train ticket question

Inigo_Montoya

hello

I have a prepaid return ticket from stevenage to kings cross

however I now need to travel a shorter distance from welwyn garden city instead which is about three stops down from stevenage (same date of travel)

Can I still use my stevenage to KC ticket ? ( I assume once on the train any inspector is not going to know where I got on the train )

if the barriers are closed at welwyn garden city then will they accept the stevenage to KC ticket & let me onto the platform ?

the barriers will be open when I return to WGC as it will be late at night on a sunday so I know that is not an issue

regards

ThemeOne

Provided your ticket allows break of journey it should be fine.

As a general rule, the only tickets which don't allow break of journey are Advances i.e. the cheap one-way tickets.

Whether the barriers at Welwyn Garden City will accept it you'll only know when you try - if they don't simply show your ticket to the gateline attendant who should let you through.

Don't think that because a barrier rejects your ticket it's necessarily invalid, it's down to how the barriers are programmed. It's probably impossible to program in every valid ticket, and some barriers are programmed more generously than others.

yorkie2

Inigo_Montoya wrote: »

hello

I have a prepaid return ticket from stevenage to kings cross

For future reference, I'd recommend an appropriate title e.g. "Can I start short on a Stevenage to London ticket?" as I nearly skipped this thread as I didn't know what it was about. I'd also recommend you tell us the ticket type, as that can be crucial.

There are 5 return ticket types for the flow Stevenage to London Terminals, sometimes some ticket types may disallow a break of journey, so that's why the ticket type is important.

However I have looked at all of them, and there are none that bar break of journey. So, whatever ticket type you hold, in this case it's valid to start/finish short.

Inigo_Montoya wrote: »

however I now need to travel a shorter distance from welwyn garden city instead which is about three stops down from stevenage (same date of travel)

Can I still use my stevenage to KC ticket ? ( I assume once on the train any inspector is not going to know where I got on the train )

Yes, you can.

Next time I'd suggest buying the ticket on the day; the fares from Stevenage/Welwyn to London are no cheaper in advance.

Inigo_Montoya wrote: »

if the barriers are closed at welwyn garden city then will they accept the stevenage to KC ticket & let me onto the platform ?

They should, but if not, show the ticket to a member of staff.

Inigo_Montoya

thanks for the replies & confirming that Im not breaking any rules

interesting that you say you can also finish short

I always thought that was a complete no no for all tickets ?

wealdroam

Inigo_Montoya wrote: »

interesting that you say you can also finish short

I always thought that was a complete no no for all tickets ?

Isn't that exactly what you are planning to do upon your return?

Inigo_Montoya

yes sorry thats right - but I know it wont be an issue whateverthe rules are as the barriers are always open late on sunday night

But can you travel short on some tickets & not break the rules as one poster suggests ?

Quentin

Inigo_Montoya wrote: »

....But can you travel short on some tickets & not break the rules as one poster suggests ?

How do you tell if a passenger is breaking his journey or "travelling short"??


If a journey break is permitted how will they know if you take a break and never return to complete your journey (as shown on your ticket)?

ThemeOne

I think quite a few people don't know about break of journey and starting / finishing short.

I belong to a few walking groups where the walk starts in one place and finishes at another. You can, for example, save a fair bit of money by getting a return ticket which is a valid route for both legs of the trip, starting / finishing short as necessary. Much cheaper than two singles.

You can also start / finish short on season tickets which allow unlimited journeys between the two points stated and at intermediate stations.

yorkie2

Conditions of Carriage states:

"You may start, or break and resume, a journey (in either direction in the case of a return ticket) at any intermediate station, as long as the ticket you hold is valid for the trains you want to use. You may also end your journey (in either direction in the case of a return ticket) before the destination shown on the ticket. However, these rights may not apply to some types of tickets for which a break of journey is prohibited, in which case the relevant Train Companies will make this clear in their notices and other publications."

It is allowed... unless they "make it clear" in notices/publications that it's not!

There are very few tickets where it is "made clear" that it's not allowed. In fact, the only tickets I can think of where it is "made clear" are Advance tickets (and, occasionally, some other promotional tickets similar to Advance), though there may be some local exceptions where it is "made clear" that other ticket types do not allow it for specific flows...