Redhill to Pewsey

[c52]

I want to run along the Kennet and Avon canal from Hungerford to Pewsey

I'd normally get a CDR from Redhill to Pewsey and get off at Hungerford on the outward journey.

However, there are no trains from Hungerford to Pewsey on days/times that I've looked. So question 1 - is it permitted to leave at Hungerford when I'm on a train that cannot possibly get me to Pewsey?

Q 2. The fare to Hungerford is £19, to Pewsey an astonishing £50 and from Pewsey to Hungerford (via Newbury) is £13 (all rounded down). What's the best fare I can manage? Can I get a ticket to Hungerford and an excess for a one-way trip to Pewsey?

Q 3. Is there an off-peak time of day when there are trains between Pewsey and Hungerford, or will there be once electrification works are finished and there's a new timetable? Only answer this one if you know the answer; I could spend ages checking all times on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays myself.

At the moment my best bet seems to be to go to Swindon by train and do the rest by bus.

Thank you for your thoughts and knowledge.

 

[kieron]

If you're travelling on a day similar to today, I'm thinking of something like a return from Redhill to Reading along with a return from Pewsey to Hungerford.

The shortest route between Pewsey and Hungerford is bus to Swindon, train to Reading, bus to Hungerford. There's no break of journey restriction, so you can just use the Reading-Hungerford but of the outward part, and the Reading-Pewsey bit of the return.

The fare system just isn't set up to account for a Swindon-Pewsey rail replacement bus.

 

[cactustwirly]

I want to run along the Kennet and Avon canal from Hungerford to Pewsey

I'd normally get a CDR from Redhill to Pewsey and get off at Hungerford on the outward journey.

However, there are no trains from Hungerford to Pewsey on days/times that I've looked. So question 1 - is it permitted to leave at Hungerford when I'm on a train that cannot possibly get me to Pewsey?

Q 2. The fare to Hungerford is £19, to Pewsey an astonishing £50 and from Pewsey to Hungerford (via Newbury) is £13 (all rounded down). What's the best fare I can manage? Can I get a ticket to Hungerford and an excess for a one-way trip to Pewsey?

Q 3. Is there an off-peak time of day when there are trains between Pewsey and Hungerford, or will there be once electrification works are finished and there's a new timetable? Only answer this one if you know the answer; I could spend ages checking all times on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays myself.

At the moment my best bet seems to be to go to Swindon by train and do the rest by bus.

Thank you for your thoughts and knowledge.

I would get a return Redhill - Newbury and Newbury - Pewsey, and break your journey at Hungerford on the outward portion.
You'll find it difficult to split at Hungerford, as there are very few trains that stop at both Hungerford & Newbury.

 

[30907]

CDR Redhill-Hungerford and -Newbury are the same price.
A single from Pewsey to Hungerford is a sufficient solution at £5.90 Any Permitted.

 

[cactustwirly]

CDR Redhill-Hungerford and -Newbury are the same price.
A single from Pewsey to Hungerford is a sufficient solution at £5.90 Any Permitted.

But the train has to stop at Hungerford! Only 1x a day does!
However most trains at Pewsey stop at Newbury

 

[c52]

Looks as if tickets to Newbury and from there to Pewsey is a good solution as long as I run west-east, as there are so few trains from Newbury to Pewsey, but plenty from Hungerford.

Thank you.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

I want to run along the Kennet and Avon canal from Hungerford to Pewsey

Are you preparing for a half-marathon ?

I'd normally get a CDR from Redhill to Pewsey and get off at Hungerford on the outward journey.

...except there's no CDR to Pewsey. This is most likely because Pewsey is just outside the area defined as the "Network Area", which is the limit of where Network SouthEast provided services in BR days. Journeys to beyond the Network Area would have been priced by InterCity, who offered very few Day Single/Return tickets for the journeys which they controlled. There is nothing to stop GWR to reducing the (arguably overpriced) Pewsey fare; however, fares regulation introduced by privatisation prevents them from increasing the price of the Hungerford fare, and thus, as profit-making private business, they have little incentive to decrease the Pewsey fare. Anyway, enough of the look back at history...

However, there are no trains from Hungerford to Pewsey on days/times that I've looked.

Indeed, the only trains that call at both are on weekdays - in the morning peak towards London, and in the evening peak out of London. Nothing direct on a weekend at all, or in the contra-peak on weekdays. There are some extremely infrequent journey opportunities changing at Newbury or Reading. Overall it's quite a bad service outside the main London commuter peak.

So question 1 - is it permitted to leave at Hungerford when I'm on a train that cannot possibly get me to Pewsey?

Yes. You are permitted to take any train along any permitted route on a flexible walk-up ticket such as this. You are also permitted to break your journey (i.e. start it later than the ticketed origin, and/or finish it earlier than the ticketed destination, and/or pause it intermediately) on virtually all walk-up tickets, including all the ones you are considering.

