No ticket to Elstree & Borehamwood

[SephenWorceste]

I visited the Travel Centre at Worcester today. The opening hours still vary unfortunately. They were unable to sell me a ticket for Farringdon to Elstree & Borehamwood. The computer showed no fares available. National Rail Enquiries show an Anytime Day Single at £6.80. I thought any ticket office could sell any ticket. Would my best option be just to make time to buy it at Farringdon next week. I am trying to use the Travel Centre but this does not help.

Thank you, Stephen.

 

[Hadders]

I suspect that the travel centre used the wrong origin - I think what you actually need is London Thameslink to Elstree & Borehamwood.

The price of an SDS is £6.80

 

[SephenWorceste]

I suspect that the travel centre used the wrong origin - I think what you actually need is London Thameslink to Elstree & Borehamwood.

The price of an SDS is £6.80

Thank you for the quick reply. I will try and get back to the travel centre this week.

Best wishes, Stephen.

 

[button_boxer]

Your best option may well be to get an Oyster card - on Oyster the journey would be £5.90 peak/£3.60 off-peak.

 

[yorkie]

Do you visit London occasionally? even if you only visit once or twice a year, it's worth having an Oyster card in my opinion.

 

[SephenWorceste]

Do you visit London occasionally? even if you only visit once or twice a year, it's worth having an Oyster card in my opinion.

Thank you. I visit London about once a month. Since I first picked up some cheap Advances. Usually only passing through to connect with Eurostar, visiting my sister in Surbiton or going to the Wimbledon Championships. I have a pay as you go Oyster card. I generally use my card on these trips but did not realise I could use it that far out of London. Thank you. I will just tap in and tap out.

Best wishes, Stephen.

 

[yorkie]

Oyster map: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/london-rail-and-tube-services-map.pdf

This may come in handy
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/london-rail-and-tube-services-map.pdf

 

[Oxf3115]

Sounds like they were using Zone U1 as the origin point of which FCC does not do fares.

 

[SephenWorceste]

Thank you for the map. Very useful. In my ignorance I never knew how much was included in London's Rail and Tube network.

The Zone U1 might explain why the system could not find the fare.

Best wishes, Stephen.

 

[bb21]

Zone U1 fares can be created for any NR origin/destination, sometimes manually.

 

[button_boxer]

did not realise I could use it that far out of London.

That far but no further - E&B is the last stop within the zones on that line.

 

[CyrusWuff]

There are four different ways the fare in question could be entered into the fares database, thanks to Farringdon being the origin, but I'm not at work to check.

• Farringdon Und (ZFD) - Elstree
• London Thameslink - Elstree
• Zone U1256 - Elstree
• Zone U1 - Elstree

Gotta love consistency...

 

[RJ]

There are four different ways the fare in question could be entered into the fares database, thanks to Farringdon being the origin, but I'm not at work to check.

• Farringdon Und (ZFD) - Elstree
• London Thameslink - Elstree
• Zone U1256 - Elstree
• Zone U1 - Elstree

Gotta love consistency...

You wouldn't get the last one - within London, the majority of available U Zone tickets have to include the zone the NR station it's issued to/from. So from Elstree, if you wanted Underground Zone 1, you'd need to use Zone U1256.

 

[CyrusWuff]

You wouldn't get the last one - within London, the majority of available U Zone tickets have to include the zone the NR station it's issued to/from. So from Elstree, if you wanted Underground Zone 1, you'd need to use Zone U1256.

I know the theory...That doesn't mean all TIS apply it correctly, however. For example, try doing a query for a Single from Paddington to Gatwick Airport, then try it again but specify London Bridge as a via point, and see what your TIS comes up with.

In the OP's case, digging around on BRFares gave the necessary origin as being London Thameslink (NLC 4452), as Hadders surmised in their original response.

 

[RJ]

I'm in the ticket office tomorrow - I'll give it a whirl then
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I thought any ticket office could sell any ticket.

