The Anonymous Widower

The New Freedom Pass Map

This document on the Transport for London web site, is the latest definitive map of where I can roam with my Freedom Pass.

The big addition for me is Shenfield, as although I don’t go there often, I could use it as the station to get my train for football at Ipswich.

I would have to change trains twice, but I could still arrive on the same 13:43 train into Ipswich.

But by using TfL Rail to Shenfield and then Abellio Greater Anglia from there, my Saturday Off-Peak Return, drops from £26.25 to £16.75, which is a saving of £9.50.

Similar savings even occur for a Tuesday evening match, as the cheapest fare drops from £28.70 to £19.35. It would also appear that you just buy an Off Peak Return, which is a saving in aggravation.

I’m only working on the current timetable, but I suspect that a new Anglia franchisee in a couple of years time, might stop all of the Ipswich and Norwich trains at Shenfield for Crossrail. It will probably be quicker to go from Liverpool Street, but there will be a lot of possibilities for saving money.

I also suspect that, when Crossrail opens, then Reading, like Heathrow and Shenfield, will appear on the Freedom Pass map, so instead of going to Paddington, will I join trains to Wales and the West Country at Reading.

The biggest effect on the economy of the spreading of the Freedom Pass, will be that more and more retirees will move into the capital, thus fuelling the rise in house prices.

So perhaps the best way to spend that pension pot is to buy a place in London.

June 4, 2015 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Crossrail, Freedom Pass, Ipswich, London