Buying Boundary Zone tickets online

[ji459]

Is there a website or app that sells Boundary Zone tickets?

 

[yorkie]

No. But some ticket machines sell them (most GTR machines do, I believe)

 

[Paul Kelly]

Possibly also worth nothing that although GWR has installed some new ticket machines at Paddington that allow purchase of tickets starting at another station, the various Boundary Zone origins are not available to select as the "other station" as they are on the Govia Thameslink Railway machines.

 

[Hadders]

I tried to buy a Boundary Zone ticket from a GN TVM at Stevenage on Friday.

The option to purchase tickets from another station is still on the TVMs but 'Boundary Zone' origins have gone! They certainly used to be there.

Not sure if this is just a Stevenage issue or more widespread. Seems about right for GTR though...

 

[fandroid]

I regularly buy one from the Kings Cross GN machines (well, the left-most one just outside the 'suburban' gateline). I am fairly sure that all the machines on Overground-run stations sell boundary zone tickets too.

Oh! When oh when are we going to get an online ticket seller that sells ALL valid tickets? Does anyone know why most sell 99% but cannot just manage the last 1%? If there was one they would capture many of the knowledgeable buyers, who probably also equate with frequent train users (beyond the season ticket customer base).

 

[island]

Boundary tickets confuse the journey planners which need to sell a ticket based on an actual station to another actual station.

 

[adrock1976]

Boundary tickets confuse the journey planners which need to sell a ticket based on an actual station to another actual station.

Being as you can purchase London Zones 1 - 6 Day Travelcards by specifying any station within the zones (except a terminal) in the "From" field, and by entering "0035" in the "To" field, it is a simple and straightforward process.

Perhaps the system could be set up so as there could be a "0099" for BZ6 (if that code does not already exist elsewhere, or whatever the existing code is - this is just an arbitrary example) entered in the "From" field to the destination station entered in the "To" field?

 

[Hadders]

Perhaps the system could be set up so as there could be a "0099" for BZ6 (if that code does not already exist elsewhere, or whatever the existing code is - this is just an arbitrary example) entered in the "From" field to the destination station entered in the "To" field?

Boundary Zone 6 is 0072

 

[Gerald Fiennes]

Thanks, do you know what the code for Boundary Zone 2 is? In my experience, practically all GTR and LOROL machines do boundary tickets but none elsewhere. I am debating the point with GWR, given that they could afford such flash new touch screens in the Paddington refurbishment but I expect it's the usual worry about revenue protection at work....

 

[SickyNicky]

Oh! When oh when are we going to get an online ticket seller that sells ALL valid tickets? Does anyone know why most sell 99% but cannot just manage the last 1%? If there was one they would capture many of the knowledgeable buyers, who probably also equate with frequent train users (beyond the season ticket customer base).

We're not going to any time soon. Many of the more obscure tickets, such as Boundary Zone ones, are not available for collection using ToD. So we can't sell them online unless we're posting them rather than them being collected from machines. Same applies to most rover tickets.

 

[crehld]

Boundary tickets confuse the journey planners which need to sell a ticket based on an actual station to another actual station.

Bit of a silly excuse really, and doesn't really have any bearing in reality either. Indeed, I can buy day travelcards online without specifying a specific station, and the GWR website will happily sell me a wide range of rovers and rangers. Journey planners cope perfectly well with the first situation, and don't need to be involved at all in the second.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

We're not going to any time soon. Many of the more obscure tickets, such as Boundary Zone ones, are not available for collection using ToD. So we can't sell them online unless we're posting them rather than them being collected from machines. Same applies to most rover tickets.

Not being able to issue certain tickets TOD is certainly not an insurmountable issue to resolve (especially given many TVMs will happily sell you a boundary zone ticket is buying directly from them). One would assume it's something a modern, innovative and customer-facing industry should have no trouble with whatsoever.

 

[talldave]

......Not being able to issue certain tickets TOD is certainly not an insurmountable issue to resolve (especially given many TVMs will happily sell you a boundary zone ticket is buying directly from them). One would assume it's something a modern, innovative and customer-facing industry should have no trouble with whatsoever.

So no chance on the railways then !

 

[47513 Severn]

I tried to buy a Boundary Zone ticket from a GN TVM at Stevenage on Friday.

The option to purchase tickets from another station is still on the TVMs but 'Boundary Zone' origins have gone! They certainly used to be there.

