Routing Help

[i4n]

Hi all,

I need a bit of help with the routes I'm allowed to take on my ticket. I'm in the South East and hold an annual season between Deal and London Zones 1 - 6 + Highspeed. I normally use the route via Dover and Ashford onto the Highspeed line up to St Pancras.

At the moment, I have a need to visit Canterbury on a regular basis on the way home from work. Is it OK for me to catch a mainline train out of London Victoria to Canterbury East, break my journey there and then continue it on later to Dover Priory and then back to Deal?

I've asked 3 different members of OBS, none of them have been able to give me a definitive answer, they've all said they'd be OK with it but didn't want to say yes or no officially in case Revenue Protection came on the train and had a different view (one said I'm meant to take the fastest route available but I know that's rubbish!). What I've been doing is taking the Highspeed route to Canterbury West (as I know I can do that as I I've been told I'm allowed to go via Ramsgate) and walk/get a taxi across Canterbury to where I need to be and then vice versa. If I can go to Canterbury East it'd save me time and money!

Any help you can give will be most appreciated. I've had a look at the routing guides and maps available and I think it's OK, but I'm just a normal commuter and I don't fully understand them and I don't want to get myself in any bother by doing it.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Hi all,

I need a bit of help with the routes I'm allowed to take on my ticket. I'm in the South East and hold an annual season between Deal and London Zones 1 - 6 + Highspeed. I normally use the route via Dover and Ashford onto the Highspeed line up to St Pancras.

At the moment, I have a need to visit Canterbury on a regular basis on the way home from work. Is it OK for me to catch a mainline train out of London Victoria to Canterbury East, break my journey there and then continue it on later to Dover Priory and then back to Deal?

I've asked 3 different members of OBS, none of them have been able to give me a definitive answer, they've all said they'd be OK with it but didn't want to say yes or no officially in case Revenue Protection came on the train and had a different view (one said I'm meant to take the fastest route available but I know that's rubbish!). What I've been doing is taking the Highspeed route to Canterbury West (as I know I can do that as I I've been told I'm allowed to go via Ramsgate) and walk/get a taxi across Canterbury to where I need to be and then vice versa. If I can go to Canterbury East it'd save me time and money!

Any help you can give will be most appreciated. I've had a look at the routing guides and maps available and I think it's OK, but I'm just a normal commuter and I don't fully understand them and I don't want to get myself in any bother by doing it.

The route is Canterbury East is entirely reasonable and entirely valid. A ticket from Dover to London is extremely flexible in the number of routes it permits.

I don't think there would be any issue at all with using the ticket on this route. And a season ticket can be used to make an unlimited number of journeys along part or all of the permitted routes, so exiting 'early' at Canterbury East is no problem at all.

 

[Deepgreen]

For "Routing help", go to any reputable DIY store. We can help with routeing, though.

 

[A Challenge]

I am going to assume that Dover Priory is a valid routeing point for Deal to London Terminals, as the calculator says it isn't valid as there were no fares at NFM64 (when the fares used for the fares checks were defined).

It is therefore mapped on FB.

 

[yorkie]

I've asked 3 different members of OBS, none of them have been able to give me a definitive answer, they've all said they'd be OK with it but didn't want to say yes or no officially in case Revenue Protection came on the train and had a different view

I don't think many people at Southeastern would be able to give a definitive answer; the only way to get a definitive answer would be to ask the experts here.

I am going to assume that Dover Priory is a valid routeing point for Deal to London Terminals, as the calculator says it isn't valid as there were no fares at NFM64 (when the fares used for the fares checks were defined).

It is therefore mapped on FB.

There is no need to look at the maps!

With a London Terminals ticket, it's within 3 miles of the shortest route to London Victoria.

As it's a Travelcard it is the shortest route (to St Mary Cray)

 

[i4n]

The route is Canterbury East is entirely reasonable and entirely valid. A ticket from Dover to London is extremely flexible in the number of routes it permits.

I don't think there would be any issue at all with using the ticket on this route. And a season ticket can be used to make an unlimited number of journeys along part or all of the permitted routes, so exiting 'early' at Canterbury East is no problem at all.

I am going to assume that Dover Priory is a valid routeing point for Deal to London Terminals, as the calculator says it isn't valid as there were no fares at NFM64 (when the fares used for the fares checks were defined).

It is therefore mapped on FB.

Thanks both for your help (although I don't understand the first bit of A Challenge's reply) and sorry Deepgreen for missing the 'e' out, I'm sure I hit it but a dodgy works computer keyboard doesn't make for the best thing to type on sometimes.

 

[JB_B]

I am going to assume that Dover Priory is a valid routeing point for Deal to London Terminals, as the calculator says it isn't valid as there were no fares at NFM64 (when the fares used for the fares checks were defined).

It is therefore mapped on FB.

Dover Priory is indeed a valid origin routeing point for Deal to London Terminals. As far as I can see the data is there in NFM64 so I'm not sure why rp_calc struggles with this.

Fare-check:Passed (Quality:Good)
+++
Evaluating origin routeing point DOVER PRIORY (DVP) and destination routeing point LONDON CHARING CROSS (CHX) for journey from DEAL (DEA) to LONDON GROUP (G01) matching route 00000 .
The CDS fare from DEA to CHX (£16.60) is equal to the CDS fare from DVP to CHX (£16.60) Therefore DVP / CHX is accepted (quality: good).
Routeing points DOVER PRIORY (DVP) to LONDON CHARING CROSS (CHX) pass fare-check.
+++

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Thanks both for your help (although I don't understand the first bit of A Challenge's reply) and sorry Deepgreen for missing the 'e' out, I'm sure I hit it but a dodgy works computer keyboard doesn't make for the best thing to type on sometimes.

A Challenge's reply, as well as JB_B's refer to the technical methods in which the validity of a route in terms of the "Routeing Guide" is calculated. However, there are two other ways in which a route can be valid - if you are taking a through train from the printed origin to the printed destination, or if you are on a route that is the shortest possible route, or within 3 miles of the shortest route. If nothing else, the shortest route rule would validate travel along many of the routes to London which the Routeing Guide additionally spells out as being permitted.

 

[alistairlees]

Dover Priory is indeed a valid origin routeing point for Deal to London Terminals. As far as I can see the data is there in NFM64 so I'm not sure why rp_calc struggles with this.

I suspect this was because the routeing point at the time of NFM64 was "Dover Stations", rather than Dover Priory specifically, as there was also Dover Western Docks station then.

 

[JB_B]

I suspect this was because the routeing point at the time of NFM64 was "Dover Stations", rather than Dover Priory specifically, as there was also Dover Western Docks station then.

That could be it, yes. There are fares in NFM64 for 0414 DOVER BR - it's still a bit surprising that rp_calc couldn't find them.