Using a ticket from Cholsey for break of journey at Reading

[cholsey-choose]

The Cholsey easement means that someone with a ticket to or from Cholsey to or from eg. Oxford or Swindon can break their journey at Reading.

I must have argued with gateline staff dozens of times about this now. And even when they do let you through eventually, it's more with a "well, you're scamming but I can't be bothered to argue" attitude.

Once I was marched over to the unpaid fare window, and after my route was shown to be valid, the revenue guy tried to insist that I still shouldn't leave, because my ticket didn't explicitly say that I could leave the station at Reading. (This was a walk-up fare.) Why are people in these positions so allergic to admitting that they are wrong?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Are you absolutely sure the easement allows break of journey? A good many such easements strictly prohibit break of journey when doing the otherwise "illegal" bit of line.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Sadly, we are living in a blame culture where nobody wants to take responsibility for their words/actions

 

[cholsey-choose]

Are you absolutely sure the easement allows break of journey? A good many such easements strictly prohibit break of journey when doing the otherwise "illegal" bit of line.

Looks that way to me!

700137 Customers travelling from Cholsey via Didcot Parkway in possession of tickets routed 'Any Permitted' may travel via Reading. This easement applies in both directions.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Looks that way to me!

700137 Customers travelling from Cholsey via Didcot Parkway in possession of tickets routed 'Any Permitted' may travel via Reading. This easement applies in both directions.

It doesn't say you can't, and therefore I'd say you can, yes.

 

[FGW_DID]

Ticketing is not my field but that says to me if you are travelling from Cholsey to Oxford or Swindon you can change at Didcot or you can travel via (i.e. CHANGE) at Reading. Doesn't mean you can break your journey there!
So both parties were right, it is a valid route but you shouldn't be breaking your journey there.

 

[cholsey-choose]

Ticketing is not my field but that says to me if you are travelling from Cholsey to Oxford or Swindon you can change at Didcot or you can travel via (i.e. CHANGE) at Reading. Doesn't mean you can break your journey there!
So both parties were right, it is a valid route but you shouldn't be breaking your journey there.

No, I think you're wrong here. What it does is tell me that Cholsey-Reading-Didcot-wherever is a permitted route. And on non-advance tickets you are allowed to break your journey anywhere en route unless explicitly forbidden. That's a fundamental principle of ticketing, isn't it?

As was noted above, many easements include language that explicitly forbids break of journey at the relevant station. This one doesn't.

 

[FGW_DID]

And on non-advance tickets you are allowed to break your journey anywhere en route unless explicitly forbidden. That's a fundamental principle of ticketing, isn't it?

No idea to be honest, I have nothing to do with tickets but that was my take of what you posted at #4. Perhaps this would be better off in the Fares Advice & Policy section of the Forum and one of our resident experts can give their take on it?

 

[cholsey-choose]

Perhaps! But I will note that the guy behind the window with the computer at Reading station told me that the fare was valid and that I could leave.

 

[yorkie]

The Cholsey easement means that someone with a ticket to or from Cholsey to or from eg. Oxford or Swindon can break their journey at Reading.

As long as you do actually start the journey at Cholsey, then providing the ticket type allows break of journey (the default position is that all tickets do unless it is made clear that they don't e.g. Advance tickets) you should be able to break your journey at Reading.

However in practice you are likely to experience difficulties exercising this right.

 

[cholsey-choose]

Part of me wants to be really passive aggressive and just carry a printout of the easement.

I complained to GWR about being detained at the station for 10 minutes with no apology, but I got nothing beyond a "sorry our staff were rude" canned response.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Part of me wants to be really passive aggressive and just carry a printout of the easement.

I complained to GWR about being detained at the station for 10 minutes with no apology, but I got nothing beyond a "sorry our staff were rude" canned response.

Being falsely imprisoned is no laughing matter so I am glad you are taking it seriously. The TOC can require an excess fare to be paid, or for you to give your details, but even if the ticket held is unquestionably not valid to break the journey at the station in question, the railway does not have the right to detain a cooperative passenger.

If this is occurring frequently there may be grounds for considering a prosecution for false imprisonment. Perhaps giving the TOCs a bit of their own medicine would wake them up to the fact that they live in the real world of criminal responsibility, and not some imaginary railway land where they can get away with treating customers as self-loading cargo.

 

[furlong]

If you can, book your journeys ahead of time specifying the (latest) itinerary you will be using, reserving seats for the long part of the journey. So at the gateline you either have a reservation to Reading for the longer-distance train you have just got off, or a later reservation for the train from Reading which you will be catching after the break to your journey. Show the reservation and ticket together. These will be trains that don't stop at Didcot (otherwise it would have been better to change there). Also carry something showing your address at Cholsey you can voluntarily show to try to defuse the situation if they inappropriately accuse you again. (Of course none of that should be necessary as you're entitled to use the ticket this way, but these things may help you to avoid conflict.)