How do you get a train?

Kite2010

DieselDragon wrote: »

I often purchase tickets for journeys from Euston to various places on the West Coast line, but set to collect my tickets from the machines at my local station - Which is nowhere near the WCML.

Both London Midland and Virgin Trains allow me to arrange this online, although they both warn me that my point of collection is off-route. It still permits this when I confirm my choice, though.

Are ye sure? That IS a South West Trains station after all, and they're well known for taking the biscuit when it comes to revenue protection!
(Plus: Doesn't West Byfleet have at least three QuickFare machines and a ticket office as well?)

I managed to get PF'd by SWT once just because their Guards' ticket machine failed to operate properly...

Cashback through the SWT website? No wonder all of my fares are so flippin' high and there's no Advance tickets...

Well the cashback pretty much never tracks resulting in having to put a claim in.

---

I've had my network railcard for several months now, not once has the guard asked me for ID to prove I'm the person named on the card.

maniacmartin

I would like to reiterate that you cannot use the outbound portion of a return yourself, and someone else use the return portion. Both portions must be used by the same person (who does not have to be the purchaser)

wealdroam

maniacmartin wrote: »

I would like to reiterate that you cannot use the outbound portion of a return yourself, and someone else use the return portion. Both portions must be used by the same person (who does not have to be the purchaser)

Maniacmartin, I can almost understand the point in mentioning that once, but why do you feel the need to reiterate it?

Everyone surely knows that a different person can use the return portion. There is pretty much no way to enforce that petty rule.

timbo58

'Can' and 'is allowed to' is the point he is trying to make I think?
it might be a 'petty' rule but it's a rule nonetheless, as you say pretty much unenforceable doesn't mean it is never enforced, I have certainly heard of court action being taken over transference, although it's rare.

zerog

When travelling on a return ticket's outbound portion, you must have the return portion with you.

I am not sure how it would be possible for an RPI or guard to detect that the outbound portion of a return ticket had been used by somebody else, unless they took a photo of every single passenger and their tickets.

Kite2010

How to confuse gate guards, show them a Southern "Daysave" ticket.

Person at Milton Keynes station had "never seen one of those before" and "blimey you have come far" when I show him the ticket from Southampton.

davenport151

Kite2010 - totally agree! i had a similar situation with this one. My son is the train buff so we use all weird & wonderful rovers and ticket combos.
A recent example was the freedom of Scotland ticket the chap at Edinburgh who looked at our ticket saw it was purchased at Cambridge and tried to send us to the train for Kings Cross!

Kite2010

Although the London Overground guard at Shepherd's Bush thought you couldn't break the journey, although he did let me though (otherwise it would have been a hours wait for the next Southern train)

yorkie2

Kite2010 wrote: »

Although the London Overground guard at Shepherd's Bush thought you couldn't break the journey, although he did let me though (otherwise it would have been a hours wait for the next Southern train)

I suggest you write to London Overground, and ask them for a date by which adequate training will have been provided.

Unfortunately LO do not sufficiently train their staff on ticketing matters; they are notoriously badly trained. So it is quite frequent for them to make incorrect statements, such as denial that you can break your journey, denial of either being bound by, or able to produce on demand, a copy of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage, and even a denial that they are a National Rail Train Operating Company!

timbo58

'able to produce on demand a copy of the Ncoc'?

where on earth is that written down?
I think stations have to have a copy for reference somewhere but don't think individual staff have to produce one 'on demand'?