Can't get tickets to underground stations

Post by c***@isbd.net
One is supposed to be able to buy tickets to underground stations from
anywhere but in practice it's impossible.
On the National Rail web site one can find a train/route from a rail
station to the underground but as soon as you click on 'Buy Ticket' it
takes you to one of the rail operators' sites where it says "Invalid
Destination".

Assuming you're talking about the UK, many sites have it. I tried Raileasy
('London plus Single Underground Zone 1 journey'), Trainline ('London
Underground Zone 1') and East Coast ('London U12') and it appeared
straightaway.

The trick is not to search for your underground station but for 'London' and
then scroll down the list of possibilities to select one with underground.

Theo

c***@isbd.net

2015-03-08 09:25:29 UTC

Yes, but that overcharges me! It's obviously more expnsive to go
right round the 'other side' for example than to go one stop from
where I get off the main line train.

Post by Theo Markettos
The trick is not to search for your underground station but for 'London' and
then scroll down the list of possibilities to select one with underground.

But National Rail allows Underground Station destinations and thinks
the result should be transferable to the operators' sites where you
buy the tickets.

I'll go and check to see if the price given on National Rail is less
than going to a 'Zone 1' or 'Zone 2' destination.

--
Chris Green
·

c***@isbd.net

2015-03-08 09:55:35 UTC

Yes, but that overcharges me! It's obviously more expnsive to go
right round the 'other side' for example than to go one stop from
where I get off the main line train.

Post by Theo Markettos
The trick is not to search for your underground station but for 'London' and
then scroll down the list of possibilities to select one with underground.

But National Rail allows Underground Station destinations and thinks
the result should be transferable to the operators' sites where you
buy the tickets.
I'll go and check to see if the price given on National Rail is less
than going to a 'Zone 1' or 'Zone 2' destination.

I'm right!

If you look for a journey from Ipswich to Gallions Reach (DLR) on
National Rail later today it's priced at £40.10. If you go to Abellio
Greater Anglia and get a price for Ipswich to Underground Zones 1-3
(Gallions Reach is Zone 3) then the price is £42.10.

OK, it's not a huge amount but when combined with low advanced ticket
prices it makes a much bigger proportional difference. For example
(my actual typical journey, with senior railcard)

Ipswich 14:09 Wed 18th March to Gallions Reach (National Rail) £8.10
Ditto to London Underground Zones 1-3 (Abellio) £10.75

That *is* a significant difference in price in my books.

--
Chris Green
·

tim.....

2015-03-08 11:41:37 UTC

Yes, but that overcharges me! It's obviously more expnsive to go
right round the 'other side' for example than to go one stop from
where I get off the main line train.

Post by Theo Markettos
The trick is not to search for your underground station but for 'London' and
then scroll down the list of possibilities to select one with underground.

But National Rail allows Underground Station destinations and thinks
the result should be transferable to the operators' sites where you
buy the tickets.
I'll go and check to see if the price given on National Rail is less
than going to a 'Zone 1' or 'Zone 2' destination.

That's because for the direct journey to Gallions Reach you change onto the
DLR at Stratford and never go into Zone 1

thus a generic ticket to Z1-3 is the wrong ticket because that assumes a
cross London (via Z1) journey.

(How you get the engine to sell you the right ticket, I have no idea)

tim

c***@isbd.net

2015-03-08 12:23:18 UTC

Post by tim.....

Post by Theo Markettos
The trick is not to search for your underground station but for 'London' and
then scroll down the list of possibilities to select one with underground.

But National Rail allows Underground Station destinations and thinks
the result should be transferable to the operators' sites where you
buy the tickets.
I'll go and check to see if the price given on National Rail is less
than going to a 'Zone 1' or 'Zone 2' destination.

