Herne Bay to West Malling

[NSB2017]

I think the answer will be "yes, that's fine" but could I ask the clever folk on here a question?

I'm travelling tomorrow from Herne Bay to West Malling and I have two options - either via Ramsgate or via Bromley South.

Are both genuinely allowed? I don't want to be going almost all the way to London to then be challenged about going back to West Malling. Or the same for going away from the general direction of West Malling to get to Ramsgate.

Thanks!

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

I think the answer will be "yes, that's fine" but could I ask the clever folk on here a question?

I'm travelling tomorrow from Herne Bay to West Malling and I have two options - either via Ramsgate or via Bromley South.

Are both genuinely allowed? I don't want to be going almost all the way to London to then be challenged about going back to West Malling. Or the same for going away from the general direction of West Malling to get to Ramsgate.

Thanks!

As far as I can tell, during off-peak hours the fastest route is changing at either Bromley South, or at Faversham and Bromley South, or at Ashford International.

However, none of these are permitted routes for the through ticket, crazily. You can't take the former two routes as the double-back between Swanley and Bromley South isn't permitted, despite it being perfectly reasonable (and, indeed, fastest) in the context of the skip-stopping nature of the Medway Towns semifast after Longfield. And you can't take the latter route as it involves travel via Ramsgate and Dover, which again isn't permitted. Going via just Ramsgate or just Dover is permitted (i.e. via Canterbury in both cases).

The route via Maidstone Barracks and East (walking between the two) isn't a mapped route, but it is a permitted route as it is shorter than the shortest rail-only route (62.71 miles) by nearly a quarter (16.58 miles).

This is but one example of crazy permitted routes and when splitting can present a significant advantage either in price (the Maidstone option being a fair bit cheaper when split) or in convenience (it not being permissible to go via Ramsgate and Ashford, nor via Bromley South).

 

[NSB2017]

So I'm now very confused.

If I want to get to West Malling for about 12.30pm, would this route not be valid:

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

So I'm now very confused.

If I want to get to West Malling for about 12.30pm, would this route not be valid:

Yes, that's valid. It'd be easier to simply stay on the train at Ramsgate and continue through to Ashford (which is what it does, via Dover), which results in the same arrival time at West Malling but with one change less. Unfortunately that's not a permitted route - though I can't imagine the On-Board Manager would have any objection to it if you did ask to stay on till Ashford.

 

[NSB2017]

Thanks...might have a slow trek to Bromley South, then...

 

[30907]

Thanks...might have a slow trek to Bromley South, then...

I don't advise that! NRE tells me that the route via Bromley South requires two tickets, for the sake of saving 2 minutes.

It'd be easier to simply stay on the train at Ramsgate and continue through to Ashford (which is what it does, via Dover), which results in the same arrival time at West Malling but with one change less.

No it doesn't, it's half an hour longer. This is hardly surprising, as a glance at the map will show it's a considerable detour (this also explains why it's not a permitted route.