Crewkerne - Newcastle is this a Permitted Route?

[Pauldubs]

I’m travelling to from Crewkerne to Newcastle on Sunday 12th May, with a Super Off-peak Single route any permitted.

As it can sometimes be difficult to park at Crewkerne, I may have to drive to Yeovil Junction to park.

I’m intending to catch the 09:20 to connect with the 13:00 from Kings Cross

I see there’s a 09:47 from Yeovil Junction to Castle Cary which connects into a Paddington train, which would also allow me to make the connection.

Is Crewkerne - Newcastle via Castle Cary a permitted route?

Many thanks
Paul

 

[island]

The only appropriate routeing point for a journey from Crewkerne to Newcastle is Salisbury. (Exeter group fails the fares check.) Your route must therefore travel via Salisbury. Your proposed journey does not do so and is as such invalid. It is also not the shortest route, which avoids London.

That being said, it would probably have come under "reasonable routes" back in the day and I think it's likely GWR staff would pass it.

 

[yorkie]

I’m travelling to from Crewkerne to Newcastle on Sunday 12th May, with a Super Off-peak Single route any permitted.

As it can sometimes be difficult to park at Crewkerne, I may have to drive to Yeovil Junction to park.

I’m intending to catch the 09:20 to connect with the 13:00 from Kings Cross

I see there’s a 09:47 from Yeovil Junction to Castle Cary which connects into a Paddington train, which would also allow me to make the connection.

Is Crewkerne - Newcastle via Castle Cary a permitted route?

Yes, but only if you go via Bristol

The only appropriate routeing point for a journey from Crewkerne to Newcastle is Salisbury. (Exeter group fails the fares check.) Your route must therefore travel via Salisbury. Your proposed journey does not do so and is as such invalid. It is also not the shortest route, which avoids London.

That being said, it would probably have come under "reasonable routes" back in the day and I think it's likely GWR staff would pass it.

According to the system I am using, Exeter Group does pass the fares check

Edit: RP Calc agrees

St James Park Exeter (EXETER GROUP)

SJP (G12)

Allowed by route match at NFM64: SOS from SJP to NCL on route 00700: £66.80 is NOT more expensive than SOS from CKN to NCL on route 00700: £73.00.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Obviously St James Park is valid for Newcastle since 1880 but I thought this was a rail forum?

 

[Royston Vasey]

The only appropriate routeing point for a journey from Crewkerne to Newcastle is Salisbury. (Exeter group fails the fares check.) Your route must therefore travel via Salisbury. Your proposed journey does not do so and is as such invalid. It is also not the shortest route, which avoids London.

That being said, it would probably have come under "reasonable routes" back in the day and I think it's likely GWR staff would pass it.

Are you sure? Adding via Paddington into NRE provides multiple itinerary options via Exeter and Castle Cary at the same £116.80 Super Off Peak Return price as via Waterloo. Even though this is a diversion of over 50 minutes in the "wrong" direction!

Trainsplit, Trainline and LNER will offer the £116.80 with an itinerary via Exeter and Castle Cary, but importantly, not via Yeovil. The ticket allows break of journey.

Which seems counterintuitive as going back to Exeter is much further in the wrong direction.

I guess the OP wants the option to park at either station and use the same ticket, and this is not possible with that ticket.

There is a Crewkerne to Castle Cary via Yeovil single that can be combined with Castle Cary to Newbury and Newbury to Newcastle super off-peak singles.

This is what I would book and it gives the flexibility of starting point the OP requires (but limits them to travel via Paddington and not Waterloo). Total is £127.50.

 

[island]

According to the system I am using, Exeter Group does pass the fares check

Edit: RP Calc agrees

You're using the wrong route. Route 00700 is Not Via London and the passenger is travelling via London.

Even if Exeter Group were a valid routeing point, the ticket held is still not valid for travel between Yeovil and Castle Cary.

 

[Haywain]

You're using the wrong route. Route 00700 is Not Via London and the passenger is travelling via London.

The enquiry @yorkie used was for route 00000 Any Permitted. It's only the response that references route 00700. However, as you say, it doesn't allow Yeovil to Castle Cary (although that seems slightly odd in the circumstances).

 

[Pauldubs]

Thanks for the replies - I think I’ll abandon the idea of going via Castle Cary and check out how full Crewkerne station car park is on Saturday evening if full I’ll drive straight to Yeovil Junction on Sunday morning as there’s always spaces there.

 

[tspaul26]

You're using the wrong route. Route 00700 is Not Via London and the passenger is travelling via London.

Where is this set out in the Routeing Guide?

Even if Exeter Group were a valid routeing point, the ticket held is still not valid for travel between Yeovil and Castle Cary.

This is sufficient to deal with the matter i.e. if there are no mapped routes between Yeovil and Castle Cary using Exeter as an origin routeing point then an additional fare should be paid for this stretch in any event.

 

[JB_B]

You're using the wrong route. Route 00700 is Not Via London and the passenger is travelling via London.

Even if Exeter Group were a valid routeing point, the ticket held is still not valid for travel between Yeovil and Castle Cary.

The fares check isn't possible using route 00000 so planners will fall back to 00700 where a route-consistent, ticket-type consistent ( but not route-matched ) check is possible. I agree with rp_calc's result.

The OP's problem is that there's no mapped route via Yeovil Pen Mill and Castle Cary. It's absurd as the ticket is valid via Exeter and Castle Cary. In practice the ticket is unlikely to be challenged.

 

[randyrippley]

If I were based at Chard as the OP seems to be, I'd probably be looking at driving to Taunton, not Yeovil and catching a train there, either via London or Birmingham

 

[Watershed]

The OP's problem is that there's no mapped route via Yeovil Pen Mill and Castle Cary. It's absurd as the ticket is valid via Exeter and Castle Cary.

Indeed. It's particularly strange when you consider the fact that GWR services are diverted via Yeovil reasonably frequently, and that SWR now runs direct Yeovil-London trains via Castle Cary.

In practice the ticket is unlikely to be challenged.

I would concur. It's hardly as if Yeovil-Castle Cary, being part of the slow and infrequent Heart of Wessex line, is a line where the fares are expensive and there could be a suggestion the OP is undercutting an intermediate fare. It also passes the "reasonable route" smell test, which - despite the Routeing Guide having been introduced nearly 30 years ago - is still the determining factor in practice.

 

[Royston Vasey]

Thanks for the replies - I think I’ll abandon the idea of going via Castle Cary and check out how full Crewkerne station car park is on Saturday evening if full I’ll drive straight to Yeovil Junction on Sunday morning as there’s always spaces there.

The tickets discussed here are walk-up tickets, so you can always decide on the day!

As you seem to already hold the Super Off Peak Single from Crewkerne to Newcastle (and seat reservations?) the pragmatic option if you can't park, is to drive to Yeovil Jn, buy an Anytime Day Single to Castle Cary for £8.80 and resume the validity of the Crewkerne-Newcastle at Castle Cary.

 

[Haywain]

As you seem to already hold the Super Off Peak Single from Crewkerne to Newcastle (and seat reservations?) the pragmatic option if you can't park, is to drive to Yeovil Jn, buy an Anytime Day Single to Castle Cary for £8.80 and resume the validity of the Crewkerne-Newcastle at Castle Cary.

I'd be inclined to just ask the guard if it's OK to use that train with that ticket.