Free First Capital Connect tickets

[IanD]

Well, I think I'll write Hunstanton on one of them and see what happens! No great shakes if its refused on the bus. I can either stay in Kings Lynn or pay for the bus.

Did you manage to get the bus to Hunstanton with this ticket??

 

[trc666]

I got mine a couple of weeks back, gave one to a mate of mine a week ago as she's going up to Ely, and I used one myself yesterday to do Farringdon to Brighton.

 

[robertbishop]

Are the tickets transferable? If not then if I give one of the tickets to someone I am travelling with instead of them buying a ticket for themselves, will the guard be suspicious of the consecutive numbers at the top of the tickets? Would they look?

 

[transportphoto]

Are the tickets transferable? If not then if I give one of the tickets to someone I am travelling with instead of them buying a ticket for themselves, will the guard be suspicious of the consecutive numbers at the top of the tickets? Would they look?

In the unlikely, but not impossible, event that you get inspected onboard, this will be by Revenue Protection Inspectors, FCC services do not have guards; in most cases the only member of staff onboard, is the driver.

There is nothing preventing you from giving a ticket to a friend, you could easily argue that you initially applied for the tickets with the intent to give one to a friend, thus, it hasn't been transferred. And to be honest, I don't think an RPI will pay that much attention, I have been through multiple sets of barriers flashing one of these, it could have been blank! (it was filled in though! - Please do not travel without a validated ticket!)

TP

 

[Brucey]

Are the tickets transferable? If not then if I give one of the tickets to someone I am travelling with instead of them buying a ticket for themselves, will the guard be suspicious of the consecutive numbers at the top of the tickets? Would they look?

On Twitter, FCC were actually suggesting that people give these to their friends if they couldn't use it themselves.

 

[bnm]

Did you manage to get the bus to Hunstanton with this ticket??

I stopped in Kings Lynn instead. The ale in the Wetherspoons was rather good so decided against hopping on the bus!

 

[jon0844]

When I got my tickets for my season ticket (ironically, not the scratch cards the letter mentioned, but that's irrelevant as the wording WAS for the scratchcards) it clearly said they could be given away.

The scratchcards were originally for giving out to season ticket holders (annual) but were given in the promotion as they expired at the end of 2011.

 

[extendedpaul]

I've just discovered there is one return FCC service each weekday between Rochester and Bedford. I see no reason why my free tickets would not be valid on these trains - would anyone know ? FCC acknowledged a previous enquiry about crossing London at the weekend but have not replied after two weeks so it seems pointless to ask them !.

Not had a single ticket check on any of the FCC trains I've used so far with these tickets - I know some are DOO but even to Kings Lynn and Peterborough nobody came through.

 

[Bungle73]

I had a ticket check on the train to Ely the other week, but that's all.

I sometimes see the FCC train standing at Rochester in the evening when I'm on my way from a day out in London.

 

[causton]

Not had a single ticket check on any of the FCC trains I've used so far with these tickets - I know some are DOO but even to Kings Lynn and Peterborough nobody came through.

They are all DOO. The only people 'coming through' would be a group of RPIs - most commonly found just after leaving Finsbury Park in my experience!

 

[Bungle73]

Actually I just looked up the Rochester<>Bedford service and NRE says its a Southeastern service.

 

[bb21]

Actually I just looked up the Rochester<>Bedford service and NRE says its a Southeastern service.

It is a SET/FCC joint service and according to some sources changes operator somewhere along the Thameslink core.

Although one may argue that the service was operated by FCC when they started their southbound journey at, for example, St Albans, it is definitely an SET service from Rochester. Can the free ticket be used on it? No idea.

 

[extendedpaul]

Actually I just looked up the Rochester<>Bedford service and NRE says its a Southeastern service.

Most FCC services south of the river are shown on NRE as Southeastern. That confused me when I first tried to use the journey planner advance search facility to identify where I could go with my free tickets. I've just looked up the return trip -17.14 from St Pancras- and that is shown as a FCC service but the up journey at 07.28 is as you say Southeastern which is really odd.

I'm curious why FCC run one through journey each weekday between Rochester and Bedford. The carriages are usually on the spare platform at Rochester all evening. Presumably it is DOO with a Southeastern driver part of the way.

I think I will take my chances and use it on my next trip as a return from my local station (Rainham) to Rochester is under half what I've been paying up to Swanley. If I miss the 17.14 from St Pancras coming home I can catch a later train to Swanley and then buy a single from there to Rochester.

