Steeton to Bamber Bridge route.

[Karl]

I think I may have inadvertently committed a crime and I'm trying to find out the correct route for my journey.

I took a last minute drop of the hat journey from Bamber Bridge to Steeton and Silsden and bought an off peak day return for £20.50. This involved a change at Blackburn and then a further change at Bradford Interchange. Next was a walk across Bradford to Forster Square and then a wait for the Train to Steeton and Silsden. A three and a half hours journey for a distance of just 37 miles. Unfortunately I ended up having to stay overnight and my day return was not valid for the next morning.

Overnight I wondered what the best route home would be. I didn't have any internet access and didn't know whether it would be best to go via Lancaster, Preston and home to Bamber Bridge.

In the morning I bought a single for £19.80 from the ticket machine at Steeton. The ticket stated via Burnley. I didn't fancy the walk across Bradford and asked the guard if my ticket was valid via Leeds. He said yes (I know the man on the platform excuse). I got home without any questions when presenting my ticket to the guards.

Getting home I tried searching online for the journey and the prices. I think going via Leeds on my way home was more expensive despite catching the same train at Leeds that would have picked me up from Bradford.

Do I owe Northern £3.40 for the difference in ticket prices and can anyone tell me the valid route? Is there a website I could use?

 

[Merseysider]

The National Routeing Guide is one way of finding out if a proposed route is valid or not, but if you aren't yet acqainted with it, it may take some time to wrap your head around.

Anyway, Bamber Bridge to Steeton and v.v. is valid via Leeds. And even if you did owe Northern a few quid, sending it to them unprompted would probably cost them more in admin to deal with it

 

[Adam0984]

I see no problem with that and I regularly work both lines. If it was a Bradford to Bamber Bdg and you decided to go Forster Sq to Leeds to Bamber Bridge then that would be a problem in my eyes

 

[Paul Kelly]

Totally fine to go via Leeds. The more expensive ANY PERMITTED fare is presumably intended to be used for travel via Hellifield and Lancaster, but is pointless as that's not actually a permitted route (Hellifield fails the fares check as an origin routeing point).

 

[Karl]

Thanks all for the replies and the link to the routing guide, I'll bookmark it. That makes my next journey to Steeton a lot easier rather than crossing Bradford, especially when catching the very same train that calls at Leeds.

I forgot to add that my ticket did actually allow me through the ticket barrier at Leeds for an e-cigarette break so I should have taken that as my ticket being valid.

I'll use the £3.40 to buy myself a relieving pint of beer to celebrate my innocence

 

[SickyNicky]

I forgot to add that my ticket did actually allow me through the ticket barrier at Leeds for an e-cigarette break so I should have taken that as my ticket being valid.

I wouldn't take what the Leeds barrier does and doesn't allow as any indication of validity.

But in any case, your single would absolutely be valid for a break of journey at Leeds (and anywhere else on the route).

 

[Ianigsy]

There seems to be a reasonable amount of flexibility as regards journeys which involve a connection between the Airedale and Wharfedale and Calder Valley lines - probably because some of the services out of Bradford Forster Square run to two-hourly frequencies on Sundays, among other things. Essentially, the system treats Bradford and Leeds as equally valid interchanges and is blind to the fact that changing at Leeds takes you back through Bradford on another route.

Nevertheless, if it's a journey you make on a regular basis, it may also be worth looking at Transdev's Daytripper tickets- for £9 one will take you from Preston to Steeton with changes at Burnley and Keighley or Skipton and there may not be much in it timewise compared with the train.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

Nevertheless, if it's a journey you make on a regular basis, it may also be worth looking at Transdev's Daytripper tickets- for £9 one will take you from Preston to Steeton with changes at Burnley and Keighley or Skipton and there may not be much in it timewise compared with the train.

Shouldn't need to change after Burnley, the Mainline bus comes through Steeton.

 

[Deerfold]

Shouldn't need to change after Burnley, the Mainline bus comes through Steeton.

And the £6.10 Silver day ticket is valid for these routes.

 

[Karl]

It's a heck of a long time since I last used a coach/bus service apart from local 3 mile journeys to Preston and I hadn't even considered this option so thanks all for the heads up. I'll bear it in mind for my next trip.