Advance Tickets including Underground

[rs101]

I've just purchased an Advance ticket for 2nd June. It was listed as Manningtree -> London Underground Zones 1-3 . I'm trying to get to London City Airport, so assumed that would be the correct ticket.

After ordering, the detail of the ticket shows it's Manningtree -> Liverpool Street, then Liverpool Street -> Underground 1-3.

I actually need to travel Manningtree -> Stratford, then Stratford to London City Airport (DLR). Will this Advance ticket be valid?

 

[gray1404]

You have the correct ticket because London City Airport DLR Station is in zone 3.

 

[rs101]

Even though I'm changing stations at Stratford, not Liverpool Street?

 

[gray1404]

Stratford is in Zone 2 so again, your fine. Your ticket is valid for travel between "London Underground Zones 1-3" so don't worry.

 

[rs101]

Thanks. I was slightly confused because nationalrail.co.uk gave a ticket price of £24.70, but then directed me to AGA's site to actually purchase it. I couldn't find the same ticket on there as it didn't allow me to select a specific Underground station, just the zone.

 

[gray1404]

Have a good trip! As long as you've selected the correct zone, which you have for London City Airport, then the same and correct price will apply as if you'd selected the station.

 

[rs101]

I hope she will - I'm sending my better half off to visit her mother in Switzerland.

Woe betide me if there's a problem with the tickets!

 

[gray1404]

There won't be a problem! don't worry

 

[MikeWh]

Stratford is in Zone 2 so again, your fine. Your ticket is valid for travel between "London Underground Zones 1-3" so don't worry.

Stratford is actually in zone 3. There shouldn't be any problem with what you want to do, but, you are leaving your reserved service before the destination printed on the reservation. Once you change onto the DLR then all will be fine as the ticket is valid for one Tube/DLR journey within zones 1-3. I doubt the conductor on the Liverpool Street train will try to stop you getting off at Stratford, but you are technically supposed to travel all the way to Liverpool Street.

The ticket you probably ought to have bought is Manningtree to Zone U3* Londn. That way you would only have had reservations to Stratford.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Thanks. I was slightly confused because nationalrail.co.uk gave a ticket price of £24.70, but then directed me to AGA's site to actually purchase it. I couldn't find the same ticket on there as it didn't allow me to select a specific Underground station, just the zone.

I hope you didn't have to pay more. I've just tried it myself and you're right, the AGA website can't handle what NRE passes to it. Worse, I can't seem to get it to offer the correct ticket. The station finder is a joke. Put in London City Airport and it shows a map with nearby stations - Silvertown and North Woolwich. Both those have long since closed!!! It also thinks Surrey Quays is between Woolwich and Charlton! oops!!!

 

[yorkie]

You've paid extra to include validity via Zones 1&2 that is not necessary and wasn't desired.

Whether or not an Advance ticket is technically valid to avoid Zones 1&2 and alight at Stratford or not, is debatable.

In practice, the chances of any member of Greater Anglia staff having a problem with it seems remote, so there is unlikely to be any issue alighting at Stratford.

Obviously DLR staff will accept the ticket without question (they would have no way of knowing, nor any interest in, whether or not the passenger had doubled-back to Liverpool Street!).

In any case, it's not quite the 'correct' ticket, as it costs more!

Perhaps you might wish to contact Greater Anglia Customer Services asking why their site won't sell the correct ticket, and for their advice on how to resolve this matter.

Whether overcharging you in this way is at odds with consumer law or not, and whether the Greater Anglia website complies with the Code of Practice or not, I'll let others speculate, but if Greater Anglia resolve the matter to your satisfaction (which I hope they do), then there is no need to go down that road.

 

[rs101]

Thanks for the responses everyone.
It's not just AGA's site which has this problem - I couldn't find the equivalent ticket on any of the booking sites.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Argh. The hell of AGA telephone support. A nice gentleman is saying that National Rail is out of date and it's no longer possible to buy a ticket from Manningtree via Stratford to London City Airport!

 

[MikeWh]

Argh. The hell of AGA telephone support. A nice gentleman is saying that National Rail is out of date and it's no longer possible to buy a ticket from Manningtree via Stratford to London City Airport!

He's talking absolute rubbish. A ticket office would have no trouble selling the product. The NLC for Zone U3* Londn is 0830.

 

[rs101]

Thanks - but that is apparently they can't do that - it's not available on their systems. At least not the ones available to the web booking help team.
Frustratingly, their train information team (option 1 on the phone) offered me exactly what I wanted, but can't help me book it online. I have to book via telesales, who are so busy they're not accepting any calls!

Looks like none of the online booking services I've tried will offer me this journey - they simply don't have the option of zone 3 only.