That's because for the direct journey to Gallions Reach you change onto the
DLR at Stratford and never go into Zone 1
thus a generic ticket to Z1-3 is the wrong ticket because that assumes a
cross London (via Z1) journey.
(How you get the engine to sell you the right ticket, I have no idea)

Yes, exactly, that is the question, how does one buy the 'right ticket'?

--
Chris Green
·

Theo Markettos

2015-03-11 11:43:51 UTC

Post by c***@isbd.net
Yes, exactly, that is the question, how does one buy the 'right ticket'?

Looking at the fares:
http://www.brfares.com/#!fares?orig=IPS&dest=ZGC
it shows the 40.10 off-peak single is available for London zones 3-4, 2-3 or 3.
That is right in that you can change at Stratford and stay entirely within
zone 3.

However it appears the normal booking sites won't sell a ticket to London
U3 (or U23 or U34), only London U123.

So I think this is ticket office time. It's a flexible ticket so there's no
advantage in booking ahead anyway.

Theo

c***@isbd.net

2015-03-12 17:08:41 UTC

Post by c***@isbd.net
Yes, exactly, that is the question, how does one buy the 'right ticket'?

http://www.brfares.com/#!fares?orig=IPS&dest=ZGC
it shows the 40.10 off-peak single is available for London zones 3-4, 2-3 or 3.
That is right in that you can change at Stratford and stay entirely within
zone 3.
However it appears the normal booking sites won't sell a ticket to London
U3 (or U23 or U34), only London U123.
So I think this is ticket office time. It's a flexible ticket so there's no
advantage in booking ahead anyway.

Yes, but the same problem applies for Advance Tickets, see my prices
for the same journey as an Advance Ticket plus railcard.

--
Chris Green
·

The Chief

2015-03-09 21:58:57 UTC

This post appears to be widely off-topic. This group is for EUROPEAN railways.

Regards,
The Chief

Nobody

2015-03-09 22:23:53 UTC

On Mon, 9 Mar 2015 14:58:57 -0700 (PDT), The Chief

This post appears to be widely off-topic. This group is for EUROPEAN railways.
Regards,
The Chief

Um, duh?

Clark F Morris

2015-03-10 00:57:14 UTC

On Mon, 9 Mar 2015 14:58:57 -0700 (PDT), The Chief

This post appears to be widely off-topic. This group is for EUROPEAN railways.

I think Britain is in the European Union but given that I am just an
ignorant US citizen with no sense of geography, I could be wrong.

Clark Morris

Post by The Chief
Regards,
The Chief

Erwan David

2015-03-10 06:25:15 UTC

Post by Nobody
On Mon, 9 Mar 2015 14:58:57 -0700 (PDT), The Chief

This post appears to be widely off-topic. This group is for EUROPEAN railways.

I think Britain is in the European Union but given that I am just an
ignorant US citizen with no sense of geography, I could be wrong.

It is, and europe is larger than european union (would it be speaking of
european trains without swiss ones ?)

--
Les simplifications c'est trop compliqué

Erwan David

2015-03-10 06:26:48 UTC

Post by Nobody
On Mon, 9 Mar 2015 14:58:57 -0700 (PDT), The Chief

This post appears to be widely off-topic. This group is for EUROPEAN railways.

I think Britain is in the European Union but given that I am just an
ignorant US citizen with no sense of geography, I could be wrong.

It is, and europe is larger than european union (would it be sane speaking of
european trains without swiss ones ?)

--
Les simplifications c'est trop compliqué

Arthur Figgis

2015-03-10 23:51:44 UTC

Post by Nobody
On Mon, 9 Mar 2015 14:58:57 -0700 (PDT), The Chief

Post by The Chief
This post appears to be widely off-topic. This group is for EUROPEAN railways.

I think Britain is in the European Union

French Guiana is in the EU, Switzerland isn't... :-)

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

Nick Fotis

2015-03-10 21:15:14 UTC

Hello,

I would suggest you check in the uk.railway news group, it may have more
informed people than us?

N.F.

