Southern/Thameslink Ticket Acceptance during Brighton Mainline Closure?

[gray1404]

A friend is travelling tomorrow on a St Pancras to Brighton Super Off Peak Single (Route: Not Underground). As the Thameslink service is only hourly come mid afternoon to Three Bridges and there is a rail replacement bus Three Bridges to Brighton, is there any ticket acceptance in place? I have to admit the provision of information on this one is limited by GTR.

I am wondering if the ticket will also be valid on London Underground to Victoria and also from Victoria on Southern services from there to Three Bridges under the circumstances. One journey an hour option is not much at all.

He is arriving at Euston on a ticket that is only valid as far as Euston.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

A friend is travelling tomorrow on a St Pancras to Brighton Super Off Peak Single (Route: Not Underground). As the Thameslink service is only hourly come mid afternoon to Three Bridges and there is a rail replacement bus Three Bridges to Brighton, is there any ticket acceptance in place? I have to admit the provision of information on this one is limited by GTR.

I am wondering if the ticket will also be valid on London Underground to Victoria and also from Victoria on Southern services from there to Three Bridges under the circumstances. One journey an hour option is not much at all.

He is arriving at Euston on a ticket that is only valid as far as Euston.

I can't comment on agreed ticket acceptance, but in terms of what he can do with his ticket, he might be able to excess his ticket to a London Terminals to Brighton route "Thameslink only" ticket. That obviously wouldn't be valid for the Victoria line, but that's not a material problem given the price of an Off-Peak Oyster/contactless fare. It's then contractually (though not necessarily practically speaking) valid on any GTR service from, e.g. Victoria or London Bridge.

 

[gray1404]

I have Tweeted SN/TL to ask (no reply yet), he is very anti conflict though.

 

[sarahj]

The rules come down to. TL train to Three Bridges, then Southern train via the scenic route after that. Sorry a bit too late, but just saw the info this morning

 

[gray1404]

The rules come down to. TL train to Three Bridges, then Southern train via the scenic route after that. Sorry a bit too late, but just saw the info this morning

Hi SJ, I just wondered where you saw these "rules" and info? I am assuming it might have been something internal. I couldn't find any guidance at all on the TL or SN websites. However, having checked National Rail the night before travel the TL trains to Three Bridges where then appearing as half hourly (formally it was only hourly mid afternoon onwards - perhaps late timetable confirmation). In the end, my friend was able to get off at Euston, walk to St Pancras and get straight onto a TL train to Three Bridges (which left a couple of minutes later due to the timetable update/addition) and finally an express bus from Three Bridges to Brighton.

 

[sarahj]

Hi SJ, I just wondered where you saw these "rules" and info? I am assuming it might have been something internal. I couldn't find any guidance at all on the TL or SN websites. However, having checked National Rail the night before travel the TL trains to Three Bridges where then appearing as half hourly (formally it was only hourly mid afternoon onwards - perhaps late timetable confirmation). In the end, my friend was able to get off at Euston, walk to St Pancras and get straight onto a TL train to Three Bridges (which left a couple of minutes later due to the timetable update/addition) and finally an express bus from Three Bridges to Brighton.

Yes, we have been given a big sheet of info for next weeks big blockade and this was one of the points.

 

[gray1404]

Yes, we have been given a big sheet of info for next weeks big blockade and this was one of the points.

Thanks - hopefully they will put this information out on the websites too for the public to also be aware of. Otherwise it is unfair on both the customers not knowing and the poor staff trying to enforce something the customers have not been told.

 

[JB_B]

The rules come down to. TL train to Three Bridges, then Southern train via the scenic route after that. Sorry a bit too late, but just saw the info this morning

Thanks for this info, sarahj.

Just to be clear: that means Thameslink-only tickets will be accepted on the diverted Southern branded trains between Brighton and Three Bridges (but not north of Three Bridges), doesn't it?

Any idea why GTR management are unable (or unwilling) to share that with the travelling public?

Neither the Southern nor the Thameslink websites have this information.

They both point to https://traveladvice.brightonmainline.co.uk/ which only says

"Ticket acceptance: During the closures rail tickets will be accepted on a wide range of alternative rail and bus services." (whatever that is meant to mean)

 

[sarahj]

This is what it said:
Thameslink Only routed tickets to / from stations south of Three Bridges between Three Bridges and Brighton on the trains that will operate via Littlehampton.
So for example a passenger who holds a Brighton to East Croydon Thameslink Only routed ticket can use the Southern train service from Brighton to Three Bridges and will then need to change there for a Thameslink train to continue their journey to
East Croydon.


There is also ticket acceptance on certain bus companies. I don't know if I can say, but some clever folks might be able to work it out.

 

[JB_B]

This is what it said:
Thameslink Only routed tickets to / from stations south of Three Bridges between Three Bridges and Brighton on the trains that will operate via Littlehampton.

So for example a passenger who holds a Brighton to East Croydon Thameslink Only routed ticket can use the Southern train service from Brighton to Three Bridges and will then need to change there for a Thameslink train to continue their journey to
East Croydon.

OK - that's completely clear - thanks for that.

 

[OwlMan]

Of course "not underground" tickets are not TOC restricted and are valid on any TOC on any valid route from St Pancras to Brighton except via routes with an underground link.