St Pancras to Wellingborough split with Freedom Pass at Harlington or Flitwick

[lightbulb]

Good morning all,

A friend will be travelling from St Pancras to Wellinborough on Friday 16th August off peak, with a Freedom Pass and a Senior Railcard. I shall be joining the train at Luton, travelling with a Disabled Persons Railcard.

There are two options splitting tickets. The first is at Bedford: a CDR from Elstree & Borehamwood to Bedford is £13.15, and a CDR from Bedford to Wellingborough is £7.75, total £20.90. As far as I understand, this split is valid as the Freedom Pass is treated as a Leisure Pass, so does not require the train to call at Elstree & Borehamwood, and the trains all call at Bedford.

The second (cheaper) split is at either Harlington or Flitwick instead of Bedford: CDR Elstree & Borehamwood to either Harlington or Flitwick is £10.55, and an SDR from Harlington or Flitwick to Wellingborough is £8.60, total £19.15. The trains to Wellingborough do not call at Harlington or Flitwick, so this split wouldn't normally be valid.

My question is: does the use of the Freedom Pass allow the split at Harlington or Flitwick without the train calling?

 

[RJ]

My question is: does the use of the Freedom Pass allow the split at Harlington or Flitwick without the train calling?

Not any more I'm afraid - a stop was put to that a few years back when the National Rail Conditions of Travel replaced the Conditions of Carriage. The current rule of relevance is 14.2 in the Conditions of Travel.

You're starting at Luton - would you happen to have a Herts or Beds concessionary bus pass?

 

[Haywain]

I'm pretty sure that Freedom Passes are not valid on East Midlands Trains, so the Elstree split would only be valid on Thameslink. Similarly the Beds concessionary pass is only valid on Thameslink.

 

[itfcfan]

I'm pretty sure that Freedom Passes are not valid on East Midlands Trains, so the Elstree split would only be valid on Thameslink. Similarly the Beds concessionary pass is only valid on Thameslink.

According to this Central Beds Council webpage, Beds concessionary pass is valid on EMT, between Bedford and Luton Airport Parkway only:
https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov..._older_persons_or_disabled_persons_bus_pass/6

A bus pass issued by Central Bedfordshire Council also allows you to rail travel for half the normal adult fare on the following rail services:

• Thameslink and Great Northern trains between Sandy, Biggleswade and Arlesey and any station as far as Hadley Wood, Crews Hill and Royston
• Thameslink and Great Northern trains between Bedford and Elstree & Borehamwood and stations in between
• East Midland trains between Bedford and Luton Airport Parkway
• London North Western trains on the Marston Vale line between Bedford and Bletchley

Although that does seem to contradict information on this National Rail webpage:
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/46534.aspx

Not valid on East Midlands Trains or London North Eastern Railway services

 

[Haywain]

According to this Central Beds Council webpage, Beds concessionary pass is valid on EMT, between Bedford and Luton Airport Parkway only:
https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov..._older_persons_or_disabled_persons_bus_pass/6

As this refers specifically to a pass issued by Central Bedfordshire Council, I don't think there are any grounds for claiming that validity for passes issued by other local authorities in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.

 

[yorkie]

The rule has traditionally been that the train does not need to call; it's traditionally been treated as an off peak leisure season ticket (@OwlMan can you confirm if that is still the case?) however it is not considered to have any validity on EMT services.

 

[lightbulb]

Not any more I'm afraid - a stop was put to that a few years back when the National Rail Conditions of Travel replaced the Conditions of Carriage. The current rule of relevance is 14.2 in the Conditions of Travel.

You're starting at Luton - would you happen to have a Herts or Beds concessionary bus pass?

No, I don't have a Herts or Beds concessionary bus pass, just the railcard.

 

[lightbulb]

The rule has traditionally been that the train does not need to call; it's traditionally been treated as an off peak leisure season ticket (@OwlMan can you confirm if that is still the case?) however it is not considered to have any validity on EMT services.

Yorkie, are you referring to my friend's Freedom Pass, or the Beds concessionary bus pass?

 

[Haywain]

Yorkie, are you referring to my friend's Freedom Pass, or the Beds concessionary bus pass?

It has to be a reference to the Freedom Pass, as the Herts/Beds Concessionary Passes only provide a discount on rail travel tickets that are explicitly not season tickets.