Tube ticket barrier question

[spoony]

Hi all, on the 9th February I will be travelling from Newcastle to Portsmouth for the Sunderland match (yes I know Im game, especially after we have just been beaten 7-2 today). My train ticket says Newcastle - Portsmouth EC + Connections. My question is, will this ticket be valid on the tube? The advised travel itinery at the time advises to get the tube from KX, but I am a bit wary of putting my through ticket in the barriers only for it to be swallowed up!

 

[Old Timer]

Hi all, on the 9th February I will be travelling from Newcastle to Portsmouth for the Sunderland match (yes I know Im game, especially after we have just been beaten 7-2 today). My train ticket says Newcastle - Portsmouth EC + Connections. My question is, will this ticket be valid on the tube? The advised travel itinery at the time advises to get the tube from KX, but I am a bit wary of putting my through ticket in the barriers only for it to be swallowed up!

The machine will not swallow it up, it will eject it with a rejection warning alarm and the barrier will remain locked.

As I recall if your ticket has a small O with a line through it then it will operate LUL ticket barriers. This should be towards the right hand end of the ticket details.

If you have any doubts there is always a member of staff by the barriers who will let you through if you have a problem, or if you are unsure about your ticket.

 

[Daniel]

As OT says, if it has a small underground symbol or '+' (the maltese cross) it'll be valid on LU - I'd assume plus connections includes that.

Also as OT says if you get any problems it won't keep it it'll just reject it back out, and there will be a member of staff around to help (especially so at Kings Cross)!

The only difference is on your way out at Waterloo if you have a specific ticket for LU ('gate pass only') that may be kept by the barriers upon exit from the system - (that's to ensure you don't break your journey on LU).

 

[ChrisTheRef]

A little + usually indicates "cross London"

I guess you're on an advance ticket, in which case, it the itinerary said to use the tube, it will be valid.

 

[spoony]

Thanks for the replies chaps. Just had a look at the tickets and under the Route section on my ticket it says "+EC + connections". So does the leading + mean this is valid on the tube then?

Cheers

Chris

 

[Daniel]

Yes

 

[spoony]

Yes

Cheers Although the ticket could be a bit more obvious like. If I didnt know about this place I would probably end up buying a seperate tube ticket to be sure.

 

[Daniel]

I think the way most people do it is try it anyway, then if it doesn't work buy a tube single..!

 

[A60K]

As OT says, if it has a small underground symbol or '+' (the maltese cross) it'll be valid on LU - I'd assume plus connections includes that.

Also as OT says if you get any problems it won't keep it it'll just reject it back out, and there will be a member of staff around to help (especially so at Kings Cross)!

The only difference is on your way out at Waterloo if you have a specific ticket for LU ('gate pass only') that may be kept by the barriers upon exit from the system - (that's to ensure you don't break your journey on LU).

AIUI the 'Underground' symbol was introduced in around 1989 to show which APTIS machines had been adapted to produce the magnetic coding needed to operate automatic barriers, and doesn't actually denote the ticket is valid on LU. The + indicates, as you say, that the ticket is valid for cross- London travel by LU.

 

[krus_aragon]

AIUI the 'Underground' symbol was introduced in around 1989 to show which APTIS machines had been adapted to produce the magnetic coding needed to operate automatic barriers, and doesn't actually denote the ticket is valid on LU. The + indicates, as you say, that the ticket is valid for cross- London travel by LU.

Correct. I've got a Cardiff Central-Newport S. Wales ticket with the underground symbol, but it shouldn't be valid anywhere near London! It does, however, operate barriers.

 

[Wyvern]

Remember the barrier may reject your ticket even if the journey is valid.

I buy a ticket from Derby to Brighton on EMT "via FCC" a fiver cheaper than "any permitted"

Even so the FCC barrier downstairs at St Pancras always rejects it.

 

[Oswyntail]

Cheers Although the ticket could be a bit more obvious like. ...

Oh come on, that would be helping the customer! If you read page 252 para 76(a) of the fares manual together with para 1137aix of the Routing Guide everything is made quite clear - and it is your duty to do that before you travel as you implicitly accept the Ts & Cs when you first dream of buying a ticket.
Cynic, moi?

