Marylebone-Oxford-Wolverhampton-Oxenholme

[TheManOnThe172]

Trying to arrange an Oxenholme-Euston (break) + Marylebone-Oxford (break)-Oxenhome trip using an Oxenholme-London return, Virgin Passenger Assistance told me that the Marylebone-Oxford leg wasn't within the ticket validity.

Map GC includes Marylebone-Oxford and is valid for London-Oxenholme, and Paddington-Oxford-Oxenholme is allowed under maps RG+RX.

The fare-check rule (if I have understood it properly) is nearly a problem, but not quite: Oxenholme-Oxford offpeak return is £69.35 (senior railcard) which is less than the £69.55 for Oxenholme-London.

So I would have expected that Marylebone-Oxford-Oxenholme would be OK.

Have I been given duff info, or is there some subtlety that I have missed?

 

[Romilly]

With an Oxenholme-London ticket, you need to be looking to see whether Oxford (or, more relevantly, somewhere like Bicester Village) is on a permitted route for the Oxenholme-London ticket. I don't think that Oxenholme-0xford fares are relevant.

It is clear that different journey planners are interpreting the validity of this ticket differently.

The planner on the C2C website offers itineraries via Bicester Village for the Oxenholme-London Terminals £65.65 offpeak return with senior railcard discount (I am not sure where the figure of £69.35 comes from), but other booking sites won't offer that. Whether that's because they haven't yet taken account of the Chiltern Railways services from Oxford to Marylebone, I couldn't say.

All planners that I tried were happy to offer Oxenholme-London Paddington via Oxford & Reading for the £65.65 ticket.

Further Edit: having looked at the routeing guide, none of the permitted routes for London-Oxenholme include High Wycombe-Banbury via Oxford.

 

[higthomas]

You are sort of right. Maps RG+RX does include Oxford-Birminghm, so that part is definitely. Map GC does include Marylebone-Oxford, but it doesn't continue beyond that. Because neither of maps NX or BX includes any link to Oxford, You can't go to Oxford because it won't be on a possible Marylebone-Oxenholme route. I know this isn't a great explanation, so sorry.

The fares check rule doesn't come into it at all. That is only used to determine routing points, but since both Oxenholme and Marylebone are ones, it doesn't matter.

For your specific journey, you'd have to buy an Oxford-Princes Risborough single or something as well (or go via Paddington, although I guess you have a reason to go to Marylebone)

So in this case, they were in fat correct.

 

[OwlMan]

You can not combine the codes of two different routes from section C of the Routeing Guide; you have to use one of BX+GC, EX, LX+MM, MX+AM+LN, MX+PR, NX+GC,
RX+RG, XP+PR, XW+PR, and not a combination of two of them.

 

[JB_B]

I agree with Romilly and higthomas (and OwlMan). Oxford ex-Paddington is fine but ex-Marylebone you're off route after Princes Risborough.

Unfortunately, the shortest route rule doesn't seem to help either.

For info, I've attached all the relevant mapped routes from Oxenholme to London (Group).

 

[TheManOnThe172]

Thanks to all - especially for the maps. Given all the far-from-direct routes that are allowed, it seems a bit daft that Marylebone-Oxford isn't - but now at least I understand how the rules preclude it. And it isn't a big hassle anyway: just that Marylebone - I reckoned - offered a simpler taxi-to-platform transfer (and a cheaper cab fare) than Paddington for the wobbly passenger I am booking for.

 

[gray1404]

Why not just go Paddington to Oxford as that is valid.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Don't you think they would have planned that if they wanted to do it? Oh dear, that sounded harsh. Sorry. But there are numerous reasons:

Most people prefer 168s to Turbos.
Some people prefer Chiltern to GWR.
Some people haven't yet travelled on the reconstructed Bicester Village line and perhaps would like to?

 

[Gareth Marston]

quite but the OP is going to have to purchase a Oxford single to enjoy that route. The stopping patterns are different on the 2 tph between Marylebone and Ozford so the exact choice will depend on that.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

I don't care about the route, if it was me personally, I'd go by the rolling stock.

I'd choose the Chiltern Mk3 above any (only 'cause I haven't been on it yet),
Then the GWR HST,
Then the Clubman,
Then the Adelante,
Then the Turbo.

But I like first class so it would probably be the GWML.

 

[Harbouring]

The OP said above that Marylebone is easier for frailer passengers which I would agree with (unless maybe it's from the platforms at the far end)

Maybe some booked assistance at Paddington?

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Frailer??? What you mean because it’s so small and less daunting?

 

[roversfan2001]

Frailer??? What you mean because it’s so small and less daunting?

Far smaller means a shorter walking distance from entrance to platform usually.

 

[higthomas]

You can not combine the codes of two different routes from section C of the Routeing Guide; you have to use one of BX+GC, EX, LX+MM, MX+AM+LN, MX+PR, NX+GC,
RX+RG, XP+PR, XW+PR, and not a combination of two of them.

You are of course correct. Under some circumstances though I personally utterly ignore that rule, because both how can they know, and it's stupid (e.g. If I recall from when I made this journey a couple of years ago: Guildford-London-Reading-Newport-Shrewsbury is an allowed route, but Guildford-North Camp-Reading-Newport-Shrewsbury is not. Why?

Anyway, I ignored that I'm afraid and swapped from one permitted route to another at Reading. And in general most people probably wouldn't notice or mind, although here where you would be jumping from one permitted route across country to another, they might, understandably so.

 

[kieron]

I agree with Romilly and higthomas (and OwlMan). Oxford ex-Paddington is fine but ex-Marylebone you're off route after Princes Risborough.

Just a small correction (and possibly a bit late to help here), but you are off-route after Bicester Village, not Princes Risborough. GC+BX covers lots of routes via Princes Risborough and Banbury, and nationalrail.co.uk lists Bicester North - Bicester Town(sic) as an interchange, so London Marylebone-Bicester Town-Bicester Village-Bicester North-Banbury-Oxenholme is valid on a London-Oxenholme ticket.

You'd need an extra Bicester Village-Banbury single to travel via Oxford, but that's only a few pounds.

 

[JB_B]

Thanks - you're right (and I remember now that I've made this mistake before so no excuse).

It does seem a bit odd that they don't add Bicester as a routeing point group and put it on the maps.