Rob

2015-03-18 23:19:23 UTC

Post by c***@isbd.net
One is supposed to be able to buy tickets to underground stations from
anywhere but in practice it's impossible.

Not at all true. Any National Rail ticket office will sell you such a
zonal ticket.

Ta,

--
Rob
"I have never understood why it should be necessary to become irrational
in order to prove that you care, or, indeed, why it should be necessary
to prove it at all." - Avon, Blake's 7

c***@isbd.net

2015-03-19 19:02:26 UTC

Post by c***@isbd.net
One is supposed to be able to buy tickets to underground stations from
anywhere but in practice it's impossible.

Not at all true. Any National Rail ticket office will sell you such a
zonal ticket.

I meant on line. ... and they're not 'zonal' they are to a specific
station, or at least that's how you specify your journey. As I said
if you book to a zone it costs more than to a particular station.

--
Chris Green
·

Rob

2015-03-19 20:13:10 UTC

Post by c***@isbd.net
One is supposed to be able to buy tickets to underground stations from
anywhere but in practice it's impossible.

Not at all true. Any National Rail ticket office will sell you such a
zonal ticket.

If you book to an Underground station, it must be zonal with the
exception of a handful of stations which are individually priced.

Which journey are you intending to make? I have more than 20 years
experience in this area so I should be able to assist.

Regards,

--
Rob
"I have never understood why it should be necessary to become irrational
in order to prove that you care, or, indeed, why it should be necessary
to prove it at all." - Avon, Blake's 7

c***@isbd.net

2015-03-19 21:01:35 UTC

Post by c***@isbd.net
One is supposed to be able to buy tickets to underground stations from
anywhere but in practice it's impossible.

Not at all true. Any National Rail ticket office will sell you such a
zonal ticket.

If you book to an Underground station, it must be zonal with the
exception of a handful of stations which are individually priced.
Which journey are you intending to make? I have more than 20 years
experience in this area so I should be able to assist.

Specifically I'm travelling fairly regularly from Ipswich (or
sometimes Manningtree) to Gallions Reach on the DLR. If you ask to do
this on the National Rail site it works fine and gives you the route
and price. If you then try and buy a ticket you can't. Booking to
Zone 1-3 (Gallions Point is in Zone 3) costs more.

E.g. if I book tomorrow with a senior railcard from Manningtree to
Gallions Reach the National Rail site gives me a price of £6.40
leaving at 21:19.

However I can't actually *buy* that ticket online, the best I can
manage is Manningtree to Underground Zone 1-3 which costs £8.10.

--
Chris Green
·

Rob

2015-03-28 22:29:04 UTC

Post by c***@isbd.net
Specifically I'm travelling fairly regularly from Ipswich (or
sometimes Manningtree) to Gallions Reach on the DLR. If you ask to do
this on the National Rail site it works fine and gives you the route
and price. If you then try and buy a ticket you can't. Booking to
Zone 1-3 (Gallions Point is in Zone 3) costs more.
E.g. if I book tomorrow with a senior railcard from Manningtree to
Gallions Reach the National Rail site gives me a price of £6.40
leaving at 21:19.
However I can't actually *buy* that ticket online, the best I can
manage is Manningtree to Underground Zone 1-3 which costs £8.10.

The ticket you need would be from Manningtree to U3 (Underground Zone
3). This destination does not seem to be shown on the drop-down list on
the Abellio website.

It seems the only way you will be correctly ticketed for this journey is
to book at the station, stating destination "Zone 3 via Stratford". Do
not buy a Zones 1 - 3 fare as that is incorrect for the stated journey.

As some clerks tell their passengers: "Just because you see it on the
internet, it doesn't mean it's right."

Regards,

--
Rob
"I have never understood why it should be necessary to become irrational
in order to prove that you care, or, indeed, why it should be necessary
to prove it at all." - Avon, Blake's 7

c***@isbd.net

2015-03-30 21:04:34 UTC