Route validity help - Brighton Group/Portslade via Brighton

[lemonz79]

Hi there,

Yesterday I travelled from Portslade to London Victoria - however due to engineering works, there were no direct trains and I had to change at Three Bridges. In order to get into London earlier, I got a train from Portslade to Brighton, changed at Brighton and travelled to Three Bridges, as there was a train from Brighton which arrived earlier than the next one due at Portslade.

I am struggling to find out if this was technically allowed - is that a permitted route? I see that Portslade is part of the Brighton Group in the "pink pages", but I can't make sense of the fares. I'm struggling to figure it out using journey planners too as due to the engineering works the routes are sending me all over the place.

I have previously got trains which went from London to Portslade via Brighton, which makes me think it was probably fine, but I'm not sure. My ticket was an off-peak return, valid via any permitted route.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Watershed]

Yes, travel via Brighton is 'doubly' valid. It's well within 3 miles of the shortest route and also as you say, Portslade is a member of the Brighton Routeing Point Group (RPG).

Travel via any member of an origin or destination RPG is permitted so long as you don't double back. Doubling back within a RPG is only permitted at intermediate RPGs you pass through, and for interchange purposes at that.

 

[AlbertBeale]

For at least the last 60 years, tickets between the south coast and London which are valid via Hove are also valid via Brighton, and vice versa. (You can even travel between Hove and Brighton via Preston Park.)