Off Peak Day Return Watford Junction to Eastbourne (CDR)

[njr001]

My partner and a group of friends, all senior Railcard holders are planning to travel from Watford Junction to Eastbourne next month, the ticket routed via Kensington Olympia would allow travel on the 0914 departure from Watford with a change at Clapham Junction.

For the return is it possible to excess the route to any permitted as some of the group live near Rickmansworth and may find it faster to travel direct from Eastbourne to London Victoria and then use PAYGO Oyster from Victoria to Rickmansworth via tube / Chiltern.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

My partner and a group of friends, all senior Railcard holders are planning to travel from Watford Junction to Eastbourne next month, the ticket routed via Kensington Olympia would allow travel on the 0914 departure from Watford with a change at Clapham Junction.

For the return is it possible to excess the route to any permitted as some of the group live near Rickmansworth and may find it faster to travel direct from Eastbourne to London Victoria and then use PAYGO Oyster from Victoria to Rickmansworth via tube / Chiltern.

Yes, you can obtain a change of route excess onboard the train or at the destination.

 

[njr001]

Thanks for that, trying to keep it simple for everybody, rather than excess on the return which presumably may cause a problem with the tube gatelines for those wanting to return to Watford Junction via Victoria & Euston would an any permitted WFJ to ENB CDR be valid on the 0914 departure from WFJ changing at CLJ.

 

[JonathanH]

Technically not valid because it gets to Kensington Olympia before 0950.

Another option might be for the Rickmansworth people to get off at Harrow & Wealdstone and then go Kenton / Northwick Park.

 

[James Wake]

Another option might be for the Rickmansworth people to get off at Harrow & Wealdstone and then go Kenton / Northwick Park.

The passengers for Rickmansworth could get off at Harrow and Wealdstone but then catch a H9 bus across to North Harrow and pick up the Metropolitan Line there to save the Kenton/Northwick Park walk.

 

[yorkie]

My partner and a group of friends, all senior Railcard holders are planning to travel from Watford Junction to Eastbourne next month, the ticket routed via Kensington Olympia would allow travel on the 0914 departure from Watford with a change at Clapham Junction.

Agreed, this is valid.

My advice is to obtain tickets with an itinerary from a retailer that will assist you in the (hopefully unlikely) event that staff on the trains mistakenly believe it is invalid (for example as @JonathanH did above) and incorrectly charge you an excess fare.

For the return is it possible to excess the route to any permitted as some of the group live near Rickmansworth and may find it faster to travel direct from Eastbourne to London Victoria and then use PAYGO Oyster from Victoria to Rickmansworth via tube / Chiltern.

You can excess the return portion route to "+ Any Permitted" on payment of half the difference between the fare paid and the appropriate fare, with Railcard discount. I'd be surprised if doing this, plus paying again from Victoria, was the best option though.

 

[JonathanH]

Agreed, this is valid.

My advice is to obtain tickets with an itinerary from a retailer that will assist you in the (hopefully unlikely) event that staff on the trains mistakenly believe it is invalid (for example as @JonathanH did above) and incorrectly charge you an excess fare.

The Watford Junction to Eastbourne route Kensington Olympia ticket is unambiguously valid on the 09:14 - restriction B3 'Not valid on trains timed to depart after 04:29 and before 09:00'.

The Any Permitted route ticket is not valid on the 09:14 - restriction C0 'Not valid on trains timed to depart after 04:29 which arrive at London Terminals or Kensington Olympia before 09:50'.

09:14 stops at Kensington Olympia at 09:48.

I think I should have quoted the message I was responding to in order to avoid confusion - sorry.

 

[yorkie]

The Watford Junction to Eastbourne route Kensington Olympia ticket is unambiguously valid on the 09:14 - restriction B3 'Not valid on trains timed to depart after 04:29 and before 09:00'.

The Any Permitted route ticket is not valid on the 09:14 - restriction C0 'Not valid on trains timed to depart after 04:29 which arrive at London Terminals or Kensington Olympia before 09:50'.

09:14 stops at Kensington Olympia at 09:48.

I think I should have quoted the message I was responding to in order to avoid confusion - sorry.

No worries.

But I understood the proposal was for some passengers to excess the return portion to "+ Any Permitted" for the journey back, which would not be in the morning, as the OP refers to a day return rather than a period return.

 

[JonathanH]

No worries.

But I understood the proposal was for some passengers to excess the return portion to "+ Any Permitted" for the journey back, which would not be in the morning, as the OP refers to a day return rather than a period return.

Yes, but the subsequent question is then about avoiding the fuss of excessing tickets and trying to simply buy the any permitted one for both directions.

 

[yorkie]

Yes, but the subsequent question is then about avoiding the fuss of excessing tickets and trying to simply buy the any permitted one for both directions.

Ah, I see.

It shouldn't be too much fuss getting the tickets excessed; the origin ticket office should offer to do it (indeed they are supposed to offer this by default in the circumstances described, where a customer wishes to return via a more expensive route), alternatively the ticket office at Eastbourne, or the On Board Supervisor (OBS) could do it on the train from Eastbourne to Victoria. If none of them are able to do it, then either the gateline at Victoria would have to do it, or would have to let the customers out regardless.