 

[district]

Morning guys,


Ashford International has 2 services a day which are timetabled to run by SET but have FCC livery. The average passenger would believe that it was a FCC service.

It runs a FCC route as well, 0544 Ashford International to Bedford 0834, and then in the evening 1636 Bedford to Ashford International 1932.

I spoke to a FCC driver who informed me that a SET to FCC (or vica versa) driver change occurs at some point during the route, so in essence it is a joint TOC service.

So, would I be able to use a FCC only complimentary ticket on this service as I suppose it turns into a FCC train at some stage, or am I (and the driver) wrong?

Can someone shed some light?



District

 

[jon0844]

They'd have to be incredibly nasty and vindictive to try and do you - especially when the route is shown on the FCC route map without any notes or disclaimers (but some trains will have a SouthEastern route map too - which you might justifiably ignore if you boarded a FCC train, and vice versa).

I think the simple answer is that they'd accept tickets for both FCC and SET (if they did any similar deal) and I'd like to think that even with the many stupid things FCC has done recently, they'd go along with that way of thinking.

The RPIs on the other hand? Well, that's a gamble. There are mostly good ones, but some, frankly, terrible ones.

 

[323235]

I'm curious why FCC run one through journey each weekday between Rochester and Bedford. The carriages are usually on the spare platform at Rochester all evening. Presumably it is DOO with a Southeastern driver part of the way.

I got one of the evening FCC/SET Rochester service between Longfield and Rochester in the Summer and I was ticket checked by the Southeastern guard, although it wasn't really a ticket check more of a

Me - about to pull my ticket out
Guard - "oh you've got one that will do me"
Guard walks off to chat up a female rail worker.

 

[extendedpaul]

I've just had a reply from FCC to my enquiry about weekend travel across London with the free tickets. It says they are only valid between Blackfriars and Bedford, ie not south of the river at all. Doesn't mention weekends or any other routes so not at all helpful.

I'm going to catch the FCC train from Rochester next week and see if I get challenged. After all a lot of these free tickets must have gone to subscribers to Martin Lewis's Money Saving Expert site, most of whom would think a FCC train is a FCC train and have no knowledge of shared routes.

 

[jon0844]

Well, I used two of these tickets to get from Hatfield to Gatwick Airport two weeks ago and had no problems.

I already had a Z1-6 Travelcard but it was easier to just use one of the scratchcards, and my wife had no ticket at all - so got the full benefit of a peak rate journey that saw us change at King's Cross to St Pancras. The ticket wasn't shown at Hatfield (too early) but got us through KGX/STP and out at Gatwick without issue (shown to Southern RPIs).

I do think FCC is showing itself to be very clueless these days. What the hell has happened to them? It must be very frustrating to the many members of staff, including those on here, who work so hard and actually know what they're talking about.

As far as I am concerned, if FCC has any arrangement with TfL for alternative travel through the weekend shutdown, these scratchcards will be valid. Likewise my complimentary passes. And why would they expect otherwise? The scratchcard becomes a normal ticket once you've scratched off the date and written in the start/end.

 

[extendedpaul]

When I first applied for the free tickets I had to nominate a start and end station. I put Swanley and Kings Lynn. At the time I expected 5 tickets between those two stations but then somebody on here suggested they would be scratch cards which they were and very nice too.

I can accept they may not be valid between Rochester and Swanley but not the restrictions now being suggested. If Mr and Mrs Average set out to travel from say Bromley South to Cambridge on a Saturday and were expected to pay tube fares across London there could be some very bad media publicity.

Megatrain was slated on The One Show just for enforcing rules which are very clearly set out and they backed down over someone alighting at Clapham Junction instead of Waterloo. FCC's position on this is much weaker IMO.

"Mr and Mrs A got on a train like this at Rochester using FCC tickets. It looks like a FCC train from the outside. It does from the inside too. But apparently it's really a Southeastern train in disguise and they were told their tickets were invalid...."

 

[jon0844]

When I was at Gatwick, they did announce an incoming FCC service to Brighton (a FCC liveried 319) as a First Great Western service to Brighton!

 

[Deerfold]

I've just had a reply from FCC to my enquiry about weekend travel across London with the free tickets. It says they are only valid between Blackfriars and Bedford, ie not south of the river at all. Doesn't mention weekends or any other routes so not at all helpful.