That's if they know how to do it! I can be found at any of several ticket offices and I have been at a complete loss as to how to sell unfamiliar tickets at times. Someone once asked for a Carnet, which we don't do in my neck of the woods. I was determined to issue it, but didn't know how and I would never have guessed either. I had to telephone a colleague for help. I'd far sooner learn something new and make the effort to find out what I need to know to give the customer what they need, than turn a customer away.

When I was new to ticketing, I worked at a London terminus. I was once asked for a ticket from Farringdon to the South Coast. Seeing as Farringdon didn't work as an origin, London Terminals wouldn't have been valid and the U Zone ticket was more expensive than what the customer normally paid, I got stuck with this. The best thing for a clerk to do in this circumstance would be to call a station that a.) uses the same ticket issuing software and b.) is likely to sell them routinely.

 

[cm39275]

Removed

 

[Oxf3115]

The Farringdon Und origin equates to London Thameslink in STAR. Zone U1256 is incorrect following the logic behind the zone system and there is no fare for Zone U1 - Elstree. London Thameslink - Elstree would be the correct pair to use at 6.80 SDS/13.30 SDR with no CDS/CDR fares showing.

(Sorry CM, you left yourself logged on W40 !!!!!)

 

[CyrusWuff]

Someone once asked for a Carnet, which we don't do in my neck of the woods. I was determined to issue it, but didn't know how and I would never have guessed either.

The trouble with Carnets is that each TOC offering them has specific issuing instructions and conditions that apply.

For example:

• Chiltern offer 12 Anytime/Anytime Day Returns to/from London for the price of 10
• First Capital Connect offer both Anytime and Off-Peak Carnets, in multiples of five Single tickets, at a 10% discount
• Grand Central also offer both Anytime and Off-Peak Carnets, but in multiples of 10. These offer a 25% discount on the Off-Peak tickets, and bring the Anytime ones down to the Off-Peak price
• East Midlands Trains, meanwhile, offer packs of 5 or 10 Anytime Returns at a 10% discount, but only for "selected" journeys
• Gatwick Express, on the other hand, offer 10 Singles for the price of 8
• Heathrow Express give 12 Singles for the price of 9

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

The Farringdon Und origin equates to London Thameslink in STAR. Zone U1256 is incorrect following the logic behind the zone system and there is no fare for Zone U1 - Elstree. London Thameslink - Elstree would be the correct pair to use at 6.80 SDS/13.30 SDR with no CDS/CDR fares showing.

Check the "London Area Ticketing" bit of iKB, specifically the bit about "Train-Tube-Train" fares (or whatever they're calling them this week).

As a "London Terminals" ticket isn't valid for journeys to/from/via Farringdon, Zone U1256 is the only origin that you could use, other than London Thameslink, as the journey passes through Zones 1-6.

In reality, of course, you'd only use Zone U1256 as the origin if it was the morning peak and the passenger needed tube travel. Off-Peak, even for a Single journey, you'd offer a Travelcard. For a purely point to point journey, on the other hand, you'd go for London Thameslink as the origin.

 

[RJ]

The trouble with Carnets is that each TOC offering them has specific issuing instructions and conditions that apply.

For example:

• Chiltern offer 12 Anytime/Anytime Day Returns to/from London for the price of 10
• First Capital Connect offer both Anytime and Off-Peak Carnets, in multiples of five Single tickets, at a 10% discount
• Grand Central also offer both Anytime and Off-Peak Carnets, but in multiples of 10. These offer a 25% discount on the Off-Peak tickets, and bring the Anytime ones down to the Off-Peak price
• East Midlands Trains, meanwhile, offer packs of 5 or 10 Anytime Returns at a 10% discount, but only for "selected" journeys
• Gatwick Express, on the other hand, offer 10 Singles for the price of 8
• Heathrow Express give 12 Singles for the price of 9

The one I was asked for wouldn't show up when the origin and destination were typed in. To issue it, the number of passengers has to be changed to however many tickets the passenger wants. So one pack of 10 tickets required the number of passengers to be changed to 10!

 

[SephenWorceste]

Thank you. The clerk did try several option but with no luck. There was also a queue building up and he was the only person. We had a quick mutual moan about the state (complexity) of the railways and I moved on.

Best wishes, Stephen.