National Rail Games Train Tickets

[yorkie]

One set of my own Olympics tickets was "lost" by Royal Mail and I've seen Thomas Cook telling lots of their customers that they have been unable to send out tickets as promised. In all these cases, tickets now have to be collected at the venue.

How then one is supposed to produce a Games spectator ticket to show on the train on the way to the venue I do not know.

Here's my prediction: In most cases it won't be enforced. But one or two TOCs (and if I had to guess one, I'd go with FCC!) will decide to enforce the rules, as apparently they are 'entitled' to, the RPI won't show any common sense and treat the passenger as if no ticket was held, the passenger will go the Press, the TOC will back down but not before the rail industry's image has been further tarnished.

It's entirely foreseeable, so I have no sympathy for any TOC that does this, when they inevitably get negative media attention.

 

[soil]

It appears that a 'London Games' ticket is valid to Maidenhead, Staines, Slough, Windsor & Eton Central, Weybridge, Rayleigh and Leigh on Sea.

So for instance Portsmouth Harbour - London Games at £13.20 single is valid to Reading, as Reading is on a permitted route to Slough/Maidenhead from Portsmouth Harbour. This is in spite of the fact that via Reading is not a permitted route on a Portsmouth-London Terminals ticket.

Redhill-London Games costs just £3.20 but is valid to travel to Tonbridge (because it's the route to Sevenoaks (for Brands Hatch in the Paralympics)), an £11.10 single.

A lot of the time the website suggests travelling via London and using the games travelcard, but I don't think you have to, just take any permitted route to one of the destinations above.

 

[Mojo]

Here's my prediction: In most cases it won't be enforced. But one or two TOCs (and if I had to guess one, I'd go with FCC!) will decide to enforce the rules, as apparently they are 'entitled' to, the RPI won't show any common sense and treat the passenger as if no ticket was held, the passenger will go the Press, the TOC will back down but not before the rail industry's image has been further tarnished.

It's entirely foreseeable, so I have no sympathy for any TOC that does this, when they inevitably get negative media attention.

People collecting tickets at the venue or a hotel SHOULD have received a letter/e-mail from the relevant company confirming same. That acts as supporting documentation for Games Travel tickets.

Cheers,

Barry

One set of my own Olympics tickets was "lost" by Royal Mail and I've seen Thomas Cook telling lots of their customers that they have been unable to send out tickets as promised. In all these cases, tickets now have to be collected at the venue.

How then one is supposed to produce a Games spectator ticket to show on the train on the way to the venue I do not know.

'The Manual' states that printouts of confirmation emails or letters from sponsors or London 2012 (for tickets delivered by Royal Mail) are accepted as proof of entitlement to the discounted fares.

 

[snail]

Just checked the games ticket prices from Liverpool to Euston on Saturday week.

For trains travelling at sensible times, the games return fare is £119.40. This is an advance ticket for the outward journey and a semi-flexible ticket for the return.

Same applies to other WCML destinations, I checked Preston, Lancaster and Wigan (for September) and all were more expensive than the normal Off-Peak return for the dates I want.

From Preston the cheapest 'Games' return are Advance tickets at £156.95 (2 adults, 1 child with F&F railcard). Off-Peak return is £119.20. This is not offered on the tickets.nationalrailgamestravel.co.uk site - so someone not familiar with this journey could end up paying £37 more for a less flexible ticket. Even the cheapest combination of Advance fares is cheaper at £152.60, on different trains to those shown on the Games site. If I wanted to go from Lancaster I could do it for £95 on Advances.

 

[SussexMan]

So what am I missing? I've got Paralympic Tickets and if I go onto the National Rail 2012 Games Train Tickets it doesn't offer me any returns (from Polegate PLG) and suggests that it will cost me £42.60 (2 adults, 2 children with F & F railcard) but on the Southern site I can get a return for £20.40 (or £13.80 using 2 single Advances).

 

[Mojo]

So what am I missing? I've got Paralympic Tickets and if I go onto the National Rail 2012 Games Train Tickets it doesn't offer me any returns (from Polegate PLG) and suggests that it will cost me £42.60 (2 adults, 2 children with F & F railcard) but on the Southern site I can get a return for £20.40 (or £13.80 using 2 single Advances).

Games tickets are only available as Singles. I am not sure how they are calculated, but they are typically very good value, although Southern have some excellent offers on their network.

The Southern website is selling you 2 x Adult Family & Friends Railcard Super Off Peak Day Return tickets with the Southern 13% online discount (£9.20 each), plus 2 x Kids for a Quid singles.

 

[Carefree]

Further confusion...

Bought two single 'day tickets' for a return journey from Bedford to 'Balham (For The Games)'. The website routed me via Tulse Hill and Streatham Common (no mention of needing a Games Travelcard - I wil take my Olympic event ticket with me). But the tickets do not say Balham on them, and have a destination of 'London-Games'.

Is this ticket valid to Balham? And is it, as suggested on the website, valid for a break of journey anywhere along the route? If there is only one 'London-Games' destination covering numerous venues (Olympic Park, Wimbledon, Exel, Earls Court, etc), then does that mean that each day ticket is effectively a half Travelcard - valid for a break of journey at virtually any station on the Underground?

Knowing how FCC RPIs tend to behave, I'd like to have this straight before I get on the train, as a threat of a summons tends to be their first, rather than last resort.

I have tried asking at the station, however FCC's staff aren't known for being well trained in such matters. When travelling to my Olympic event last week, one RPI attempted to stop me for using a railcard discounted ticket before 10am (his supervisor intervened to tell him it was perfectly valid).

 

[trevmonk]

On the Games Train Tickets site it says;

"I have a Games Travelcard. Can I buy a boundary ticket or ticket to London Zone 9?
You can’t buy boundary tickets from this website. 2012 Games Train Tickets are priced to take into account that you have a Games Travelcard for travel in London."

That appears to mean you would need the Games Travelcard when you got to St Pancras. But you can buy Games Train Tickets for days other than that of your event so you wouldn't have a valid Travelcard for those days. Confusing.

 

[soil]

I believe, but could be wrong, a 'London Games' ticket as the same validity as a London Terminals ticket in any case.

In addition, if permitted routes to Sevenoaks, Slough, Maidenhead, Weybridge, Leigh On Sea, Windsor & Eton Central or Rayleigh are not via the lines between London Terminals and those stations, you can take that route on a 'London Games' ticket.

However if the route is within the validity of a London Games travelcard and is not on the route between your origin and the appropriate London Terminal, your London Games ticket is not valid and you are expected to use a Games Travelcard (or Oyster if you want).