 

[Death]

Remember the barrier may reject your ticket even if the journey is valid.
I buy a ticket from Derby to Brighton on EMT "via FCC" a fiver cheaper than "any permitted"
Even so the FCC barrier downstairs at St Pancras always rejects it.

I get the same with Chiltern OPRs and the barriers at Waterloo...Even though the ticket's as valid as the Queen's word, the barriers still refuse to accept it.

'Tis a real pain in the ass if ye have a tight connection across the city...Such a pain in fact that it's encouraged me to vault on a few occasions now! (Which is perfectly lawful in any case - Given that I bear a valid ticket, and the gate is obviously malfunctioning. :roll

Anyhow...If it's been issued by a TOC that doesn't normally serve London, be prepared for barrier rejections all over the shop. The gateline staff will be happy to let ye through on presentation of thy ticket, though!

Correct. I've got a Cardiff Central-Newport S. Wales ticket with the underground symbol, but it shouldn't be valid anywhere near London! It does, however, operate barriers.

That's actually quite interesting...My last but one ticket (SVS; Casnewydd - Blackwater) was actually missing said "Underground" symbol, and this struck me as odd, given that it was the first time I'd ever had a ticket without one on it! hock:

Given that Casnewydd's gateline was open when I bought the ticket and Blackwater is unmanned though, I suppose there's no need for my ticket to be mag-coded. Indeed, not mag-coding my ticket would stop me from BOJing at Reading or anywhere else en-route!

 

[mathmo]

'Tis a real pain in the ass if ye have a tight connection across the city...Such a pain in fact that it's encouraged me to vault on a few occasions now! (Which is perfectly lawful in any case - Given that I bear a valid ticket, and the gate is obviously malfunctioning. :roll

You are wrong - this is in breach of the Railway Byelaws, section 9 part (2):

Where the entrance to or exit from any platform or station is via a manned or an automatic ticket barrier no person shall enter or leave the station, except with permission from an authorised person, without passing through the barrier in the correct manner.

You are therefore required to use the barrier as normal or ask the gateline staff.

 

[Death]

You are wrong - this is in breach of the Railway Byelaws, section 9 part (2). You are therefore required to use the barrier as normal or ask the gateline staff.

Ooops...That's a section of the Bylaws that I'd never got around to reading! Just as well no-one seemed to mind...

Will bear the above in mind...Although at the same time I'd really appreciate it if NR would pull their fingers out and get these crappy old CTS gates programmed properly!

Farewell again, and cheers for the Bylaw info!

 

[Wyvern]

Barriers quite often refuse my tickets any way. They want to make sure I'm not a youngster who has bought a senior ticket from a machine.

(One look at me and I'm waved thriugh )

 

[jon0844]

Staff will often leave a gate open (sometimes if they've opened it one way but nobody goes through, it will let everyone through the other way until used properly - times out - or is closed) and I'm sorry, but I'll walk through it when I see it.

Much easier and quicker, and I have a valid ticket.

I've also had the common problem where the person in front swipes, it fails, but I've been in autopilot mode and despite seeing it saying 'seek assistance', I've already swiped my card - and the gate has let him through and stops on me. So, I'll just proceed and double up. On occasion this will mean it sets off an alarm.

Sorry, but once again, I am not going to go back and seek assistance myself. Let someone try and arrest me. It will give a nice story for the evening paper.

 

[EltonRoad]

Cheers Although the ticket could be a bit more obvious like. If I didnt know about this place I would probably end up buying a seperate tube ticket to be sure.

I totally agree with this.

In BR days there used to be an explanation on the back of train tickets which told you what the "+" symbol meant. This is no longer provided.

I suspect there are lots of people who buy separate Underground tickets without realising it's already included with the ticket.

Is there anyone on here from ATOC who can pull some strings and get the paragraph reinstated?

 

[Daniel]

Sorry, but once again, I am not going to go back and seek assistance myself. Let someone try and arrest me. It will give a nice story for the evening paper.

Nothing much would happen. You'd be stopped by a Revenue Control Inspector if ones around - they'd check your ticket on a MOVie reader (mobile oyster viewer), see that you've touched out, apologise for the inconvenience and let you go. Not much of a story..

 

[jon0844]

At Old Street and Farringdon (two stations I use a lot), revenue are always backed up by BTP. In fact, it's often BTP that step in.