Touching in/out at Farringdon

[DynamicSpirit]

Does anyone know.. does Farringdon have yellow contactless readers on the platforms to allow touching in/out when changing between Thameslink and the various TfL lines without exiting the station?

 

[Benjwri]

Does anyone know.. does Farringdon have yellow contactless readers on the platforms to allow touching in/out when changing between Thameslink and the various TfL lines without exiting the station?

There are validators just on the Northbound Thameslink Platform, and in the corridor between North and Southbound.

 

[Failed Unit]

Going Southbound there are a couple at the bottom of the stairs (rear end of the train when it is heading South). The some more by the entrance to the tube station. I tend to tap out at the one at the bottom of the stairs and back in close to the tubes. Gives me chance to think about what card I am swapping to.

If I am at the front of the train, I often leave the station cross the road and come back in.

 

[Kite159]

Just beware you might get 'pounced' on by an undercover RPI to challenge anybody they see touching those readers to what ticket they used to arrive/plan to use to carry on, considering those readers at Farringdon as a massive revenue hole for those travelling to/from stations which don't have barriers

 

[Haywain]

Just beware you might get 'pounced' on by an undercover RPI to challenge anybody they see touching those readers to what ticket they used to arrive/plan to use to carry on, considering those readers at Farringdon as a massive revenue hole for those travelling to/from stations which don't have barriers

Are you aware of any cases of this happening, because I don't think it's ever been reported here?

 

[Failed Unit]

I have beings challenged on the bridge. The asked for the card I used to arrive at the station with. Happy with my explanation. Not sure who the RPI worked for. Probably GTRs to be honest as that is the company I think you are most likely to short fare. TFL you would probably get a tap out violation anyway.

technically I would still be cheaper changing at Kings Cross because Farringdon isn’t a London Terminal. Time is money as the way.

 

[Joe Paxton]

Aren't these Oyster readers set to 'continuation exit'? i.e. Tapping them during the middle of an Oyster (or cotactless) journey will have no ill-effect.

 

[Failed Unit]

Aren't these Oyster readers set to 'continuation exit'? i.e. Tapping them during the middle of an Oyster (or cotactless) journey will have no ill-effect.

They are if you are doing say Aldgate (pick your zone 1 station) to Welwyn Garden City.Is that not the same as at any tap en-route? If your journey is valid from a-b it will just pick the correct fare for the route? The reason these are on the platform for certain Elizabeth line journeys, along with avoid the need For us on Thameslink to need to pass through the barriers.

Haven’t seen a block on the bridge recently however I understand that short fare to Farringdon is high,

 

[zero]

They are if you are doing say Aldgate (pick your zone 1 station) to Welwyn Garden City.Is that not the same as at any tap en-route? If your journey is valid from a-b it will just pick the correct fare for the route? The reason these are on the platform for certain Elizabeth line journeys, along with avoid the need For us on Thameslink to need to pass through the barriers.

Continuation exit is only relevant to Oyster.

You can only use contactless to WGC. If you touch in with contactless at Aldgate, touch again at Farringdon and touch out at WGC, the TfL computer will work out what you've done and charge you correctly for a single Aldgate-WGC journey.

If you used Oyster to touch in at Aldgate and then again at Farringdon, you'd be charged for Aldgate-Farringdon and your Oyster would be set to continuation exit. If you then took Thameslink to West Hampstead and touched out, continuation exit would cause the Aldgate-Farringdon charge to be correctly replaced with a Aldgate-West Hampstead Thameslink charge. However, after you touch at Farringdon, RPIs may see you as not having a valid ticket.

If you continued to WGC anyway because you didn't know/forgot that you can't use Oyster there, several outcomes would be possible ranging from getting a free trip between Farrindgon and WGC, to getting reported for prosecution.

 

[Richardr]

I was once stopped on the bridge by TfL some years ago. I'd got a London Thameslink season ticket on a Key Card at the time, usually just using Thameslink and walking to my office from one of the next couple of stations, only changing to the tube if it was pouring with rain. I would tap an Oyster Card in at the bottom of the stairs by the tube platform 1, after the bridge. A quick explanation and a sceptical comment from the inspector, and I was on my way.

 

[island]

Are you aware of any cases of this happening, because I don't think it's ever been reported here?

There has been numerous reports on the D&P forum of passengers travelling from unbarriered NR stations to Farringdon, tapping in, and completing their journey by EL/LU.

 

[Haywain]

There has been numerous reports on the D&P forum of passengers travelling from unbarriered NR stations to Farringdon, tapping in, and completing their journey by EL/LU.

Indeed, but these have been captured at NR stations such as St Pancras. I cannot recall a case of amyone having been stopped within Farringdon station.

 

[Hadders]

Indeed, but these have been captured at NR stations such as St Pancras. I cannot recall a case of amyone having been stopped within Farringdon station.

IIRC we had a case a couple of years ago where GTR were going to prosecute soeone who had tapped at Farringdon while interchanging. ISTR it took the involvement of @MikeWh via one of his contacts to get the matter dropped.

 

[Haywain]

IIRC we had a case a couple of years ago where GTR were going to prosecute soeone who had tapped at Farringdon while interchanging. ISTR it took the involvement of @MikeWh via one of his contacts to get the matter dropped.

I recall that case but I think it resulted from an on-train inspection so still not evidence of people being caught out *at* Farringdon as suggested earlier.

 

[Hadders]

I recall that case but I think it resulted from an on-train inspection so still not evidence of people being caught out *at* Farringdon as suggested earlier.

Come to think about it you could be right, but the root cause of the issue was the standalone readers at Farringdon were not set to continuation exit (or they were set and the GTR RPI misinterpreted what continuation exit meant when they scanned the Oyster card).

 

[MikeWh]

IIRC we had a case a couple of years ago where GTR were going to prosecute soeone who had tapped at Farringdon while interchanging. ISTR it took the involvement of @MikeWh via one of his contacts to get the matter dropped.

I recall that case but I think it resulted from an on-train inspection so still not evidence of people being caught out *at* Farringdon as suggested earlier.

Come to think about it you could be right, but the root cause of the issue was the standalone readers at Farringdon were not set to continuation exit (or they were set and the GTR RPI misinterpreted what continuation exit meant when they scanned the Oyster card).

I had a case where someone touched the yellow reader at Kentish Town en route between Totteridge and Denmark Hill. I can't remember whether it was an on train inspection which continued on the platform somewhere. It was a penalty fare that was issued and we managed to persuade them to cancel it in the end.

There were another couple of cases where people were making journeys in and out and touching in and out correctly where they had a travelcard on their Oyster cards. One involved London Bridge and another Clapham Junction, and in neither case did the travelcard include zones 1 or 2. Both were GTR inspectors and both were stopped after TfL pointed out to GTR that there was no case to answer.

I do know that GA frequently catch people touching in at Stratford without a valid ticket from Essex, so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that GTR will do the same at Farringdon.

Continuation exit is only relevant to Oyster.

Are you sure? The same situations can occur with contactless and the back-office will make similar decisions based on all the available touches.