Cambridge to Llanelli fare anomaly?

[GlennV]

Travelling on a weekday, leaving Cambridge at 8.54 arriving at Llanelli at 14.15, returning in the evening, doesn't qualify as off peak on national rail enquiries (or trainline, or the gwr site) and so costs £313. The journey includes the 10.45 from Paddington to Swansea and then a local train from Swansea to Llanelli. The earlier and later suggested journeys, which involve changing at Newport, qualify as super off peak and cost £99.50. According to raileasy the £99.50 also applies to the 8.54 journey. Can anyone explain why the 8.54 journey might be more expensive? Bizarrely, a return ticket from Cambridge to Swansea, travelling on the same 10.45 from Paddington to Swansea does qualify as super off peak, and costs £99.40 - the local train to Llanelli then costs another £6.20. All fares are for a single adult, no railcards. Thanks!

 

[greatkingrat]

The restriction code for the Super Off Peak Return Cambridge - Llanelli is YN.

As well as the restrictions leaving Paddington, code YN also says:
Restriction codes CI / CJ apply to all journeys via London St Pancras International.

Code CI - Not valid on trains timed to arrive: London St Pancras International after 04:29 and before 11:26;

So if the first leg of the journey is on a Thameslink train to St Pancras, it will only offer the Anytime fare, but if it uses a Great Northern train to Kings Cross, that is fine as there is no restriction at Kings Cross.

I believe these restrictions are intended to stop use on the High Speed services to St Pancras, not the normal Thameslink services, I think this is an unintended consequence since the Cambridge trains started running through the Thameslink core.

 

[Gareth Marston]

STAR allows you use Thameslink via Faringdon passing through St Pancras on the Super Off Peak fare using the 0854 from Cambridge.

 

[GlennV]

The restriction code for the Super Off Peak Return Cambridge - Llanelli is YN.

As well as the restrictions leaving Paddington, code YN also says:
Restriction codes CI / CJ apply to all journeys via London St Pancras International.

Code CI - Not valid on trains timed to arrive: London St Pancras International after 04:29 and before 11:26;

So if the first leg of the journey is on a Thameslink train to St Pancras, it will only offer the Anytime fare, but if it uses a Great Northern train to Kings Cross, that is fine as there is no restriction at Kings Cross.

I believe these restrictions are intended to stop use on the High Speed services to St Pancras, not the normal Thameslink services, I think this is an unintended consequence since the Cambridge trains started running through the Thameslink core.

Thanks for that. However, the restriction code for the Super Off Peak Return Cambridge - Swansea is YW, which also includes the CI restriction. Yet nationrail does allow you to buy a Super Off Peak through St Pancras changing at Farringdon for Swansea but not for Llanelli.

 

[greatkingrat]

Seems to be down to the way the restriction codes have been implemented in the fares data

Code YN: Not valid to arrive LONDON ST PANCRAS 0230–1125 on any TOC
Code YW: Not valid to arrive LONDON ST PANCRAS 0230–1125 on EAST MIDLANDS TRAINS