Some more changes were published to the Routeing Guide on Wednesday.
Changes from 25 Mar 2020 (300) to 22 Apr 2020 (301).
Easement changes:
Removed:
700890 (Map) On Sunday 08 March 2020, Cross Country services will be diverted via Newport (South Wales). This map easement will apply in both directions.
700904 (Fare route) Due to engineering works on 22 and 29 March 2020 and the replacement of services with rail replacement buses, there will be fast bus services operating between Worcestershire Parkway and Gloucester that do not stop at Cheltenham Spa. Tickets priced on (00171) VIA CHELTENHAM SPA, will be valid on these services.
700907 (Map) This easement allows travel from London to Shenfield and beyond on replacement bus without calling at Romford during engineering works on 15/03/2020 and 22/03/2020
700908 (Map) During engineering works on 22/03/2020 and 29/03/2020, customers travelling from Cleethorpes, Grimsby or Scunthorpe to Manchester or Manchester Airport may travel using Services between Sheffield and Huddesfield. This easement applies in both directions.
Temporary easements which have had no effect since March.
Changed:
600069 (Circuitous Route) Customers travelling from or via Stratford Domestic station to or via London St Pancras may not travel via Stratford International except on tickets routed 00131 Plus High Speed. This easement applies in both directions.
The PDF easement now covers tickets for journeys via Stratford, as well as ones going to or from there. It doesn't affect one of the HS1 ticket codes now, however.
The easement data file shows this easement a bit differently. This already forbade journeys via Stratford, Stratford International and London St Pancras, but only affected tickets with one of a list of route codes.
For Ipswich-Gravesend (as an example), this means that a flexible ticket is not shown as being valid on ticket sites (as the route code is "+any permitted"), but an advanced ticket may be (as the route code "(00330) +AP GA Plus HS1" is mentioned in neither version of the easement).
The route codes referred to in the data file version are:
(00000) Any Permitted
(00003) Stratford/London
(00006) Via Tottenhm Hle
(00043) Avanti
(00045) Not Via Norwich
(00051) Via Shenfield
(00074) Via Norwich
(00135) Via Cambridge
(00200) Via London
(00420) Ap Grtang&Concts
(00827) Londn Strd/Evshm
(00840) Via Honiton
700831 (Fare route) For journeys from or via West Ealing to or via High Wycombe using tickets priced on routes (00813) VIA GREENFORD (UND) and (00200) VIA LONDON may be used on the 11.47 direct service that runs Mondays to Fridays. This fare route easement applies only to the 11.47 through service.
700832 (Fare route) Journeys to and via West Ealing Mondays to Fridays, that involve interchange at South Ruislip and onward travel on the11.02 10.55 through train between South Ruislip and West Ealing will be permitted on tickets priced on (00813) VIA GREENFORD (UND) and (00200) VIA LONDON. This fare route easement only applies to journeys using the 11.02 service
I don't know the intention behind these easements. If 700832 was intended to permit someone with (say) a High Wycombe-West Ealing "via Greenford" ticket to use the 11:02 from West Ealing, I don't think it's enough. If I work through the routeing guide instructions, I find:
1. There is no through train.
2. West Ealing and South Ruislip are listed on table 115 in the National Rail Timetable, but no distance is given between them. This means that the shortest route goes another way.
3. This isn't part of a mapped route, as the only places which are linked to South Ruislip on any map are London and High Wycombe. Without a link on a map to Greenford or to Ealing Broadway Group, no mapped route can cover this journey.
As it's a "via Greenford" fare, I may be able to look at routes to & from Greenford West Junction (which counts as being part of Greenford station). A High Wycombe-Greenford journey has all of the above problems, however, so this doesn't help.
Unfortunately, neither do these easements.
Route changes:
Changed:
VIA GREENFORD (00813) (169 records)
must go via Greenford (GFD)
must include tube
Removing the requirement to use the tube (which wasn't printed on the tickets) does help with obtaining an itinerary involving the trains between West Ealing & South Ruislip/High Wycombe.
For instance, breaking South Ruislip-Ealing Broadway ticket down at Greenford gives a South Ruislip-Greenford leg (which is a through train), followed by a Greenford-Ealing Broadway leg (which is the shortest route).