St Pancras to Brighton Thameslink season ticket after Jan 2015

[STPBTN]

I've been reading the forum for a couple of months now and decided to register and start contributing. I started commuting by rail a couple of months ago and have found the forum a very useful resource!

I buy monthly season tickets between St Pancras and Brighton, and travel by Thameslink. With the London Bridge improvement works advancing, there will be some trains from Brighton that go all the way to St Pancras, but others that will only go as far as London Bridge. I've read and re-read the guidance on the Thameslink programme website and wanted to confirm I'd understood it correctly. It implies that with this ticket, I would be able to use the underground between King's Cross and London Bridge, and then get on a train to Brighton - or get the train from Brighton to London Bridge and tube it up to King's Cross. This despite the fact that my season ticket says "NOT UNDERGROUND" on it. Have I completely misunderstood the policy I wonder?

 

[bb21]

Do you have a link to the guidance document?

 

[RJ]

I've been reading the forum for a couple of months now and decided to register and start contributing. I started commuting by rail a couple of months ago and have found the forum a very useful resource!

I buy monthly season tickets between St Pancras and Brighton, and travel by Thameslink. With the London Bridge improvement works advancing, there will be some trains from Brighton that go all the way to St Pancras, but others that will only go as far as London Bridge. I've read and re-read the guidance on the Thameslink programme website and wanted to confirm I'd understood it correctly. It implies that with this ticket, I would be able to use the underground between King's Cross and London Bridge, and then get on a train to Brighton - or get the train from Brighton to London Bridge and tube it up to King's Cross. This despite the fact that my season ticket says "NOT UNDERGROUND" on it. Have I completely misunderstood the policy I wonder?

Such tickets have been valid on the Underground in the past, usually when the line has been closed for engineering works between Blackfriars and St Pancras - the barriers on the Underground even accept them during those works. I expect they will be valid once again.

 

[causton]

As far as I can see, not between Kings Cross and London Bridge, closest would be Blackfriars to London Bridge.

From http://www.thameslinkprogramme.co.uk/key-dates-and-service-changes/december-2014-january-2015/travel-advice/ (my bold)

You can use the following Underground and routes without being charged:

• Between London Bridge and Waterloo/Southwark on the Jubilee line and on bus services (services 381 and RV1) on the section of route between London Bridge and Waterloo.
• Between London Bridge and Charing Cross on Jubilee/Bakerloo/Northern Lines and on bus services (services RV1 and 15) on the section of route between London Bridge and Charing Cross.
• Between Cannon Street and Charing Cross/Embankment on District/Circle lines and on bus services (service 15) on the section of route between Cannon Street and Charing Cross.
• Between Elephant and Castle and London Bridge on Northern Line and on bus services (service 35, 40, 133 & 343) on the section of route between Elephant and Castle and London Bridge.
• Between Blackfriars and London Bridge and on bus services (service 17 (Blackfriars North), 381 & RV1 (Blackfriars South)) on the section of route between Blackfriars and London Bridge.
• Greenwich line passengers may use the DLR for travel between Greenwich and Lewisham.

 

[STPBTN]

Do you have a link to the guidance document?

http://www.thameslinkrailway.com/download/7480.2/major-service-changes-20-december-2014-until-january/

The document sets out several scenarios and then refers to the alternative arrangements on page 10, which implies the ticket would be valid at a number of underground stations.

 

[cuccir]

On Page 9, the guidance suggests taking the Northern Line London Bridge-Kings Cross/St Pancras as one option EITHER for journeys from London Bridge to stations north of Kings Cross/St Pancras OR for journeys from Kent to stations north of Kings Cross/St Pancras which currently involve changing at London Bridge.

On page 10, the sentence

If you have a National Rail ticket that allows you to travel to, from or
through London Bridge, you may use it on the alternative routes
listed above to complete your journey

to me implies that tickets are only valid on the underground along the specified routes, for the specified journeys. As your ticket is not valid for travel north of Kings Cross/St Pancras, I don't think it's intended that it will be valid on that route.

Whether or not people will show flexibility and let you through the ticket barriers and generally allow people to use this stretch of underground during the works might be a different question.

 

[cjohnson]

Apparently you may need to get your ticket re-issued so it works the Underground barriers
http://www.thameslinkrailway.com/your-journey/thameslink-programme/

 

[Hadders]

Isn't there inta-availability between West Hampstead and London Bridge anyway?

Not sure how this affects tickets routed 'not underground' but I do seem to remember this being mentioned on here a while back.

I'm out and about at the moment so can't check.

 

[user15681]

Note that page 10 on that document refers ONLY to the time period between 20th January 2014 and 5th January 2015. You can only use a 'NOT UNDERGROUND' ticket between London Bridge and King's Cross St Pancras on the Underground for this period.

After the 5th January 2015, you will not be able to use your ticket on the Underground between London Bridge and Kings Cross St Pancras. However, there are other alternatives you can use:
- Catch a direct train from Brighton to St Pancras. These will still run, but will be diverted via a different route and so won't call at London Bridge. If you can catch one of these, you will not need to change.
- Catch the train from Brighton to London Bridge as you mention. From there, your ticket WILL be valid between London Bridge and Blackfriars on the Underground and London Buses - refer to page 11 for these routes. From Blackfriars, you can then catch the next train Northbound to St Pancras. This route will be busy, though, and I personally would avoid it if possible.

From 20/12/2014 to 05/01/2015, your ticket will be valid through the gates at the following Underground stations only (WILL NEED TO BE SHOWN TO STAFF ON GATELINE TO ACCESS):
• Balham
• Bank
• Blackfriars
• Borough
• Canada Water
• Cannon Street
• Charing Cross
• Elephant & Castle
• Embankment
• Farringdon
• Kentish Town
• King’s Cross St Pancras
• London Bridge
• Monument
• Southwark
• Victoria
• Waterloo
• West Hampstead (Jubilee)
• Whitechapel
• Wimbledon


And, from 05/01/2015 to August 2016, your ticket will be valid through the gates at the following Underground stations only (CAN BE USED THROUGH AUTOMATIC BARRIERS, PROVIDED IT IS BOUGHT AFTER 10th NOVEMBER OR EXCHANGED IF NECESSARY):
• Blackfriars
• Cannon Street
• Charing Cross
• Elephant & Castle
• Embankment
• London Bridge
• Southwark
• Waterloo

Please someone do correct me if I have written anything wrong there to avoid any confusion. I'm running on very little sleep and writing that simple passage got me doubting myself
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Apparently you may need to get your ticket re-issued so it works the Underground barriers
http://www.thameslinkrailway.com/your-journey/thameslink-programme/

That only applies to seasons issued prior to 10th November 2014, valid until after 5th January 2015. STPBTN is using monthly seasons, so they'll have bought another one by then, which will have the correct coding, so no need to worry about that for them.

 

[STPBTN]

Thank you for the very helpful replies - this has clarified the ticketing situation for me!