How odd - there's nothing on the ticket to suggest this. I've used two so far - one to Cambridge and one to Brighton with no one who checked the tickets having any problem with the (FCC guard on way to Brighton and staff at Brighton and Cambrdige Stations).

 

[Bungle73]

How odd - there's nothing on the ticket to suggest this. I've used two so far - one to Cambridge and one to Brighton with no one who checked the tickets having any problem with the (FCC guard on way to Brighton and staff at Brighton and Cambrdige Stations).

He meant to Sevenoaks.

 

[transportphoto]

In regards to the LUL between Kings Cross / St Pancras and London Bridge at weekends - just wave the ticket at the barrier attendant and say 'Thameslink's shut' they'll let you through

I done this today and two weeks ago (3 journeys on LUL - I used the bus for one leg as tube was crowd controlled)

TP

 

[Bungle73]

So did you all use all your tickets? I have one left, that I didn't get to use.

I used mine to go to Brighton, Ely, Peterborough and Stamford (paying the extra from PBO).

 

[jon0844]

I have two left!

 

[Brucey]

I received five and my dad also received five. I live in Bedfordshire, my parents down in Hampshire so they were very handy for both of us travelling to/from my place and home.

I made the following journeys:
Bedford to St Pancras (return) x4
Bedford to Gatwick Airport (single)

Dad made the following journeys:
Bedford to St Pancras (single)
Bedford to St Pancras (return)
St Pancras to Bedford (single)
Kings Cross to Peterborough (return)

Assuming all journeys were made off-peak, we saved £182.70 between us.

 

[Bungle73]

All my journeys were made from St. Pancras/King's Cross (but I had to pay to get from here to there first).

 

[Class377/5]

Ashford International has 2 services a day which are timetabled to run by SET but have FCC livery. The average passenger would believe that it was a FCC service.

It runs a FCC route as well, 0544 Ashford International to Bedford 0834, and then in the evening 1636 Bedford to Ashford International 1932.

I spoke to a FCC driver who informed me that a SET to FCC (or vica versa) driver change occurs at some point during the route, so in essence it is a joint TOC service.

So, would I be able to use a FCC only complimentary ticket on this service as I suppose it turns into a FCC train at some stage, or am I (and the driver) wrong?

Can someone shed some light?

District

Yes I can. Before Blackfriars bays it used to terimate in the bays there. As the bays closed they linked it up to provide a through train. However it's not a through train in a sense. If you ticket is point to point then it's fine.

FCC staff can't even use the train from Blackfriars to Elephant & Castle, if they were asked they'd have to buy a ticket to use the train. Once the doors on at Blackfriars then the train is fully on hire to SE and nothing more to do with FCC until it returns the next day.

Most FCC services south of the river are shown on NRE as Southeastern. That confused me when I first tried to use the journey planner advance search facility to identify where I could go with my free tickets. I've just looked up the return trip -17.14 from St Pancras- and that is shown as a FCC service but the up journey at 07.28 is as you say Southeastern which is really odd.

I'm curious why FCC run one through journey each weekday between Rochester and Bedford. The carriages are usually on the spare platform at Rochester all evening. Presumably it is DOO with a Southeastern driver part of the way.

I think I will take my chances and use it on my next trip as a return from my local station (Rainham) to Rochester is under half what I've been paying up to Swanley. If I miss the 17.14 from St Pancras coming home I can catch a later train to Swanley and then buy a single from there to Rochester.

Er it's not spare at Rochester at all. Prior to the Decemeber timetable change it terminated at Rochester then went empties to Victoria and formed a Victoria - Ashford International service. As of Dec 2011, it forms a passenger service from Rochester - Victoria. It has never spent all evening at Richester unless faulty.

As for DOO, only if the guard misses the train (has happened a few times).

If your ticket is FCC only it is not valid south of Blackfriars expect for Brighton and Sutton services only. Tickets not valid include services to the Sevenoaks service, Kent House, Orpington and Beckenham Junction service.

One of the reason why you FCC only tickets are not valid on these trains is fact FCC receives no money for tickets past Blackfriars to the Southeastern destinations.

 

[transportphoto]

I used four of the five, the other one was used by a relative

Two Cambridge to Brighton, one Cambridge to Bedford and one Cambridge to East Croydon

 

[parkender102]

I used 4 of the 5 - all Kings Cross to Cambridge return - and a wonderful time I had in Cambridge too! Was hoping to use the 5th during the last week before Christmas but had to go Christmas Shopping on Oxford Street instead