Boundary zone 6 tickets

[southernyoshi]

A question - when getting a ticket from Boundary Zone 6 in London to a destination, what trains can I use it on? Is it good for any train from the London terminus to the destination or are there stop restrictions like with a normal split ticket split at a station?

 

[LexyBoy]

You can use it from any station within the Zones covered by your Travelcard to the destination, there's no requirement for the train to call anywhere en-route. This is the purpose of BZ tickets - they act as an extension ticket, allowing both "fast" trains and the use of a variety of routes where applicable.

 

[southernyoshi]

That's handy - is there any way of finding out how much they are on NRE?

 

[bb21]

That's handy - is there any way of finding out how much they are on NRE?

No.

Use www.brfares.com

 

[Caertroia]

I've bought Boundary zone 6 tickets to destinations outside London from my local ticket office, but is there any way of buying them online -- I've never managed to find a way on the various sites?

 

[maniacmartin]

They cannot be bought online

 

[JonathanH]

You can use it from any station within the Zones covered by your Travelcard to the destination, there's no requirement for the train to call anywhere en-route. This is the purpose of BZ tickets - they act as an extension ticket, allowing both "fast" trains and the use of a variety of routes where applicable.

At one time they weren't valid on TOCs which did not operate services within the London travelcard area - eg East Midlands, East Coast, West Coast - when travelling across that boundary in conjunction with a Day Travelcard. Is that still the case?

 

[LexyBoy]

Do you know when this was Jonathan?

There was a well known dispute between Virgin Trains and a passenger who was denied travel with an Oyster Z1-2 Travelcard and a BZ2-MKC ticket - that was in 2009 and Virgin (eventually) admitted they were wrong and accepted such combinations.

Any such restriction would have to be printed on the BZ ticket or made clear in accompanying documentation with the Travelcard.

The lines you mention do operate within the Travelcard area - their Zone 1 termini at the least. SouthEastern services from St Pancras are excluded - this is shown on Travelcard zonal maps and in effect St Pancras SE platfoms and Stratford International lie outwith the zones, despite their physical location.

 

[Hadders]

At one time they weren't valid on TOCs which did not operate services within the London travelcard area - eg East Midlands, East Coast, West Coast - when travelling across that boundary in conjunction with a Day Travelcard. Is that still the case?

Generally speaking Boundary Zone tickets are only available to destinations in the Network Area (Peterborough is a notable exception, being outside the area).

To clairify, a Zones 1-6 Travelcard with a:
Boundary Zone 6 to Stevenage ticket is valid on VTEC services
Boundary Zone 6 to Peterborough is valid on VTEC services
Boundary Zone 6 to Luton is valid on EMT services
Boundary Zone 6 to Bedford is valid on EMT services
Boundary Zone 6 to Milton Keynes is valid on Virgin Trains services
Boundary Zone 6 to Reading (route Slough) is valid on FGW services

 

[Kite159]

At one time they weren't valid on TOCs which did not operate services within the London travelcard area - eg East Midlands, East Coast, West Coast - when travelling across that boundary in conjunction with a Day Travelcard. Is that still the case?

In addition to the list Hadders has posted

You can use a BZ6 - Gatwick Airport along with a 1-6 travelcard on the Gatwick Express branded southern services

 

[34D]

A question - when getting a ticket from Boundary Zone 6 in London to a destination, what trains can I use it on? Is it good for any train from the London terminus to the destination or are there stop restrictions like with a normal split ticket split at a station?

We've had a previous debate as to what 'boundary intercept point' can be chosen, without consensus I think.

For example, a boundary zone 6 to huntingdon couldn't have its intercept point chosen as between Feltham and Staines (and thence travelling via Reading, Coventry, Nuneaton & Leicester).

 

[PermitToTravel]

That's obviously not a permitted route from Feltham to Huntingdon though

 

[Muzer]

We've had a previous debate as to what 'boundary intercept point' can be chosen, without consensus I think.

For example, a boundary zone 6 to huntingdon couldn't have its intercept point chosen as between Feltham and Staines (and thence travelling via Reading, Coventry, Nuneaton & Leicester).

Surely you would treat it as having the same validity as a Huntingdon to London Zones 1-6 travelcard...? (Whatever that is... I don't quite recall if THAT is well defined either!)

