Doubling back - Winchester to Eastleigh via Southampton Parkway

[Fiyero]

I have been reading with interest the threads on here and hope someone might be able to help me. Several times a journey planner app has given me a route of Eastleigh to Winchester via Southampton Airport Parkway (or the reverse). I've never done it as I assumed I couldn't double back like that but would it be OK?

 

[PermitToTravel]

That's the quickest way once per hour because of the lack of calls at Eastleigh - if the journey planner says you can do it then feel free to. I can't imagine any staff having a problem with it

 

[Paul Kelly]

The doubleback adds less than 3 miles to the journey, so it should be fine under the 3 mile rule.

 

[PermitToTravel]

Heh, didn't realise the towns were that close

 

[Fiyero]

Thanks. The stations are rather close, it just seemed odd to go through the station I wanted then come back again! Might try it one day.

 

[yorkie]

... would it be OK?

If you book online and print the itinerary, even if it's not normally OK, you've formed a contract, so you don't need to delve any deeper. See Routes permitted by booking engines

(An extreme example - out of many I could use - occurred on Saturday 11 May 2013 when forum member ModernRailways was using a Baldock-North Sheen in accordance with the itinerary offered via Elgin, a Scotrail Guard incorrectly denied him the right to use the ticket, the Guard was given appropriate advice and the customer was given £150 compensation)

 

[PermitToTravel]

In 2012 you told me that that had been fixed when I wanted to use it!

 

[yorkie]

In 2012 you told me that that had been fixed when I wanted to use it!

Correction: I hadn't met you in 2012, that was in 2013!

 

[PermitToTravel]

I may be losing it

 

[Fiyero]

If you book online and print the itinerary, even if it's not normally OK, you've formed a contract, so you don't need to delve any deeper. See Routes permitted by booking engines

Thanks, I usually buy a ticket from the machine and check train times on an android app so no contractual link.

 

[yorkie]

Thanks, I usually buy a ticket from the machine and check train times on an android app so no contractual link.

Then it's a bit more important to check, though that can present its own problems and sometimes cause withdrawal of the routeing before you even have the chance to use it.

 

[PermitToTravel]

Although for the avoidance of doubt Winchester-Southampton Airport-Eastleigh is *not* a loophole it's a sensible route

 

[embers25]

If you book online and print the itinerary, even if it's not normally OK, you've formed a contract, so you don't need to delve any deeper. See Routes permitted by booking engines

(An extreme example - out of many I could use - occurred on Saturday 11 May 2013 when forum member ModernRailways was using a Baldock-North Sheen in accordance with the itinerary offered via Elgin, a Scotrail Guard incorrectly denied him the right to use the ticket, the Guard was given appropriate advice and the customer was given £150 compensation)

Damn and I thought my Rugby to Coventry trip via Brum-Newcastle-Edinburgh-Carlisle-Barrow-Preston-Brum was good...I bow to ModernRailways for his greater creativitity. It still made me laugh that only the first XC guard asked to see my itinerary. Everyone else accepted with no query.

 

[swt_passenger]

When I started this thread last July:

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=1861110#post1861110

...journey planners did not normally allow the double back via Southampton Parkway.

The journey I was discussing then was Reading to Eastleigh, for which the fastest route is to use XC as far as Parkway and come back on the SWT train to Chandlers Ford and Romsey.

According to the above discussion, Reading to Eastleigh (or Basingstoke to Eastleigh) shouldn't require two tickets if doubling back, but I've just checked NRES and it still does. Can anyone explain why this only seems to work if you start/finish at Winchester?

 

[Merseysider]

When I started this thread last July:

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?p=1861110#post1861110

...journey planners did not normally allow the double back via Southampton Parkway.

The journey I was discussing then was Reading to Eastleigh, for which the fastest route is to use XC as far as Parkway and come back on the SWT train to Chandlers Ford and Romsey.

According to the above discussion, Reading to Eastleigh (or Basingstoke to Eastleigh) shouldn't require two tickets if doubling back, but I've just checked NRES and it still does. Can anyone explain why this only seems to work if you start/finish at Winchester?

Quite possibly a local easement, I can't see one for the specific stations but there are several "stations west of..." and "journeys to Winchester and beyond" easements allowing doubleback.

 

[Fiyero]

I tried it today on my return to Eastleigh from Winchester. The ticket wouldn't let me in the barrier but the security man checked the ticket and let me through, no guard checks on my short journeys though. Had the national rail enquires app screen on my phone in case they asked to see it.

 

[Merseysider]

Does the fact that travel via S Airport Parkway is within 3 miles of the shortest route allow it unequivocally despite the doubleback?

Or would a doubleback normally be forbidden even though it's less than 3 miles longer than the shortest route?

 

[PermitToTravel]

I seem to recall that the rule is that you can have sub-3-mile double backs on your way to a routeing point as long as it's not a common routeing point with your destination.

With regards to Reading, perhaps the journey planners think there's a shorter route from Reading to Airport than there actually is, using up some of this 3 mile allowance?

 

[swt_passenger]

I tried it today on my return to Eastleigh from Winchester. The ticket wouldn't let me in the barrier but the security man checked the ticket and let me through, no guard checks on my short journeys though. Had the national rail enquires app screen on my phone in case they asked to see it.

Don't quite see the relevance here, Winchester is the only station of the three with barriers, so as long as your ticket is from Winchester it should let you in?