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GN services transferring to Thameslink - Ticketing

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crazystripe

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With the transfer of certain Great Northern services from KX into the Thameslink Core from May onwards, has there been any discussion around how best to benefit from the additional destination options from a ticketing perspective?

For example, a good majority of GN customers are probably season ticket holders, with a "London Terminals" destination. I would assume this would remain valid to St Pancras Thameslink from May onwards?

However, from May, there may be some occasions where an extension to Farringdon, City Thameslink or London Bridge (or even beyond) might be helpful, but not every day. I'm assuming a "Thameslink" season ticket will be an option, but this will cost more, and wouldn't be necessary for most days' travel requirements.

So for those few longer trips that a season ticket holder might wish to make, other than queuing that morning to buy a separate ticket covering the portion of the journey from St Pancras to Farringdon, do we foresee any more "convenient" ways for people to extend their journey without queuing for a paper ticket each time? I struggle to see a better way, since trains themselves don't have a "tap in/tap out" option, so alighting at St Pancras, exiting the barriers via the paper season ticket, and then reentering via Contactless would seem to be the only alternative!
 
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NeroWolfe

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Generally, I would also be interested to know what the price of a peak Huntingdon to Farringdon direct ticket will be - compared to Huntingdon to Kings X then an Oyster tube fare onwards to Farringdon.
 

Envy123

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I heard that Leicester has (had?) a London Thameslink season ticket. If that's still the case, is it likely that Peterborough, Grantham, Newark...etc would also have such a ticket once GN services start going through the core? Or is it just wishful thinking?
 

Deerfold

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crazystripe

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Could always buy a ticket on your phone.

Apologies for my lack of knowledge on this, but how do you buy a ticket on the phone without needing to either have it delivered via post, or queuing to collect it from a selfservice machine at a station?
 

Envy123

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Hadders

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Tickets from GN Stations to Farringdon, City Thameslink, Blackfriars, London Bridge and Elephant & Castle have been available for years, routed ‘not underground’.
 

Deerfold

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Tickets from GN Stations to Farringdon, City Thameslink, Blackfriars, London Bridge and Elephant & Castle have been available for years, routed ‘not underground’.

There's a premium for these, whilst many Thameslink seasons are the same price to St Pancras or Thameslink.
 

Hadders

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There's a premium for these, whilst many Thameslink seasons are the same price to St Pancras or Thameslink.

Of course there’s a premium, this is the railway we’re talking about. I very much doubt you’ll be able to travel through the core without paying more than the current price to London Terminals.
 

Deerfold

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Of course there’s a premium, this is the railway we’re talking about. I very much doubt you’ll be able to travel through the core without paying more than the current price to London Terminals.

The point being that there isn't for those coming from St Albans or similar.
 

Starmill

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Generally, I would also be interested to know what the price of a peak Huntingdon to Farringdon direct ticket will be - compared to Huntingdon to Kings X then an Oyster tube fare onwards to Farringdon.
£47.70 for an Anytime Day Return.
 

Hadders

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The point being that there isn't for those coming from St Albans or similar.

Agreed and I do hope passengers won’t need to pay more.

The St Albans etc situation we still have today would’ve been set up in 1989 when through Thameslink services started. Presumably tickets to London BR were valid to St Pancras and Moorgate but I have no idea if a higher fare was introduced when Everything became London Thameslink.
 

yorkie

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Thank you.

Yeah, validity to King's Cross could be a major problem if such tickets existed. I just find it far more expensive just to get an extension to one stop. Yes, walking from King's Cross to Farringdon could be feasible but I can't see my relative doing that everyday.
No. The destination "London Thameslink" is providing additional validity on top of a normal "London Terminals" ticket.

A Bedford to London Thameslink fare is still valid into Euston for example!
 

bb21

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I can't see validity into King's Cross being withdrawn if a London Thameslink flow were to be created for GN stations. It'd be so ridiculous no one would even contemplate it.
 

kieron

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The point being that there isn't for those coming from St Albans or similar.
I'd expect prices for users of both branches to rise to pay something towards the billions of pounds which has been spent on the line in recent years. It does make sense for people who want to go between the Thameslink core and the ECML to pay more than those who are happy to use Kings Cross and Moorgate, given that some of the cost went into making that possible.

What doesn't make so much sense to me is the lack of tickets between Thameslink stations and Cambridge North.
 

Starmill

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I'd expect prices for users of both branches to rise to pay something towards the billions of pounds which has been spent on the line in recent years. It does make sense for people who want to go between the Thameslink core and the ECML to pay more than those who are happy to use Kings Cross and Moorgate, given that some of the cost went into making that possible.

What doesn't make so much sense to me is the lack of tickets between Thameslink stations and Cambridge North.
There isn't a reduced paper ticket price option to only go as far as King's Cross / St Pancras from stations Kentish town to Bedford inclusive though, with the possible minor exception of some EMT only fares.
 

Ianno87

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I'd expect prices for users of both branches to rise to pay something towards the billions of pounds which has been spent on the line in recent years. It does make sense for people who want to go between the Thameslink core and the ECML to pay more than those who are happy to use Kings Cross and Moorgate, given that some of the cost went into making that possible.

What doesn't make so much sense to me is the lack of tickets between Thameslink stations and Cambridge North.

There is currently an easement permitting all non-Advance to tickets to/from Cambridge also being valid at Cambridge North (and vice-versa). So you don't need specific Thameslink-Cambridge North tickets
 

kieron

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There isn't a reduced paper ticket price option to only go as far as King's Cross / St Pancras from stations Kentish town to Bedford inclusive though, with the possible minor exception of some EMT only fares.
And it costs less to buy a ticket from (say) Redhill to Blackfriars than to St Pancras. I'm struggling to see the logic of giving people going between Stevenage and Kings Cross a larger fare rise than those going through the Thameslink core when they'll benefit less from the changes.
There is currently an easement permitting all non-Advance to tickets to/from Cambridge also being valid at Cambridge North (and vice-versa). So you don't need specific Thameslink-Cambridge North tickets
Ticket sites don't sell tickets from Cambridge for journeys from Cambridge North, so it would be better if both stations had a full range of flexible tickets.
 
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