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Boundary Zone 6 - Three Bridges AM time

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heart-of-wessex

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Hello,

I may be doing Victoria - Three Bridges on Sunday morning (well actually, I more likely will, it's the only overnighter running!) but as I'll have a TravelCard, how does one get a Boundary Zone 6 to Three Bridges for the 0106 or 0206 departures from Victoria, can I get one on board or will I get a PF as there were ticket facilities, however TVMs don't exactly do boundary zones.

I'm thinking of doing the same for the overnight Bedford trips I usually do too, except I pay more with a return from St Pan to Bedford, but again, TVMs don't offer a boundary zone extension.

What does one do at this time in the morning? Can they refuse a boundary zone and make you buy a return from Victoria, even though you have a ticket valid just beyond Croydon?
 
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MikeWh

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The Victoria ticket office is open 24 hours, so I'd probably ask there before boarding.
 

clagmonster

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Condition 3 states:
"3. Where the full range of tickets is not available
If you cannot buy an appropriate ticket for the journey you want to make because the
range of tickets that is available at the station from which you intend to start your journey
is restricted, you must buy a ticket or Permit to Travel before you travel that entitles you to
make at least part of the journey. Then you must, as soon as is reasonably practicable, buy
an appropriate ticket to complete your journey. In these circumstances, you only need to pay
the fare that you would have paid if you had bought a ticket immediately before your journey.
The price you will have to pay will be reduced by the amount paid for the ticket or Permit to
Travel."
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/system/galleries/download/misc/NRCOC.pdf

The Travelcard allows you to make part of the journey, so I would say that should cover it and allow you to buy a Boundary Zone 6 - Three Bridges day return on board. However, if you are uncomfortable, then buy a ticket to the value of a BZ6-Three Bridges day return and the guard/TTI (I'm not sure whether these services are DOO), should exchange it for the ticket you desire. In fact, try the Southern machines at Victoria, they may have the buy from a remote station feature which would allow you to buy from Coulsdon South, which is the first station after the Boundary leaving just a small excess to pay.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
The Victoria ticket office is open 24 hours, so I'd probably ask there before boarding.
In that case, Condition 3 does not apply and you should buy the ticket from the booking office. If you don't, you will be liable for a PF or full standard fare from Boundary Zone 6, depending on the status of the person who checks your ticket.
 

OwlMan

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As your train calls at East Croydon and the East Croydon - Three Bridges fare is the same as a BZ6 - Three Bridges just buy a East Croydon - Three Bridges ticket (online if you want)
 

swt_passenger

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Is this a day travelcard for the previous day (ie the Saturday)?

When you try and buy your BZ extension at 01xx will they back date it?

(There have been undecided discussions here recently about buying tickets after midnight...)
 

heart-of-wessex

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Hello,

Thanks for the replies. It will be Sunday morning in reality, or Saturday by rail time I guess, on the 18th March. I wondered if Victoria is 24 hours or not, I have done various travel card leaps on 377s from Viccy to East Croydon and they shut the station up until near departure time which, from when I did it ages ago, was around 5 minutes pre-departure.

I know FCC have human barriers at St Pancras (or did last time) but I didn't see if they had a hand held ticket machine as I didn't need it having bought the Bedford return before. Might be an idea to buy a Elstree - Bedford return online and pick it up at St Pancras, will look up the price of that. For comparison, how much is a Boundary Zone 6 - Bedford please? I don't have the advantix on this machine.


Cheers,

James.
 

bb21

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Might be an idea to buy a Elstree - Bedford return online and pick it up at St Pancras, will look up the price of that. For comparison, how much is a Boundary Zone 6 - Bedford please?


Elstree & Borehamwood - Bedford Stations
CDS £16.80 TN
CDR £16.90 TN
SDS £17.40
SDR £28.30

Boundary Zone 6 - Bedford Stations
(Same price as above.)

In the Three Bridges case, are you using a Travelcard for Sunday too?
 

Paul Kelly

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Is this a day travelcard for the previous day (ie the Saturday)?

When you try and buy your BZ extension at 01xx will they back date it?

(There have been undecided discussions here recently about buying tickets after midnight...)