Q 2. The fare to Hungerford is £19, to Pewsey an astonishing £50 and from Pewsey to Hungerford (via Newbury) is £13 (all rounded down). What's the best fare I can manage? Can I get a ticket to Hungerford and an excess for a one-way trip to Pewsey?

A simple and cost effective option would likely be purchasing a Redhill-Hungerford CDR, and then purchasing a Pewsey-Hungerford Single once you get to Pewsey. Because you will presumably have purchased it after the morning peak or on the weekend, the timetable calling pattern means the only possible way of completing the journey is to travel via a station beyond Hungerford, such as Newbury or Reading.

Alternatively, National Rail Enquiries states that the ticket office at Pewsey is closed after lunchtime on a weekday or Saturday, and is closed entirely on a Sunday. There is a ticket machine but I suspect it is card only. Therefore, if this is the case then, if you wanted, and if you were (as I suspect from the length of the run!) travelling after the ticket office has closed, you could board at Pewsey and buy your ticket onboard the train using cash.

You would show your existing ticket when the guard comes around, and explain that you had boarded at Pewsey and ask to buy a ticket from Pewsey to cover you. You would explain that you wanted to pay by cash and hence could not use the ticket machine. The guard might sell you a ticket to Hungerford (which must surely be valid due to the calling pattern) even though the train wouldn't call there. Alternatively they might sell you a ticket to the next stop of the train, such as Newbury or Reading. I wouldn't fight it if the guard did this.

Q 3. Is there an off-peak time of day when there are trains between Pewsey and Hungerford, or will there be once electrification works are finished and there's a new timetable? Only answer this one if you know the answer; I could spend ages checking all times on weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays myself.

It is relatively simple to find out this information if you know where to look; it's understandable that the 'man on the Clapham omnibus' might find it bewildering! The website www.brfares.com shows all the train fares available in Britain, and will also show what restrictions apply to each ticket. Off-Peak tickets have what is called a restriction code, which is a two-character alphanumeric code (such as B1, W5 or GP) that defines the times when the ticket is restricted. That code can easily be looked up at nationalrail.co.uk/XX (where XX is the code).

Specifically for Pewsey to Hungerford tickets, none of the tickets have evening peak restrictions. The Off-Peak Day Single/Return fares cannot be used before 09:00 Monday-Friday. This journey follows in common with most others, in that Off-Peak tickets are valid at any time on weekends (or bank holidays).

At the moment my best bet seems to be to go to Swindon by train and do the rest by bus.

Often the easiest way to do a journey on a stretch of line with a variable calling pattern will be to take other methods of public transport, or to make your own arrangements. Sadly we have far from a well-integrated transport network...

 

[cactustwirly]

Are you preparing for a half-marathon ?


...except there's no CDR to Pewsey. This is most likely because Pewsey is just outside the area defined as the "Network Area", which is the limit of where Network SouthEast provided services in BR days. Journeys to beyond the Network Area would have been priced by InterCity, who offered very few Day Single/Return tickets for the journeys which they controlled. There is nothing to stop GWR to reducing the (arguably overpriced) Pewsey fare; however, fares regulation introduced by privatisation prevents them from increasing the price of the Hungerford fare, and thus, as profit-making private business, they have little incentive to decrease the Pewsey fare. Anyway, enough of the look back at history...


Indeed, the only trains that call at both are on weekdays - in the morning peak towards London, and in the evening peak out of London. Nothing direct on a weekend at all, or in the contra-peak on weekdays. There are some extremely infrequent journey opportunities changing at Newbury or Reading. Overall it's quite a bad service outside the main London commuter peak.


Yes. You are permitted to take any train along any permitted route on a flexible walk-up ticket such as this. You are also permitted to break your journey (i.e. start it later than the ticketed origin, and/or finish it earlier than the ticketed destination, and/or pause it intermediately) on virtually all walk-up tickets, including all the ones you are considering.


A simple and cost effective option would likely be purchasing a Redhill-Hungerford CDR, and then purchasing a Pewsey-Hungerford Single once you get to Pewsey. Because you will presumably have purchased it after the morning peak or on the weekend, the timetable calling pattern means the only possible way of completing the journey is to travel via a station beyond Hungerford, such as Newbury or Reading.

Alternatively, National Rail Enquiries states that the ticket office at Pewsey is closed after lunchtime on a weekday or Saturday, and is closed entirely on a Sunday. There is a ticket machine but I suspect it is card only. Therefore, if this is the case then, if you wanted, and if you were (as I suspect from the length of the run!) travelling after the ticket office has closed, you could board at Pewsey and buy your ticket onboard the train using cash.

You would show your existing ticket when the guard comes around, and explain that you had boarded at Pewsey and ask to buy a ticket from Pewsey to cover you. You would explain that you wanted to pay by cash and hence could not use the ticket machine. The guard might sell you a ticket to Hungerford (which must surely be valid due to the calling pattern) even though the train wouldn't call there. Alternatively they might sell you a ticket to the next stop of the train, such as Newbury or Reading. I wouldn't fight it if the guard did this.


