Hassocks5489
Member
Hi all,
When I joined the forum, one of my main aims was to tap into the wide range of expertise members may have on (sometimes) obscure ticket-related and fare-related subjects. So, here we go with a few questions on the first one...
I am interested in, and have spent some time researching, the concept of station groups - not the fare-setting groups/clusters you see on brfares.com, but the pseudo-locations to which tickets can be issued instead of a specific station. The likes of "London Terminals", "Maidstone Stations", "Wigan Stations" etc. etc. Pre-privatisation, these were represented as e.g. "London Brit Rail", "Maidstone BR" and "Wigan BR", and the term "BR stations" was often used in fares manuals and suchlike.
I have established all the groups that have existed since 1985, and the stations covered (e.g. Maidstone BR/Maidstone Stations covers M. East, West and Barracks). In some cases, stations have moved in or out over the years. New groups have been introduced; more often, groups have been entirely abolished (Birkenhead BR, Cardiff BR, Burnley BR...). I know, for example, that each group has its own National Location Code, and that tickets will be issued to/from a specific station rather than a "group" in certain circumstances. Anyway, so much for the background.
A few questions, then, for which I would love to receive any insight, theories, definite information that anybody can offer...
Other questions might occur to me, but that will do for now - sorry for such a long post
Finally, old copies of National Fares Manuals have been very useful in my research, because they have a lot of info in Section A (especially re. new/defunct groups, stations moving in and out etc.). A friend has a lot of NFMs going back to 1985, which I've consulted, but there are some gaps. If anybody has any lying around at home, especially pre-1985, please let me know (by private message is OK); if it's an edition I'm missing, I'd be grateful for scans of the relevant pages if possible.
When I joined the forum, one of my main aims was to tap into the wide range of expertise members may have on (sometimes) obscure ticket-related and fare-related subjects. So, here we go with a few questions on the first one...
I am interested in, and have spent some time researching, the concept of station groups - not the fare-setting groups/clusters you see on brfares.com, but the pseudo-locations to which tickets can be issued instead of a specific station. The likes of "London Terminals", "Maidstone Stations", "Wigan Stations" etc. etc. Pre-privatisation, these were represented as e.g. "London Brit Rail", "Maidstone BR" and "Wigan BR", and the term "BR stations" was often used in fares manuals and suchlike.
I have established all the groups that have existed since 1985, and the stations covered (e.g. Maidstone BR/Maidstone Stations covers M. East, West and Barracks). In some cases, stations have moved in or out over the years. New groups have been introduced; more often, groups have been entirely abolished (Birkenhead BR, Cardiff BR, Burnley BR...). I know, for example, that each group has its own National Location Code, and that tickets will be issued to/from a specific station rather than a "group" in certain circumstances. Anyway, so much for the background.
A few questions, then, for which I would love to receive any insight, theories, definite information that anybody can offer...
- When were these groups first introduced as separate entities with their own NLCs? I suspect it may have been the early 1980s, possibly coincident with the introduction of the INTIS computerised ticket system.
- Why were they created? To my mind, possible reasons: (1) some places have stations on different lines, so a station group gives the passenger flexibility (e.g. Maidstone, Canterbury, Farnborough); (2) others have a main station and a much less significant secondary suburban station (e.g. Bedford, Reading) and it perhaps makes more sense to attribute revenue to a single entity; (3) historically, tickets were sometimes issued to e.g. "Brighton, Hove, Aldrington, London Road or Preston Park", and some groups may have been created to perpetuate this flexibility (a "Brighton BR" group did exist for a time). Do those reasons sound plausible? Any other suggestions?
- Some places that fit these criteria have never had a station group - e.g. Acton (Central, Main Line, South), Bicester (North/Town), Bromley (North/South). Why might that be?
- I'm not sure how revenue attribution works in relation to a station group. I'm particularly interested in Advance tickets. In many cases, an Advance ticket will be issued to/from a group station rather than a specific station, even though this seems counterintuitive because it is valid on a specific train from and to a specific station (and on the accompanying Reservation coupon, the specific station will always be named). e.g. a Virgin Advance from London to Glasgow will be issued from "London Terminals" to "Glasgow Cen/QSt". But some TOCs, notably Southern, will specify e.g. London Victoria instead of London Terminals.
Other questions might occur to me, but that will do for now - sorry for such a long post
Finally, old copies of National Fares Manuals have been very useful in my research, because they have a lot of info in Section A (especially re. new/defunct groups, stations moving in and out etc.). A friend has a lot of NFMs going back to 1985, which I've consulted, but there are some gaps. If anybody has any lying around at home, especially pre-1985, please let me know (by private message is OK); if it's an edition I'm missing, I'd be grateful for scans of the relevant pages if possible.