If it's a single from BZ6 to Three Bridges he's looking for, the only fare is an anytime day single, so it's valid from midnight anyway. If it's an off-peak day return, as it's the weekend it's also valid from midnight (rather than from 0930 if it was a weekday), so no issue there either as far as I can see.
 

bb21

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If it's a single from BZ6 to Three Bridges he's looking for, the only fare is an anytime day single, so it's valid from midnight anyway. If it's an off-peak day return, as it's the weekend it's also valid from midnight (rather than from 0930 if it was a weekday), so no issue there either as far as I can see.

If it is a Boundary Zone ticket dated for Sunday, can you use it in conjunction with a Travelcard dated for Saturday?
 

Paul Kelly

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I don't see why not; the Travelcard is valid for any journey starting before 0430 on Sunday and the Boundary Zone ticket is valid for any journey starting from midnight on Sunday onwards. As I see it, as long as the journey starts in this time period you are totally covered.
 

John @ home

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If it is a Boundary Zone ticket dated for Sunday, can you use it in conjunction with a Travelcard dated for Saturday?

I don't see why not
I take a different view. We have previously discussed that you can't buy Boundary Zone 6 - Three Bridges separately but must show the ticket which allows you to get to the Boundary of Zone 6. In that respect, Boundary Zone 6 - Three Bridges is not really a ticket at all, but is better considered as a voucher which extends the validity of the ticket already held (in much the same way as an Excess Fare voucher).

If that analysis is correct, then the Boundary Zone 6 - Three Bridges voucher is valid for a period no longer than the original ticket, so it would not be possible to use a Boundary Zone voucher dated for Sunday in conjunction with a Day Travelcard dated for Saturday.
 

MarkyMarkD

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Why on earth don't ATOC get rid of Boundary Zone tickets and simply require customers to buy tickets from the last station within each zone?

Having secret tickets which are not available on TVMs or online is a stupid situation which appears (to a numpty like me) to be entirely unnecessary!

Are the BZ fares generally SO much cheaper than fares from the station immediately inside the boundary?
 

button_boxer

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They can be if you are using a fast train.

... and the travelcard you are combining with the BZ is a one day one rather than a season. You also get situations where there's more than one route from the zones to your destination (e.g. Reading) where a BZ return allows you to go out by one route and back by the other where buying from a named station would restrict you to the same route both ways.
 

MarkyMarkD

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Ah, thanks for the explanations (I think). I can't say that I've ever found a BZ ticket the best thing for my circumstances*, but then maybe I haven't learnt enough yet! Fares workshop soon ...

* largely because Travelcard tickets are rubbish value from where I live, compared to other options.
 

island

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... and the travelcard you are combining with the BZ is a one day one rather than a season. You also get situations where there's more than one route from the zones to your destination (e.g. Reading) where a BZ return allows you to go out by one route and back by the other where buying from a named station would restrict you to the same route both ways.

The boundary zone tickets to Reading I've had have been routed VIA ASCOT or VIA SLOUGH (although I accept one could excess the ticket, if one finds a staff member inclined to do excesses).
 
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heart-of-wessex

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It will be a return to Three Bridges, arriving there 0210 I think, then back on the 0310 to Victoria. Will be having 3 travelcard's, one on Friday (peak), One on Saturday and one for Sunday morning. I'll only need the Saturday one from 0000 - 0600am and 2200 - 2359 (on the Berwick tour in between that), then Sunday from 0000 - 0800am.

I see the BZ6 is only shy of £12 for Bedford too on a CDR, (forgot to add I have a 16-25 card) as I've been splashing out on anytime returns at £20. I can't recall the CDR being an option on the machines at St Pancras, but then again I may have got an anytime return thinking that a CDR wouldn't be valid on the 01xx (Saturday am) Bedford - London after leaving at 23xx from London on Friday.
 

LexyBoy

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The boundary zone tickets to Reading I've had have been routed VIA ASCOT or VIA STAINES (although I accept one could excess the ticket, if one finds a staff member inclined to do excesses).

I think you meant to write Slough instead of Staines. Interestingly the Via Ascot fare is the more expensive, presumably as the fares are based on the appropriate BZ6 station.
 

island

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I think you meant to write Slough instead of Staines. Interestingly the Via Ascot fare is the more expensive, presumably as the fares are based on the appropriate BZ6 station.

Yes I did, thanks.

VIA ASCOT is more expensive for CDRs, but not any other ticket type.

Another oddity is that boundary zone 5 and 6 do not offer an SVR route VIA ASCOT but the further-in zones do.
 
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