Not sure if this is just a Stevenage issue or more widespread. Seems about right for GTR though...

The two machines adjacent to the platform 9-11 gateline at King's Cross still offer boundary tickets on the first page that comes up after you select 'Tickets from another station'. Those are the machines that always did when the other FCC/GTR machines didn't though. The others may have been updated since the option was enabled.

 

[puffing billy]

I think this is the correct thread for an issue I'm bound to encounter one day: Most weekends I use my 60+ Oyster card in conjunction with a "Z6B to destination" ticket for journeys from London to various destinations in the south-east. My nearest station (in zone 3) hasn't got a ticket-office and the SWT ticket machines there don't offer Z6B as a valid starting-point [at least I can't find the option] so I normally walk to a slightly further station (also in zone-3) that has got a ticket-office and buy a Z6B to "xxx" ticket from there. Last weekend I left earlier than usual and the ticket office was closed. This wasn't a problem as my journey involved a change at CLJ and I had time to exit via the barriers and buy the correct ticket for my destination from there. What would happen if I didn't get an opportunity to buy a ticket? - obviously seek out the guard on the train and buy a ticket from him/her; but a).can they sell a Z6B to "xxx" ticket; b).is the fact a working ticket machine doesn't sell the exact ticket that I want a valid reason for getting on a train without the correct ticket?

 

[yorkie]

What would happen if I didn't get an opportunity to buy a ticket?

You buy at the first opportunity, which may be at the destination.

- obviously seek out the guard on the train and buy a ticket from him/her; but a).can they sell a Z6B to "xxx" ticket;

No need to seek the Guard (and if it's an SWT inner suburban train, that won't do much good as they tend to be non-commercial, and GTR trains may not have a Guard) but if a Guard is able to sell tickets, they can sell tickets from "Boundary Zone 6".

b).is the fact a working ticket machine doesn't sell the exact ticket that I want a valid reason for getting on a train without the correct ticket?

If there is a ticket issuing facility at the origin, which accepts your chosen payment method, and it does not sell the ticket you want, you must buy a ticket part-way and then exchange/excess it at the first opportunity (NRCoC 3; note some Train Companies waive this condition). In your case, arguably you are already in possession of such a ticket, so you are already complying with Condition 3, in my opinion.

 

[gray1404]

I can buy day travelcards online without specifying a specific station.

From which site please?

 

[island]

For what it's worth, on most SWT-priced flows the boundary zone X fares are the same as the fare from the last station in zone X. As the latter are available on most SWT machines this may be an easier option for you.

I'm offering this in the interest of a quieter life and/or an easier process. It is not to say that you should (or are required to) purchase a ticket from a named station, not least because it may restrict your route options in certain circumstances.

 

[fandroid]

I can confirm that SWT seem happy with tickets from Surbiton to an outer destination combined with a zones 1-6 travelcard on trains that don't stop there. I have done this combination and had them accepted on the train at least twice.

 

[ji459]

Thank you for the replies.

 

[Richard_Weber]

I recently asked an on-board Thameslink Great Northern train guard who was checking tickets how I could be able to buy a Cambridge to Boundary Zone 6 ticket from a ticket machine and visa versa, in cases that the ticket machine does not offer BZ6. He told me that I should substitute Hadley Wood for Boundary Zone 6, and that this would be accepted. He said I should use my Freedom Pass to go through the ticket gates at the London end. This sounds brilliant if it works. I will attempt it the next time I need such a ticket.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[maniacmartin]

Too bad if you wanted to return on the train from Liverpool St I suppose

 

[puffing billy]

Possibly also worth nothing that although GWR has installed some new ticket machines at Paddington that allow purchase of tickets starting at another station, the various Boundary Zone origins are not available to select as the "other station" as they are on the Govia Thameslink Railway machines.

If it helps anyone, as I discovered yesterday, the "flash" new ticket machines along the wall of the (relatively) new ticket office at Paddington DO allow Z1-Zn, up to Z6 in the "other station" selection. Very useful. Thank-you GWR.

 

[ashworth]

Last summer I was in London for a week using a 7 Day Travelcard for Zones 1-4. On 3 of the days I did trips out to Colchester, Southend and Chelmsford and had no problem getting Off Peak Day Returns from Boundary Zone 4 at Hampstead Heath Overground Station. The staff there were very helpful and on the final trip, when there was a queue, I got the ticket easily from the machine there. It was great to get the ticket there and then just change trains at Stratford without having to get any other tickets.