL and they were quite keen on low-cost routes involving LO and changes at SPB.
 

Tetchytyke

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The single fare finder tells you what the alternative routes are- all travelling via zone one- so you can probably guess what the route is.

I'd say for certain that the route involving no touches- changing at West Brompton, Earls Court and Ealing Broadway- will be charged at that. I suspect using the OSI at Shepherds Bush will also charge you that fare, as you'll also be avoiding zone one.
 
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PermitToTravel

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I don't think it actually considers zones at all, but rather charges the default fare unless one of the exact combinations of intermediate touches for which a fare has been set is matched.

I'm in London in a couple of weeks and will have a go at making this journey via a ridiculous route such as the Heron Quays OSI - I expect it to charge £1.
 

MikeWh

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I don't think it actually considers zones at all, but rather charges the default fare unless one of the exact combinations of intermediate touches for which a fare has been set is matched.

I'm in London in a couple of weeks and will have a go at making this journey via a ridiculous route such as the Heron Quays OSI - I expect it to charge £1.

Be careful with that one. If you end up needing to touch out in zone 1, or at a zone 2 station where the route from origin to that station must involve zone 1, even for an OSI, you'll be charged for the priviledge. And if you take more than the maximum journey time between origin and destination then you'll get two incomplete journeys. The helpdesk may refund them, but might want a good reason for travelling via Docklands!
 
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PermitToTravel

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Ah yes sorry, I forgot the no-OSI-refunds thing. I think that changing at Shadwell will ensure that that's not a problem though :D

A race against the maximum journey time? Sounds great!
 

infobleep

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TfL's inability or refusal - I don't know which - to define the default route and correlate the journey planner with the fares can be most frustrating.

In this case, I suspect that the default route is:
Overground CLJ - Shepherd's Bush
Central line Shepherd's Bush - Ealing Broadway
GW Ealing Broadway - West Drayton

I base this assumption on a similar journey I made a few months back which I subsequently discussed with TfL and they were quite keen on low-cost routes involving LO and changes at SPB.

If they are so keen on them then they should appear when doing a journey planner but as far as I could work out from very brief search during a day time period, they don't.

Thanks for everyone's replies. I was expecting the cheapest fare to I crude some sort of bus journey but thinking Baku title again, buses are charged at £1.45 so that wouldn't be possible..
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Ah yes sorry, I forgot the no-OSI-refunds thing. I think that changing at Shadwell will ensure that that's not a problem though :D

A race against the maximum journey time? Sounds great!
Good luck with that. Be interested to see what happens.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I just did another journey planner query using a via point of Shepberds Bush and it gave the journey options for the default route cost £1 with the discount.

The journey times included 57 minutes, 1 hour, 1 hour 1 minute.

I then did the same without the Shepberds Bush and it told me to go to West Brompton and Paddington. The journey times here was 57 minutes and 1 hour so the same! Only one missing in my short search was 1 hour and 1 minute.

Give they are the same why doesn't the default route come up as standard? Is it an oversight and if I contacted TfL, are they likely to fix the issue or is it a under issue that would be hard to fix? I. E. it affects multiple lines and journeys, not just this one, so it could cost to much to fix it.
 

Alan White

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If they are so keen on them then they should appear when doing a journey planner but as far as I could work out from very brief search during a day time period, they don't.
The routes from TfL's journey planner depend very much on the time of day. I've just asked it for this journey now and one of the routes - indeed the quickest at 52mins - is the one I suggest (except it uses Southern CLJ-SPB).

I have some sympathy for TfL in this respect. There are usually many ways of getting between any given points and it tries to show the quickest for the time you want to travel. A small difference in time of day and/or journey time can make a siginificant difference in what it chooses to show.

As for the fare, my experience is as PermitToTravel says: it charges the default fare unless one of the alternatives [sic] is matched. In this case the alternatives are all more expensive so unless the system can tell you went via zone 1 then you should be charged the default fare.
 

infobleep

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The routes from TfL's journey planner depend very much on the time of day. I've just asked it for this journey now and one of the routes - indeed the quickest at 52mins - is the one I suggest (except it uses Southern CLJ-SPB).

I have some sympathy for TfL in this respect. There are usually many ways of getting between any given points and it tries to show the quickest for the time you want to travel. A small difference in time of day and/or journey time can make a siginificant difference in what it chooses to show.

As for the fare, my experience is as PermitToTravel says: it charges the default fare unless one of the alternatives [sic] is matched. In this case the alternatives are all more expensive so unless the system can tell you went via zone 1 then you should be charged the default fare.
How about TfL putting the fares against each has journey query, if they can't give you the default route in the single fare finder.

When doing my query, I put in the same start times for via Shepberds Bush and not via that and the journey times were the same. If they are the same then surely both should appear as one can't overtake the other.
 
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