Didcot to Margate via HS1

[Royston Vasey]

Hi All

I need to make this trip for business on 17th March, out and back on the same day leaving arriving by 9.30am. When looking at times for Didcot to Margate on National Rail Enquiries, I am given options only via St Pancras. On SouthEastern's own mixing deck, I am given only journies via Victoria! And the Train Line gives an outward journey on HS1 and return via Victoria. I'm really confused by the ticketing here!

I want to use HS1 both ways firstly because I want to go on HS1 for speed and because I've never done it (!) and secondly I need to join the train at Stratford having flown in from Amsterdam to City airport that morning! So the journies are in fact Didcot-Margate-Didcot and Stratford-Margate-Didcot.

Is there no Didcot to Margate via HS1 fare set? If so, should I:

- Buy two Anytime Returns Didcot to Margate (£63.30) and pay the supplement (if so, what is the supplement?) - I would join at Stratford.

TOTAL £127.20 + 2x SUPPLEMENT

OR

- Buy an Anytime Return Didcot to Margate (£63.30) and pay the supplement for my colleague AND a Stratford to Margate Anytime Single (£32.30) and Margate to Didcot Anytime Single (£46.10) for me.

TOTAL £142.00 + 1x SUPPLEMENT


Obviously the first option would both be simpler and probably cheaper, assuming the supplement isn't too great. Am I allowed to join the Didcot to Margate leg at Stratford?

Can anyone see any problem with this? Can I pay for the supplement in advance, or at St Pancras, or on the train?

 

[Mojo]

Didcot P/w to Margate is routed +ANY PERMITTED so no supplement is payable. £63.30 Anytime Day return is valid for break of journey so you may board at Stratford Int.

Make sure you leave enough time for the shuttle bus to the Int station as you can't walk there!

 

[clagmonster]

Your coleague would need to buy a day return Didcot-Margate for £63.30.
You should buy a day return Statford Int SE-Margate for £35, then buy an over-distance excess for the return portion, which would cost half the difference between the two fares, which would cost £14.15, giving you a total of £49.15.

 

[Royston Vasey]

Your coleague would need to buy a day return Didcot-Margate for £63.30.
You should buy a day return Statford Int SE-Margate for £35, then buy an over-distance excess for the return portion, which would cost half the difference between the two fares, which would cost £14.15, giving you a total of £49.15.

Ah, excellent. Can I do this in advance or would it need to be the SE guard or ticket office at Margate?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Didcot P/w to Margate is routed +ANY PERMITTED so no supplement is payable. £63.30 Anytime Day return is valid for break of journey so you may board at Stratford Int.

Make sure you leave enough time for the shuttle bus to the Int station as you can't walk there!

Thanks - how long does the shuttle take?

 

[clagmonster]

You can all of the tickets, including the excess, in advance from a staffed booking office. The Didcot-Margate and Stratford-Margate, but not the excess can be bought in advance over the internet. The excess I believe should be bought before boarding the train, although someone with access to the FRPP would be able to confirm that.

 

[yorkie]

The supplement only applies to tickets that are not valid on HS1.

If you exclude flows where HS1 is not a permitted route, then the only tickets that are not valid on HS1 are labelled "NOT HS1".

If a ticket is "Any Permitted" then it includes travel via HS1, if HS1 is a permitted route (so Didcot to Dover is valid, but Didcot to Brighton wouldn't be as it's off route).

It's the same as any other route, e.g. a York to Middlesbrough ticket is valid via the equally (when not making up time ) high speed ECML services changing at Darlington, unless the ticket is routed 'Not Darlington', so no need to use the slow lines on TPE But a ticket from Leeds to Middlesbrough doesn't have the Not Darlington option so all tickets are valid that way.

 

[Royston Vasey]

The supplement only applies to tickets that are not valid on HS1.

If you exclude flows where HS1 is not a permitted route, then the only tickets that are not valid on HS1 are labelled "NOT HS1".

If a ticket is "Any Permitted" then it includes travel via HS1, if HS1 is a permitted route (so Didcot to Dover is valid, but Didcot to Brighton wouldn't be as it's off route).

It's the same as any other route, e.g. a York to Middlesbrough ticket is valid via the equally (when not making up time ) high speed ECML services changing at Darlington, unless the ticket is routed 'Not Darlington', so no need to use the slow lines on TPE But a ticket from Leeds to Middlesbrough doesn't have the Not Darlington option so all tickets are valid that way.

That's very clear, thanks. I'd heard about supplements and assumed that this would apply to an Anytime ticket. I expected the tickets to specifically quote "+HS1" or similar wording in the route, rather than the onus being on the non-permitted tickets to specify NOT VALID.

To be fair to the Train Line, hovering over tickets from London (Any) to Margate the blurb did specify two separate Anytime Day Return tickets, which were "valid on all permitted routes including HS1" or "NOT valid on HS1", the difference being £4.90. However when hovering over Didcot to Margate tickets no such differentiation was made, which was why I thought there was no such ticket.

Interesting that South Eastern's own website gave no price nor option to use their High Speed services when trying to travel Didcot-Margate!