Shelford/Kings Cross, NOT via Cambridge

[HughT]

There's a negative easement that reads:

"Customers travelling from Shelford via Royston to London Kings X, may not travel via
Cambridge. This easement applies in both directions."

How, then, should one travel from Shelford to King's Cross (via Royston)? Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the easement (or the Routeing Manual)...

Thanks in advance.

 

[kieron]

I think the idea is that you're supposed to travel to Moorgate or somewhere instead. The easement is probably coded as "if an itinerary meets all of these criteria, reject it", so the person who wrote it didn't think too much on how best to phrase it to help a member of the public who sees it.

 

[HughT]

Interestingly (or curiously?) the NR Journey Planner will sell a through ticket SED-KGX for the forbidden route. But only a single! The minute you ask it for return fares, it refuses to provide fares at all for that route (only via Tottenham Hale and the Victoria Line).

 

[A Challenge]

Does it sell a single in the other direction, or a return starting in London?

 

[HughT]

Does it sell a single in the other direction, or a return starting in London?

Yes, and Yes.

 

[Royston Vasey]

Interestingly (or curiously?) the NR Journey Planner will sell a through ticket SED-KGX for the forbidden route. But only a single! The minute you ask it for return fares, it refuses to provide fares at all for that route (only via Tottenham Hale and the Victoria Line).

I use Shelford a lot and I recall what NR displays once you go through to purchase is a SED-CBG single and a CBG-KGX (well, terminals) single. I think the app shows no price or purchase option at all. It is often much faster to double back via Cambridge (as it is for Foxton) but there’s no easement to do that for no extra cost.

The negative easement makes no sense unless it is to underline that they outlaw travel via Cambridge and Royston as opposed to Tottenham Hale and a new ticket is required both to Cambridge and to London terminals. Even then it’s badly worded.

 

[HughT]

Badly worded. And very mean-spirited. As you say, there are plenty of times when it's quicker to travel via CBG, unless your final destination is very close to LST.