The Anonymous Widower

Confusion Over Train Fares, Barriers and Call Centres

The railways are very much the media’s target and a big storm seems to have been kicked up in the last few days over what constitutes off-peak travel. The only off-peak set of rules that bother me are those out of Kings Cross on First Capital Connect, where the cheaper tickets are not available on trains leaving the capital between 16:30 and 19:00.  But even that can always be bypassed by taking a Cambridge train from Tottenham Hale.  I also think that if I buy an off-peak return ticket from Newmarket or Dullingham, then I can use the ticket on the forbidden trains, as I bought the ticket on National Express East Anglia. It is not too onerous and I haven’t been delayed yet.

One issue I do have is at Cambridge, where if I’m travelling from Newmarket, I can’t pass through the barriers to do my shopping in the Marks and Spencer in the station.  You used to be able to do this and it was a reliable way to get my supper. And whilst on the subject of ticket barriers, if I buy a London Travelcard on the train between Newmarket and Cambridge, then it tends not to work the barriers on the London Underground.

Usually though when I book on-line for a long trip, I don’t have any issues with off-peak or not, as I choose the route and time and this then tells me what trains I can catch and what the prices are.  The system works well.

One thing that could be done is to make it more obvious on some web sites, where the train I’m going to catch is going. For instance, if I’d known that my train to Crewe was going on to Chester, I might have changed my plans before I left.  As it was, it wouldn’t have made any difference to me, but others might want to perhaps go a little further to see great Aunt Emma.

But one thing the web sites don’t do is allow the purchase of multiple tickets.

On Saturday, I’m getting up early and taking a train from Whittlesford Parkway to Tottenham Hale, as I’m going house-hunting in the morning in Islington.  I’m then taking a train out of Liverpool Street to Ipswich for the match against Bristol City.  Then after the match it’s back home via the train from Ipswich towards Cambridge.  I will have to purchase three single tickets, as I can’t buy these tickets on the web and pick them up at the same time at Whittlesford, where there is a collection machine.  It is all the more extraordinary in practice as all trains are the same company; National Express East Anglia.

I did try their call centre and because my voice isn’t that good, the guy on the phone couldn’t understand what I was trying to do.  He thought I was trying to get from Whittlesford to Liverpool.  The answer to that is probably the old one about not starting from there!

So today, when I go into Cambridge to play tennis, I’ll buy the tickets at the booking office.

Looking at Ipswich Town’s fixtures for this season, I can see several of these multiple trips looming.  For instance on the eleventh of September I am going to Portsmouth and on the way, I’ll be breaking my journey to Fratton at Micheldever to have lunch with a friend. So it will be a single from say Cambridge, Whittlesford or Dullingham to Micheldever, another to Fratton and then another from Fratton back to home.

The solution to these multiple trip problems already exist.  It’s called a OysterCard.  But then I’d need to register my Senior Railcard in some way to get the discount on the trains. Alternatively, we could use scannable tickets like they do on Eurostar or Italian trains.

Let’s hope that a new system replaces the current mess soon. I’d prefer some form of scannable ticket, that I can print before I leave.  These tickets could also carry additional information. But please not let’s make it a phone app, as these phones are just not robust enough for someone who drops them like I do.

August 27, 2010 Posted by AnonW | Computing, Transport/Travel | Cambridge, Ipswich, London, London Underground, tick, Trains | Leave a comment