August 25 RDG-WAT

Hello,

The Reading-Waterloo line on Sunday 25 August involved a very unusual route into London including going backwards. Can anyone clarify the route and also whether the lack of off-peak tickets was related.

Cheers

magical said:

Hello,

The Reading-Waterloo line on Sunday 25 August involved a very unusual route into London including going backwards. Can anyone clarify the route and also whether the lack of off-peak tickets was related.

Cheers

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The only two possibilities are
- reversal at Twickenham, then via Kingston and Wimbledon
- reversal at Virginia Water, then via Chertsey, Surbiton and Wimbledon.
Either planned engineering works, or last-minute.

Off-peak tickets should not be restricted because of engineering works, BUT some of them are routed VIA STAINES so
- if the train was rerouted via Chertsey AND
- if the operator had forgotten to override the restriction (an easement is the techy term)
then websites and machines might not have offered the right fare.

All it needs is someone with access to the historic information - bound to be one along soon!

On 25th August, the line in the Feltham area was closed. As such, London-Reading trains would divert via Chertsey. This involves leaving Virginia Water, pulling forward beyond the shunt signal then reversing, travelling via Chertsey to Weybridge, before picking up the South West Mainine at Weybridge and continuing to Waterloo via Surbiton and Wimbledon. This is a common engineering diversion if the closure is somewhere between Virginia Water and Feltham.

Thank you. Tickets that day cost almost double what they should have been with super off-peak and railcard discounts. Is it possible to claim the incorrect overcharge or is it too late? It's disappointing that with today's technology and such a clear mistake Southwestern would not automatically refund, in this case it would be very easy I purchased directly from southwesternrailway.com using my registered account and credit card so there is full record. In the future I will remember this and try to get ticket office in the station to issue if open.

Either from the ticket office or from the TVM, unlike some of the TVMs used in the north the ones generally used by GWR & SWR are 'dumb'.

(As in they won't get you to select services first before selecting tickets)

magical said:

Thank you. Tickets that day cost almost double what they should have been with super off-peak and railcard discounts. Is it possible to claim the incorrect overcharge or is it too late? It's disappointing that with today's technology and such a clear mistake Southwestern would not automatically refund, in this case it would be very easy I purchased directly from southwesternrailway.com using my registered account and credit card so there is full record. In the future I will remember this and try to get ticket office in the station to issue if open.

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If you have the original ticket/s (ideally) or other proof of payment I would certainly contact SWR.
However, it might help us advise you if you could confirm the options you were offered and the ticket you actually purchased. There are ANY PERMITTED (route) fares to London which should have been available even if VIA STAINES were not.