 

[Hadders]

I wouldn't worry - just make the journey, you'll be absolutely fine.

 

[rs101]

So... despite AGA's web support offering to cancel and refund the ticket earlier today, it's still showing as active in my online account..
Called the web support team again who can find no trace whatsoever of my earlier call, let alone the agreement to cancel and refund it! They also didn't believe that London City Airport even exists - kept telling me I meant Heathrow or Gatwick.

I have discovered that calling the main AGA number and selecting option 8 gets you through to a real AGA employee, based in the UK, unlike the other options which are actually thetrainline.com staff based overseas. She very helpfully agreed to refund the first ticket and explained that they can no longer sell Zone 3 only destination tickets online for single journeys, only for season tickets.

So it's a single to Stratford, then use contactless for the DLR.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Refund confirmation received, so went to pick up new tickets and get a Network Railcard. Despite nationalrail.co.uk and the poster at Manningtree station confirming the ticket office should be open until 7:15pm, it was shut for the day! And they wonder why people don't like AGA!

 

[Paul Kelly]

explained that they can no longer sell Zone 3 only destination tickets online for single journeys, only for season tickets.

That sounds like a load of rubbish too! What price have you paid in the end? I just checked on the London Midland site (used it purely because I like the colour scheme; other sites should all sell the same fares), and there are advances from Manningtree to "London Underground and DLR Zone 3", including reservations from Manningtree to Stratford, still available for various prices between £13.70 and £24.70 - see attached.

If you are travelling after 10am and have a Network Railcard though, you should never need to pay the more expensive of those prices, as a walk-up Anytime Day Single with Network Railcard discount is only £18.90, and a Super Off-Peak Single (valid to arrive at Stratford 11:52 or later, realistically meaning the 11:02 or later from Manningtree), is only £16.35: http://www.brfares.com/#!fares?orig=MNG&dest=0830&rlc=NEW

 

[rs101]

£24.70 is the price given by nationalrail and by AGA's phone enquiry line.

I ended up getting the £23 advance to Stratford and will then use contactless for the trip on DLR.

 

[yorkie]

I ended up getting the £23 advance to Stratford and will then use contactless for the trip on DLR.

£23 just to Stratford? You must be getting the 0749 or 0836 from Manningtree then.

The saving to commit the passenger to getting one on these trains compared to an unrestricted walk-up ticket is minimal.

Are you going to make a complaint about Greater Anglia refusing to sell the correct fare? I hope you do. Let us know how you get on.

 

[rs101]

The 05:54 train - she has a plane to catch, so will definitely be on that particular one.

I've got two complaints submitted already - one the failure to sell the listed ticket and the other for the ticket office being closed 3 hours early.

 

[yorkie]

The 05:54 train - she has a plane to catch, so will definitely be on that particular one..

Ah, I see. I didn't scroll up that far! Very early then! Not quite sure why a Network Railcard was mentioned in that case, but nevermind.

It's useful to know the full journey details so we can give the best possible advice.

For this particular journey there is no difference in price for a combination of Advance ticket on 'paper' to Stratford (£23) plus contactless from Stratford to the Airport (£1.70), compared with a through paper ticket to Zone 3 (avoiding Zone 1), priced at £24.70

The saving of an Advance fare compared to an Anytime Day Single fare, based on a ticket to Stratford, is only £3.90 for this journey. Not a good saving given the huge loss of rights associated with this choice, in my opinion.

 

[clagmonster]

You've paid extra to include validity via Zones 1&2 that is not necessary and wasn't desired.

Whether or not an Advance ticket is technically valid to avoid Zones 1&2 and alight at Stratford or not, is debatable.

In practice, the chances of any member of Greater Anglia staff having a problem with it seems remote, so there is unlikely to be any issue alighting at Stratford.

As the original query seems about resolved I'm happy to debate it. The ticket is for a journey from Manningtree to London City Airport (or as far as GA are concerned Zone U123* Londn). The journey being undertaken is exactly that.

The advance ticket terms and conditions state:
"Tickets are valid ONLY on the date and train service(s) shown on the ticket(s). *
...
Your ticket is only valid for travel on that nominated service and cannot be used on any other train."
http://www.abelliogreateranglia.co....tickets/advance-purchase-terms-and-conditions
Taken literally, as no DLR train services are actually shown on any part of the ticket, this makes the ticket unusable as the ticket can only be used on the reserved train but that would involve terminating the journey at Liverpool St, which would not be permitted. However, that interpretation is absurd. Being sensible, all it is saying is that you must travel on the booked train. In this case where interchange onto an unreserved connecting service is possible at two different points, as long as you travel on the reserved train, I don't see that you have to make full use of the reservation.

 

[bb21]

U-zone tickets are add-on fares, so the add-on part is not subject to the NRCoC.