 

[PermitToTravel]

It isn't

 

[John @ home]

We've had a previous debate as to what 'boundary intercept point' can be chosen

It has previously been reported that ATOC say the validity of a Boundary Zone 6 ticket is

Valid on all permitted routes (that do not pass through Zones 1-6 intermediately) to/from any outermost station in Zone 6; from the outer boundary of Zone 6 to/from the Origin/Destination

 

[island]

To clairify, a Zones 1-6 Travelcard with a:
Boundary Zone 6 to Peterborough is valid on VTEC services

This isn't correct. Boundary Zone 6 to Peterborough tickets are only issued with route GT NORTHERN ONLY.

 

[Hadders]

This isn't correct. Boundary Zone 6 to Peterborough tickets are only issued with route GT NORTHERN ONLY.

Oops. So they are

 

[34D]

This isn't correct. Boundary Zone 6 to Peterborough tickets are only issued with route GT NORTHERN ONLY.

Is that a new thing?

Travelcard season plus a Hadleigh Wood to Peterborough ticket then.

 

[Hadders]

Is that a new thing?

Travelcard season plus a Hadleigh Wood to Peterborough ticket then.

It's always been the case, I believe.

Multiple splits will work best of you have a Network Railcard/Gold Card as Peterborough is outside the Network Area.

Obviously this won't work for day travelcards.

 

[devbel]

Well, today I turned up at Euston with a Zones 1-6 one day travelcard and a boundary zone 6 to Milton Keynes Central return. I was denied entry at the platform, both members of staff said "Virgin Trains don't take those tickets", similarly I went to the booking office who told me the same thing. My argument that if this was the case then the boundary zone ticket should say "LONDON MIDLAND ONLY" rather than "ANY PERMITTED" was not accepted. So I had to buy a new ticket and nearly missed the train I needed to catch.

I obviously intend to try to reclaim the cost of the new ticket from Virgin Trains. Is there any specific text I should quote in support of that (as well as the argument above).

 

[bb21]

NRCoC Condition 10 is your friend.

 

[devbel]

NRCoC Condition 10 is your friend.

Yes, seems to be, ie:

10. Tickets valid only in trains of particular Train Companies
The validity of a ticket may:
a) be restricted to; or
b) prohibit
travel in the trains of a particular Train Company or Train Companies. Any such restriction or prohibition will be shown on the ticket. (etc)


So if the BZ6-MKC ticket is not valid on Virgin it should have said something like "NOT VIRGIN TRAINS" or "LONDON MIDLAND ONLY".

 

[MarlowDonkey]

Well, today I turned up at Euston with a Zones 1-6 one day travelcard and a boundary zone 6 to Milton Keynes Central return. .

Didn't someone have any extremely lengthy dispute with Virgin over exactly this issue? Elsewhere it's fully accepted. A friend had a one day travelcard from an FGW station. Needing to return on Chiltern because of potential disruption, he was offered a BZ6 ticket by Marylebone without much prompting.

 

[A1]

I'd love to have them challenge me for doing similar so I can put a good fight. However, as Virgin don't accept Gold cards (I wish they were forced to), I avoid them.

 

[swt_passenger]

The Virgin travelcard and boundary zone problem thread marlowdonkey was thinking of, from 2009, is here:
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=23902
The thread also contains a link to a website about the issues...

 

[Bletchleyite]

The Virgin travelcard and boundary zone problem thread marlowdonkey was thinking of, from 2009, is here:
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=23902
The thread also contains a link to a website about the issues...

2009? Quite a few years later, still not fixed.

Those tickets were not in the past valid on any train for which that TOC did not stop twice within the Zones. But that, AIUI, went away years ago - probably at the same time the Network Railcard gained validity on IC services.

 

[causton]

Have witnessed yesterday the Euston main ticket office staff sold people with Zone 1-4 travelcards (3 of them) singles from Euston - Watford Jn, instead of BZ4 as I would have expected, didn't even offer a return apparently, and when I told them their tickets back would cost £3 each back with Groupsave instead of the £10 they paid without, they were quite surprised!

Thought Virgin were good but my recent experience of their platform staff and ticket offices suggests otherwise...

 

[bb21]

Virgin (West Coast) ticket office have some of the best staff I have ever encountered, and some of the absolute worst by a country mile.