It is relatively simple to find out this information if you know where to look; it's understandable that the 'man on the Clapham omnibus' might find it bewildering! The website www.brfares.com shows all the train fares available in Britain, and will also show what restrictions apply to each ticket. Off-Peak tickets have what is called a restriction code, which is a two-character alphanumeric code (such as B1, W5 or GP) that defines the times when the ticket is restricted. That code can easily be looked up at nationalrail.co.uk/XX (where XX is the code).

Specifically for Pewsey to Hungerford tickets, none of the tickets have evening peak restrictions. The Off-Peak Day Single/Return fares cannot be used before 09:00 Monday-Friday. This journey follows in common with most others, in that Off-Peak tickets are valid at any time on weekends (or bank holidays).


Often the easiest way to do a journey on a stretch of line with a variable calling pattern will be to take other methods of public transport, or to make your own arrangements. Sadly we have far from a well-integrated transport network...

I don't think Pewsey - Hungerford is valid via Newbury, I can't seem to get an itinerary for it.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

I don't think Pewsey - Hungerford is valid via Newbury, I can't seem to get an itinerary for it.

The fact that you cannot get an itinerary does not mean it is invalid. Like I say - how else do you propose someone who buys their ticket after the one through train of the day should travel?

 

[alistairlees]

The fact that you cannot get an itinerary does not mean it is invalid. Like I say - how else do you propose someone who buys their ticket after the one through train of the day should travel?

Are you really saying that if you have a ticket from A to B, but the last valid journey from A to B has gone, then the validity of your ticket has now suddenly become A to C to B, where "C" is further away than B or is otherwise not on a valid route, and where there are no easements or other means to make this route valid?

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Are you really saying that if you have a ticket from A to B, but the last valid journey from A to B has gone, then the validity of your ticket has now suddenly become A to C to B, where "C" is further away than B or is otherwise not on a valid route, and where there are no easements or other means to make this route valid?

As I said, how else do you propose the journey is done? Should a higher fare be charged for when the last journey opportunity(ies) of the day do not follow a "permitted" route?

I don't see what action a train company could take against a passenger who is only not on a permitted route by virtue of the fact that it is not possible to travel via a "permitted" route during the date-wise validity of the ticket from the point it was purchased.

The rail industry has three options, really. It could accept tickets along a non-"permitted" route in circumstances such as this. It could offer a more expensive routed ticket that allows travel when the more direct option is no longer possible. Or it could simply stop selling tickets to places that it is not possible to reach via a permitted route at the time of the day it's sold.

The rail industry may make grumblings around all three options, but what they cannot do is to sell a ticket and then make it impossible to actually make that journey - or charge an additional fare for something that is the responsibility (one might perhaps say fault) of the rail industry.

 

[yorkie]

I think it would be reasonable to accept a combination of Pewsey to Hungerford, plus Hungerford to Redhill tickets given that no trains operating after around 0730 would call at Bedwyn or Hungerford.

However this is something the Train Manager can use their discretion on, which is why the passenger might be in a stronger position of paying by cash if the ticket machine doesn't accept cash (as is likely but unconfirmed); they could then show their existing ticket, and state that they travelled on foot along the canal from Hungerford to Pewsey and ask to purchase an additional ticket to cover the additional travel between Pewsey and Hungerford. The amount charged may vary depending on how pragmatic the Train Manager is.

If the passenger finds the ticket machine does accept their chosen payment method, then it is wise to purchase a ticket from the machine, as to fail to do so could be problematical for the customer.

If a single from Pewsey to Hungerford is purchased from the machine, it is very possible this combination will be accepted as it is not possible for the passenger to catch a train calling at Hungerford, and therefore reasonable to catch a non-stop service.

However, the Train Manager might decide not to accept this combination. To do so would be to admit that a Pewsey to Hungerford ticket cannot be used to complete a journey from Pewsey to Hungerford, thus rendering the ticket effectively worthless to the customer. The customer could contest this decision on the basis that the contract was made and cannot be revoked once the train has departed, or alternatively if they did not want to make the effort involved in contesting any such decision, they could at least claim a refund for the unused ticket on the basis that it should not have been sold for such a journey.

 

[30907]

I don't think Pewsey - Hungerford is valid via Newbury, I can't seem to get an itinerary for it.

It's valid today according to NRE - admittedly via Swindon and Reading as well.

But in any case, an Offpeak Day Single Pewsey-Newbury is undoubtedly valid at £8.80.
I am surprised that there is no easement permitting Bedwyn, Hungerford and Kintbury passengers to travel west via Newbury, if indeed that is the case.

 

[paddington]

I used the ticket machine at Pewsey in 2017. It accepted cash.

There is a photo from 2012
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stati...otDetails.aspx?stdCode=SME_PEW&fullsize=14907