Platform Tickets?

Do such things even exist these days? I assume not as I was told by the booking office at West Drayton some years ago they do not.
I ask as in March on my way back from stewarding a steam tour the previous day I intend to try and film and photograph a Steam Dreams trip out of Paddington and through one of my local stations when I lived in West London (even if they are all currently building sites at the moment).
I know from a recent visit that since TFL took over this is a penalty fare area and is enforced, as there is a disputes thread about someone fined for helping their girlfriend with her suitcase.
Question is I know if I use my Oyster I will have to travel to the next station to touch out and have a time constraint (if the tour is late). Does the same apply with contactless regarding time?
Is there a time issue with a normal paper ticket as I have an issue in the past at West Drayton where I was told my ticket only allowed me to get on the next train to arrive, not hang around and choose the train I wanted.

Platform tickets do still exist. Someone I know still gets them whenever he can - I get regular trip reports from him including whether a platform ticket was successfully purchased or not. They are not sold at all staffed stations (whether they should be or not is a different debate!).

West Drayton was not a compulsory ticket area until December so probably no point in issuing platform tickets. On LU they cost £1 for all stations except 0.20p for Southwark only.

matt_world2004 said:

West Drayton was not a compulsory ticket area until December so probably no point in issuing platform tickets. On LU they cost £1 for all stations except 0.20p for Southwark only.

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I noticed the red lines on the ground at West Drayton, probably will annoy any non-users wanting to use the subway between Warwick Road & the Station Approach as a short-cut

matt_world2004 said:

On LU they cost £1 for all stations except 0.20p for Southwark only.

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I wonder what is so special about Southwark?

Mag_seven said:

I wonder what is so special about Southwark?

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Used as a cut through for Waterloo east which imho they shouldn't be charging for.

packermac said:

Question is I know if I use my Oyster I will have to travel to the next station to touch out and have a time constraint (if the tour is late). Does the same apply with contactless regarding time?

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You could just touch in and out at the same station. It'll charge you the cheapest journey from that station. You can stay for up to half an hour.

Same station exits
If you touch contactless (card or device) or an Oyster card on a yellow card reader when you enter a station, and then touch out to exit it within a short period of time, you'll be charged a same station exit:

• Between 0 - 2 minutes: a maximum fare. If you re-enter the same or a different station within 45 minutes, you'll be refunded. This doesn't apply if you take a bus or tram before re-entering a station
• Between 2 - 30 minutes: minimum pay as you go fare from that station
• More than 30 minutes: we'll assume two separate journeys have been made and both will be incomplete. You'll be charged two maximum fares

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https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/how-to-pay...-as-you-go/touching-in-and-out#on-this-page-4

freddie1729 said:

You could just touch in and out at the same station. It'll charge you the cheapest journey from that station. You can stay for up to half an hour.


https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/how-to-pay...-as-you-go/touching-in-and-out#on-this-page-4

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Thanks for that but seems strange that between 2 & 29 minutes costs you a minimum fare, but less than that or more than that costs you a maximum fare.
Not too useful for filming railtours with the usual timekeeping success they seem to achieve.

packermac said:

Thanks for that but seems strange that between 2 & 29 minutes costs you a minimum fare, but less than that or more than that costs you a maximum fare.
Not too useful for filming railtours with the usual timekeeping success they seem to achieve.

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The maximum fares are designed to deter evasion. The longer one is potentially two maximum fares because it assumes you've been somewhere and come back.

I didn't think platform tickets even existed! Normally I use my oyster card to go through the ticket gates if I'm trainspotting, but really you shouldn't have to be charged. The EMR platforms at St Pancras don't have oyster scanners so if I'm going to trainspot I just ask the staff at the barriers politely and they let me through. I generally think staff don't mind, although in Manchester Piccadilly some staff don't really understand so you may have to show a ticket!

Platform tickets are 10p and valid for one hour only, where sold, on the National Rail network, so probably would not have met your needs anyway.

Just ask staff nicely, and if the answer is no, try the next one along.

bb21 said:

Platform tickets are 10p and valid for one hour only, where sold, on the National Rail network, so probably would not have met your needs anyway.

Just ask staff nicely, and if the answer is no, try the next one along.

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If Bolton station ever gets its pub, I wonder how punters wanting a pint but not a journey will be catered for? The stations gated but any pub will need the extra clients...I suggest a platform ticket where you get the extra off your first drink.