Permitted routes question

[Gonks]

Hi

I’m just getting my head around permitted routes. I have a season ticket between Peterborough and Cambridge. I understand I can get off at any station en route e.g. Ely.

However, there are more indirect routes, but ones which I have taken in the past e.g. during strikes or delays. For example, could I go to Stevenage on my season ticket - get off at Stevenage and enjoy its many delights(!) and then return to Peterborough, using my existing season ticket?

Thank you

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Season tickets between Peterborough and Cambridge are normally only available as route "via Ely". Which I reckon will, during normal operations, restrict which intermediate stations you can legitimately also use. Doubt Stevenage will be one of them.

 

[Gonks]

Thank you very much. Is there a way to find out for definite - other than going there and chancing it!

 

[jfollows]

Peterborough-Cambridge “any permitted” routes are shown on maps

• AB
• KP+KE

at https://rgpp.iblocks.co.uk/maps

The first is via Ely, then direct or via Kennett
The second is via Hitchin, but not Stevenage unless there is an “easement”

EDIT There is: (https://iblocks-rg-publication.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/easement_text.pdf)

700514 Doubleback
Passengers travelling from or via Peterborough to Hitchin may doubleback at
Stevenage. This easement applies in both directions

So via Stevenage is also valid.

If the season ticket itself states "via Ely" rather than "any permitted", then the route via Stevenage isn't valid, of course. https://www.brfares.com/!expert?orig=PBO&dest=CBG&period=20250608 shows that the only season ticket fares are "via Ely" whereas there are other tickets "not via London" which are valid via Stevenage.

 

[Haywain]

Season tickets only appear to be available routed 'via Ely', so travelling via Hitchin or Stevenage is not permitted.

 

[jfollows]

Thank you very much. Is there a way to find out for definite - other than going there and chancing it!

So, definitely,

1. you can get off at any intermediate station, you can start from any intermediate station, normal with a season ticket
2. the season ticket will be marked “via Ely” and therefore is not valid via Hitchin or Stevenage

 

[plugwash]

I tried to poke around on the routing point calculator to see if there might be another origin/destination combination in that area that would allow travel on the whole loop, but I'm getting weird results where it says there are no valid routing points for journeys like Huntindon to Cambridge.

It seems a stevenage to March season ticket would work for the whole loop, it's quite a bit more expensive than Peterbourough to Cambridge though.

 

[jfollows]

I tried to poke around on the routing point calculator to see if there might be another origin/destination combination in that area that would allow travel on the whole loop, but I'm getting weird results where it says there are no valid routing points for journeys like Huntindon to Cambridge.

It seems a stevenage to March season ticket would work for the whole loop, it's quite a bit more expensive than Peterbourough to Cambridge though.

Also Peterborough-Royston I think, but also more expensive.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Presume a season ticket between Peterborough and say Royston (Herts) or Ashwell & Morden, route "Not via London", would allow travel either via Ely and/or Hitchin/Stevenage. Possibly somewhat more expensive though, as @jfollows has just said.

 

[plugwash]

Presume a season ticket between Peterborough and say Royston (Herts)

When I tried to look up Peterbourough to Royston on the routing point calculator I got the following for destination routing points.

Cambridge CBG Travel was NOT allowed at NFM64: No fares defined at NFM64
Hitchin HIT Allowed by route match at NFM64: CDS from PBO to HIT on route 00700: £11.40 is NOT more expensive than CDS from PBO to RYS on route 00700: £11.40.

Whether this is just a glitch in the routing point calculator I don't know (and it may be irrelevelt if the route via ely is the shortest route)

 

[jfollows]

When I tried to look up Peterbourough to Royston on the routing point calculator I got the following for destination routing points.

Cambridge CBG Travel was NOT allowed at NFM64: No fares defined at NFM64
Hitchin HIT Allowed by route match at NFM64: CDS from PBO to HIT on route 00700: £11.40 is NOT more expensive than CDS from PBO to RYS on route 00700: £11.40.

Whether this is just a glitch in the routing point calculator I don't know (and it may be irrelevelt if the route via ely is the shortest route)

No, Hitchin is the shortest route, but I think it’s a glitch with some missing data.

 

[plugwash]

How about peterborough to foxton, routed "NOT VIA LONDON" and the shortest route appears to be via ely (avoiding concerns about the routing point calculator glitch).

 

[jfollows]

How about peterborough to foxton, routed "NOT VIA LONDON" and the shortest route appears to be via ely (avoiding concerns about the routing point calculator glitch).

Agreed

 

[Watershed]

EDIT There is: (https://iblocks-rg-publication.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/easement_text.pdf)
So via Stevenage is also valid.

That easement would only cover travel to/from Hitchin specifically, as it mentions "to" Hitchin rather than "via" Hitchin.

 

[kieron]

Easement 700070 may be more helpful here.

700070 (Doubleback) Customers travelling from stations North of Cheshunt via Cambridge and Hitchin to stations North of Hitchin may double back between Hitchin and Stevenage. This easement applies in both directions.

I don't know what the cheapest option is, but I suspect it may depend on who you ask.