Can't travel on set route - diversion?

[oversteer]

A relative has a Tring to Southampton Central route Via Kensington Olympia and wants to travel today.

There are no Southern trains between Milton Keynes and Clapham today due to engineering works, and no Overground trains between Watford and Queens Park.

London Midland have said they will accept tickets to Euston, but in this instance is it acceptable to travel via Waterloo ? Or do they have to go to Victoria then CLJ?

Half tempted to pay for the excess to via London to save any potential hassle..

 

[30907]

There are two different routings according to BRfares.com:

http://www.brfares.com/#!fares?orig=TRI&dest=SOU

Route Ken Olympia is valid on any operator (in fact, it's set by SWT)

Route Southern Only is valid like it says

It's therefore valid from Waterloo or Victoria

 

[oversteer]

Ok, what makes it valid from Waterloo? Just checking as I need to explain this to the relative who will need to explain it to a gate line assistant at Euston
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Just noticed Victoria to Clapham Junction is a bus service too! Nightmare.

 

[30907]

Because Waterloo is a station with trains to Southampton on which the ticket is valid - in fact it's the normal one to use.

The only time when you would be forced to use VIC is with a Southern Only ticket, because Southern do not operate from Waterloo.

(The tube at Euston has a common gateline BTW - I presume the ticket will not operate the barriers but SHOULD be accepted at the staffed gate without the traveller having to explain there are engineering works)

 

[oversteer]

SWT say we have to pay an excess to go via WAT
Southern say 'you have to travel via Kensington Olympia or buy another ticket'
LM say they are happy to convey us via Euston, so good for them.

A minefield!

 

[swt_passenger]

I'm surprised previous posts have suggested going via Waterloo. LM accepting travel into Euston doesn't in any way imply SWT will accept it out of Waterloo. The fact that SWT set the fare doesn't help make it valid via Waterloo either.

You need to stick to what the advice of the normal operators through Kenny O give you, i.e. SN or LO, it's not normally advised to make up your own alternative.

 

[MikeWh]

I'm surprised previous posts have suggested going via Waterloo. LM accepting travel into Euston doesn't in any way imply SWT will accept it out of Waterloo. The fact that SWT set the fare doesn't help make it valid via Waterloo either.

You need to stick to what the advice of the normal operators through Kenny O give you, i.e. SN or LO, it's not normally advised to make up your own alternative.

Whilst I agree with the advice to check the operators, I can't help thinking that SWT are shooting themselves in the foot if they say no. Nowhere in the thread does it say that the plan was to use the slow Southern service to Southampton. It does say that for this ticket the usual route between Clapham Junction and Southampton is via Woking. On this basis it would seem logical to allow travel via Euston/Waterloo, especially if Victoria is also affected by engineering works. I wonder if the SWT representative has assumed that travel was going to be by Southern only?

 

[oversteer]

In the end I considered either sending them to CLJ via Victoria (and the replacement bus service) or directly to Waterloo.
She is not a confident traveller so I suggested the Waterloo route that she should explain the situation to any gate line staff and be prepared to pay an excess fare if there was any real demand for doing so, and the staff at WAT seemingly let her off the tube and onto a mainline service without issue!

 

[30907]

I am pleased, and would have been disappointed if it had been otherwise, whatever the enquiries staff may have said.

The only justification for refusing travel via London Terminals IMO would have been if Southern had arranged alternative transport between Shepherd's Bush and an appropriate LM station (Harrow and W being the nearest on the normal Sunday timetable) - I assume they didn't think it worth while (can't check the notices as they've been deleted from websites).

 

[oversteer]

Here is the closure notice from Southern:
http://www.southernrailway.com/southern/news/important-information-for-sunday-9th-march/
I believe it is not very well worded especially for those travelling between Watford Junction and Clapham Junction.

 

[30907]

But clear enough to confirm that cross London by tube was the intended alternative .