I intend to make the following journeys:
Sat 24th Dec: Waterbeach to Stansted Airport, arrive before 11:00
Thu 29th Dec: Stansted Airport to Cambridge, depart after 22:30
I plan on buying an off-peak return from Waterbeach to Stansted Airport, and breaking my journey at Cambridge on the return leg. I'll be using the remainder of the ticket to Waterbeach at a later date.
Putting this information into the National Rail journey planner gives me a range of sensible looking journeys for Waterbeach to Stansted. For the return leg, I'm offered a 22:27 departure that goes to Waterbeach with a change at Cambridge (ideal for where I want to break the journey), or a 23:00 departure which involves a change at Bishop's Stortford as well as Cambridge. The price, including Network Railcard discount, appears, at first glance to be £13.
However, on closer inspection, this price is not shown as valid on the 23:00 departure via Bishop's Stortford. After experimenting a bit more, I can only get the website to show me the £17 non-railcard discounted fare for that service.
I initially assumed that the railcard discounted fare wasn't valid via Bishop's Stortford for some reason, but entering a journey of Waterbeach to Stansted Airport via Bishop's Stortford shows that it actually appears to be a time-based restriction. I can get the discounted fare on the 22:00 departure via Bishop's Stortford, but not the 23:00.
I'm now really confused - I've never heard of a late-night restriction on railcards - is there one? Or is there some other reason why the railcard discount doesn't apply on this ticket? Comparing with a different journey, the railcard discount is offered on the (even later) 23:15 departure from Kings Cross to Waterbeach, which suggests that it's actually some combination of route and time that is preventing the railcard discounted fare from being available. Is this right, or have I just found a glitch in the booking system?
Sat 24th Dec: Waterbeach to Stansted Airport, arrive before 11:00
Thu 29th Dec: Stansted Airport to Cambridge, depart after 22:30
I plan on buying an off-peak return from Waterbeach to Stansted Airport, and breaking my journey at Cambridge on the return leg. I'll be using the remainder of the ticket to Waterbeach at a later date.
Putting this information into the National Rail journey planner gives me a range of sensible looking journeys for Waterbeach to Stansted. For the return leg, I'm offered a 22:27 departure that goes to Waterbeach with a change at Cambridge (ideal for where I want to break the journey), or a 23:00 departure which involves a change at Bishop's Stortford as well as Cambridge. The price, including Network Railcard discount, appears, at first glance to be £13.
However, on closer inspection, this price is not shown as valid on the 23:00 departure via Bishop's Stortford. After experimenting a bit more, I can only get the website to show me the £17 non-railcard discounted fare for that service.
I initially assumed that the railcard discounted fare wasn't valid via Bishop's Stortford for some reason, but entering a journey of Waterbeach to Stansted Airport via Bishop's Stortford shows that it actually appears to be a time-based restriction. I can get the discounted fare on the 22:00 departure via Bishop's Stortford, but not the 23:00.
I'm now really confused - I've never heard of a late-night restriction on railcards - is there one? Or is there some other reason why the railcard discount doesn't apply on this ticket? Comparing with a different journey, the railcard discount is offered on the (even later) 23:15 departure from Kings Cross to Waterbeach, which suggests that it's actually some combination of route and time that is preventing the railcard discounted fare from being available. Is this right, or have I just found a glitch in the booking system?