Stansted Mountfitchet / Elsenham - Liverpool Street season

[rockford]

Good morning,

I'm after a little help please.
I've currently got a Stansted Mountfitchet - London Terminals annual season ticket.

It's coming up for renewal and I've read on here that an Elsenham - London Terminals annual season offers the additional flexibility of travel via Stansted Airport (at the same price).

I use my Stansted Mountfitchet - London Terminal season to travel to Stratford sometimes.
Would this be permitted with the Elsenham - London Terminals ticket too?

If so, I think I'll opt for the Elsenham ticket.

Thank you!

 

[soil]

Elsenham, Essex to London Terminals is valid by the 'shortest route' rule to travel

Elsenham - Stansted Mountfichet - Tottenham Hale

The shortest route from Tottenham Hale is via Hackney, but Stratford is only 1 mile longer, so is permitted under the 'shortest route + 3 miles' rule.

You can use the ticket to start and finish short, so it's valid e.g., to travel Stansted Mountfichet - Stratford.

Regarding starting at Stansted Airport,

the routeing guide provides

"If one station is a routeing point and the other one is a related station, the
permitted route is the shortest route to the routeing point plus the permitted
routes between routeing points. "

In this case the relevant routeing point is 'Stansted Group'.

The shortest route to Stansted Group from Elsenham Essex is:

Stansted Mountfichet 1 3/4 miles
Stansted Airport 4 1/2 miles

So Stansted Airport is not allowed under that rule.

However, the group stations rule provides:

"Some stations are grouped together to improve interchange between trains
by offering customers access to a wider choice of train services and station
facilities. A customer may travel via any station in such a group, including
doubling back, provided that the group is on one of the permitted routes
between their origin and destination stations. This extended availability is for
interchange purposes only and does not apply where the origin or destination
stations are part of a group. "

So it is permitted to travel via either group member, Stansted Airport or Stansted Mountfichet, from Elsenham.

Therefore you can start from either Stansted Mountfichet or Stansted Airport on this ticket.

Since you are no longer relying on the shortest route rule, but mapped routes between Stansted Group and London Terminals, you need to check the map:
http://www.atoc.org/clientfiles/File/Maps.pdf#page=102

It shows that travel via both Stratford and Hackney are valid.

 

[rockford]

Exactly what I was looking for.
Thank you for taking the time to write that out.

 

[rockford]

This extended availability is for interchange purposes only and does not apply where the origin or destination stations are part of a group

Just to confirm; does this mean that I can't use the ticket to travel between Stansted Mountfitchet and Stansted Airport only - given that they're both part of a group (the same one)?

 

[John @ home]

does this mean that I can't use the ticket to travel between Stansted Mountfitchet and Stansted Airport only - given that they're both part of a group

You can't use a Stansted Mountfitchet - London Terminals season ticket to travel between Stansted Mountfitchet and Stansted Airport because

• Stansted Airport is not on a Permitted Route between Stansted Mountfitchet and London Terminals, and
• Stansted Mountfitchet, which is part of Stansted Group, is the origin shown on the ticket so the group stations rule does not apply.

You are able to use a Elsenham - London Terminals season ticket to travel between Stansted Mountfitchet and Stansted Airport because

• both Stansted Mountfitchet and Stansted Airport are on a Permitted Route between Elsenham and London Terminals, and
• Elsenham, the origin shown on the ticket, is not part of Stansted Group so the group stations rule applies, and
• when using a season ticket, you are allowed to start, end, or break and resume a journey at any intermediate station.

 

[rockford]

Perfect. Thank you.
I was referring to the Elsenham - London Terminals ticket.
Just wanted to make sure that the origin and destinations part meant those printed on the ticket, not the intermediate stations I wanted to travel between.

 

[RJ]

The important distinction between group stations and station groups has been highlighted. Speaking of which, where can an official list of station groups be found?

 

[soil]

http://www.atoc.org/clientfiles/File/group_stations.pdf
vs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Station_group_(railway)#Existing_groups (not official)