When Do 'Off Peak' Trains to London ACTUALLY Start?

soxiez

Hi everyone,

I commute to work from Hitchin to London every day. My usual morning route is Hitchin to Moorgate via Finsbury Park / Kings Cross (depending on delays etc), and my route home is Moorgate -> Kings Cross -> Hitchin.

I currently get the 8.52am or the 9.01am arriving in Moorgate at around 9.45am, and the 6.23pm or 6.43pm from Kings Cross home.

I have so far, been buying anytime London Terminal return tickets. I have a railcard so it seems to be the cheapest option for me. However when getting the 9.01 this morning, I thought to myself; "wouldn't it be great if this extra minute after 9am counted as off peak? I'd save myself so much money" etc etc. I have always been a little confused as to the rules of peak/off peak (whether it's the time you go through the first barrier, or end your journey; whether peak times even count in the evening, as as a teenager I would always get an off peak travel card when visiting London and get any train home in the evening, even ones stuffed full of commuters with no problem etc).

So I thought I'd check. But checking left me even more confused. Thetrainline.com tells me that both of my trains are off peak, which is amazing! I would save myself over £20 a week! This is my first job out of uni and I don't earn much, so £20 a week would make all the difference (paying more than I ever paid in rent up north on trains is painful!). However I also tried Great Northern's website to be sure, which was much more sketchy about it and I couldn't select off peak as a ticket option for my usual trains. Now I'm not sure if it is, or it isn't.

Can anyone shed light on this? What time does off peak actually start Monday-Friday? Can I buy off peak return for my route? I don't want to get caught out if I can't!

Sorry for all the waffling, and I'm sure this probably gets asked a lot, but I just could not find a definitive answer so thought I'd ask. Any help is greatly appreciated!

giraffe69

The East Coast Rail site says

You can travel anytime at the weekend, and Monday to Friday on most trains that leave after 09.30.

cosmojohnson

Peak/off-peak rules vary depending on the ticket held, it's not a blanket time restriction.
For a Hitchin-London off-peak day return, you can't leave Hitchin between 0430 and the 0925, or leave London between 1630-1901 inclusive.

soxiez

I see - so thetrainline.com must have a glitch! That is such a shame - so close to off peak, yet so far. Thank you for your help :beer:

Voyager2002

Which company operates the trains that you normally use? They have the right to decide what sort of tickets to accept for their trains, and so they will provide the most authoritative answer.

wealdroam

You also need to consider any restrictions imposed on railcard discounted tickets.

For example, in the T&Cs for a 16-25 railcard it says:

7. A £12 minimum fare applies for journeys starting between 4.30am-10am Monday to Friday excluding Advance Fares. This minimum fare does not apply on Public Holidays or throughout July and August.

jbuchanangb

From what I can see you are stuck with an Anytime Day Return at £16.05. Have you considered season tickets?

soxiez

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Which company operates the trains that you normally use? They have the right to decide what sort of tickets to accept for their trains, and so they will provide the most authoritative answer.

Great Northern / East Coast at times. I might ask a ticket guard next time I see one!

soxiez

wealdroam wrote: »

You also need to consider any restrictions imposed on railcard discounted tickets.

How interesting, I didn't even know that existed! Well I currently pay £16.05 a day, and I believe off peak is around £12 last I checked..

soxiez

jbuchanangb wrote: »

From what I can see you are stuck with an Anytime Day Return at £16.05. Have you considered season tickets?

It seems that way. Curse thetrainline for getting my hopes up haha. I have, but I cannot afford to pay a lump sum and the company I work for don't do season ticket loans etc. Using a railcard and buying daily returns actually brings the price down to almost the exact same price as an annual season ticket though, so while I have a railcard it's not much of a problem for me.

yorkie2

soxiez wrote: »

Hi everyone,

I commute to work from Hitchin to London every day. My usual morning route is Hitchin to Moorgate via Finsbury Park / Kings Cross (depending on delays etc), and my route home is Moorgate -> Kings Cross -> Hitchin.

I currently get the 8.52am or the 9.01am arriving in Moorgate at around 9.45am, and the 6.23pm or 6.43pm from Kings Cross home.

I have so far, been buying anytime London Terminal return tickets. I have a railcard so it seems to be the cheapest option for me. However when getting the 9.01 this morning, I thought to myself; "wouldn't it be great if this extra minute after 9am counted as off peak? I'd save myself so much money" etc etc. I have always been a little confused as to the rules of peak/off peak (whether it's the time you go through the first barrier, or end your journey; whether peak times even count in the evening, as as a teenager I would always get an off peak travel card when visiting London and get any train home in the evening, even ones stuffed full of commuters with no problem etc).

So I thought I'd check. But checking left me even more confused. Thetrainline.com tells me that both of my trains are off peak, which is amazing!

Can you get a screenshot of that?

BRfares.com is the best website for determining off peak restrictions, for Hitchin-London it's as follows:

http://www.brfares.com/#faredetail?orig=HIT&dest=1072&tkt=CDR

Restriction Code: L4
Restriction applies: Monday to Friday only. No travel restrictions on other days.

OUTWARD TRAVEL
Valid on any train Except those timed to Depart between 04.30 and as listed below
... Hitchin 0925 ...

RETURN TRAVEL
Valid on any train EXCEPT those timed to Depart between 04.30-09.30 or which are scheduled to depart London Kings Cross, London St Pancras International, Moorgate or pass through London St Pancras International between 16:30 and 19:01 (inclusive), regardless of where you join or leave the service.

Evening Restrictions are lifted between 22 December 2014 and 2 January 2015 inc.

soxiez wrote: »

Can anyone shed light on this? What time does off peak actually start Monday-Friday? Can I buy off peak return for my route? I don't want to get caught out if I can't!

In the specific case of Hitchin - London Terminals, you can use any train except those timed to depart between 0430 and 0925.

You mention a Railcard, but not which one, though you do mention being at Uni, so I am guessing it's a 16-25 Railcard (which, despite the name, can be issued to anyone who is a full time student regardless of age), note this has a minimum fare of £12 before 10:00 Mondays-Fridays during the months September to June inclusive (ie, no minimum fare applies during July or August).