Using a Train Pass for part of a longer journey - conflicting advice?

Roy1234

I have a train pass ('5 zone') which lets me travel free from Birmingham out as far as 'Stourbridge Junction' 12 miles to the west.

I want to travel further along that line, to Hereford which is another 41 miles onwards. Trouble is, the trains which go the longer journey to Hereford do not stop at Stourbridge. Advice on this site and elsewhere stresses that to get money saving 'split tickets', your train must actually stop at the split station in question.

We're told online that ticket advice is only available at stations, due to its complexity, but I've had problems in this respect before. Asking at Birmingham New St, I was told that I could definitely get a cheaper ticket by paying for just the Stourbridge to Hereford part of the journey.

Having had conflicting fare advice at B'ham New St before, I asked again at a local suburban station, who was doubtful about this and said 'it would depend on the Inspector'!

Apart from the obvious comments regarding the appalling state of train fare information, does anyone actually know if I can use my pass to reduce the fare even though the train doesn't stop at the furthest station it's valid for?

AirlieBird

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/system/galleries/download/misc/NRCOC.pdf

You may use two or more tickets for one journey as long as together they cover the entire journey and one of the following applies:
(a) they are both Zonal Tickets (unless special conditions prohibit their use);
(b) the train you are in calls at the station where you change from one ticket to another; or
(c) one of the tickets is a Season Ticket (which for this purpose does not include Season Tickets or travel passes issued on behalf of a passenger transport executive or local authority) or a leisure travel pass, and the other ticket(s) is/are not.

Humphrey10

Roy1234 wrote: »

Advice on this site and elsewhere stresses that to get money saving 'split tickets', your train must actually stop at the split station in question.

Yes. See the conditons of carriage: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/nrcc/
Although as it says there, train companies can give you more extensive rights that that, and if you buy a discounted ticket they can give you less rights. But at least it's a general guide!

If the ticket office staff are saying that you can get a cheaper ticket by buying one just for Stourbridge-Hereford, get them to give you something offical in writing, so you can show that to the ticket inspector if they complain.

Roy1234

AirlieBird - I just found that bit after posting, but it's not exactly the easiest stuff to follow.

Looking at 17(c), it seems crucial that my season ticket is not issued by or on behalf of a passenger transport executive or local authority. I've a Centro 'n-network all zones' bus/train/metro pass. I've just been trying to find out what exactly Centro is, it appears to promote but not actually run any services, though it subsidises as few.

So what's Centro then, as regards 17(c)?

Humphrey10 - as for getting a binding written statement from B'ham New St, you've obviously not been there as it's almost beyond them to sell you a ticket in a civil manner!

KeithP

OP, where are you travelling from?

Most (if not all) of the trains from Birmingham to Hereford go via Bromsgrove and, as you say, do not stop at Stourbridge Junction. In fact, they don't even pass through that station.

Don't all the trains that go through Stourbridge Junction actually stop there?

Does the train you would like to use go from Birmingham New Street, via Bromsgrove?

I don't know anything about your 'Centro pass', but is it valid part way down the Bromsgrove line?

olly300

According to London Midland, Centro is a Transport Authority.
http://www.londonmidland.com/news/latest-news/rail-information-goes-live-at-london-midland-stations-across-the-west-midlands/

Centro's own website doesn't make it clear what they are it just makes it clear they run Network West Midlands.

According to Wikipedia they are both a Transport Authority and a Passenger Transport Executive.

TFL in London was a Transport Authority when I use to do ticket extensions these are different from split tickets, and is what the OP wants to do.

dzug1

As stated above, through trains from Birmingham to Hereford do not use the Stourbridge route - so swapping tickets at Stourbridge is impossible if you use them.

You can still travel via Stourbridge - but you have to get a train from Snow Hill through Stourbridge and change at Worcester or Malvern onto the Hereford line.

Roy1234

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I think the posters who said that the Hereford train doesn't go via Stourbridge are right, we were probably making some wrong assumptions from the timetable etc.

However, it must go via somewhere, and as the 'all zone' pass seems to cover a fairly wide radius around B'ham City Centre (where I'm travelling from) it seems logical that the 'pass covering part way' aspect of my post still stands.

However, the person who said that Centro/n-Network are 'both a Transport Authority and a Passenger Transport Executive' has if correct, rather knocked the nails in the coffin of my post/hope. This suggests that not only is this pass (about the dearest you can buy in Birmingham) useless for any combined pass+ticket journey, but further that one of the largest stations in the UK is again offering incorrect advice which could leave a bona fide traveller facing fines or prosecution.

The rail system's rules and information services continue to stagger me.....

KeithP

Roy1234 wrote: »

<snip>
However, it must go via somewhere, and as the 'all zone' pass seems to cover a fairly wide radius around B'ham City Centre (where I'm travelling from) it seems logical that the 'pass covering part way' aspect of my post still stands.
<snip>

Of course.
As I said above...

I don't know anything about your 'Centro pass', but is it valid part way down the Bromsgrove line?

Well I've looked.
This map answers my (and your) question.
Unfortunately, on a train that goes to Worcester/Hereford, it appears that your pass is only valid down that line as far as University.
So you need a ticket from University to Hereford.

Alternatively, it may be cheaper, but take longer, to stick to your original plan... via Stourbridge.
As all trains stop at Stourbridge, it is ok to use your pass to there and just buy a ticket from there. As Dzug says, change at Worcester.

dzug1

KeithP wrote: »

So you need a ticket from University to Hereford.

Which is the same price as New Street to Hereford.....

Roy1234

Many thanks for the hard work of the further posters. It would indeed seem I'm trapped. The only way of saving money is to go via Stourbridge (i.e. stopping/changing there) but with the first half of the journey taking 30 mins, and the second an awful 1 hr 40m, that's 2hrs 10mins (assuming no delays changing) to cover 53 miles. How fast is a pony & cart?!

The rules seem contrived to deny me any benefit from this pass beyond the B'ham area. The fact that station staff would glibly sell me a ticket which was in fact invalid for the journey in question, is just plain awful. Thanks again for your advice.