Wimbledon to Reading

[Flippy]

Hi All

I'm looking at getting a job in Reading but I'm a bit confused as to how the tickets work.
I looked on GWR website and there is a monthly season pass for 360 pounds per month. Am I correct in saying that I can't travel via Paddington with this ticket? All the other routes look significantly slower.

If I get a season pass from Paddington to Reading would I have to get a zone 1-3 travel card as well?

 

[LexyBoy]

You can buy a Reading-Zone 1-6 Travelcard, which is £482.40 for a month (and can be purchased for any length between a month and a year, so it's best to ask for it to finish on a Friday, or at the beginning of any holidays etc). This includes unlimited travel within Zones 1-6 as well as to Reading from Paddington or the SWT lines. You need to search with Reading as your origin, as Travelcards only show up for journeys coming into London due to sloppy programming - as with any season ticket it is valid to use in either direction and at any intermediate station.

You're correct in that the £360.20 ticket is not valid via Paddington - it's routed Not Via London. It's valid Wimbledon-Clapham Jct-Reading, or Wimbledon-Weybridge-Virginia Water-Reading, or Wimbledon-Surbiton-Basingstoke-Reading.

I would recommend the Travelcard to start with, but try the "not via London" routes as well - you may find them similar in time and/or more pleasant (avoiding central London). If that's the case then you could buy the cheaper ticket in future.

That said, Travelcards are much better value for those commuting from London than to it, as you get to make much more use of the travel within the zones.

 

[pethadine82]

Would it be valid from Reading - slough to Eton, walk to Eton and windsor Riverside, staines , Richmond, clapham junction then switch to wimbledon?

 

[Andrewlong]

I used to travel from Winnersh Triangle (2 stops from Reading on Waterloo line) to Croydon so my journey was similar to the op. You have a number of things to balance - cost of ticket, route, journey time and frequency of trains.

If you are happy with a 2 trains per hour service and a long stopping journey - go via Clapham Junction to Reading. If you are after a more frequent service to Reading eg 4 trains per hour then go via tube to Paddington. It will cost you more and the time taken to get on tube and to Paddington then Reading may mean it's as lengthy as the Clapham Junction route.

I would buy the expensive ticket and try out by both routes to see what works for you.

My journey to Croydon was far cheaper excluding London - but the biggest problem I suffered was getting onto Reading train at CJ in the evening rush hour. I often couldn't get on it let alone find a seat. Come down to CJ Jeremy if you want to film a political video Jeremy!