Discrepancy in the Freedom Pass map.

slackdad1

1st post.

I am a Freedom Pass holder and I seem to have found a discrepancy between the Freedom Pass map and the website one is redirected to when one types in freedompass.org (and I can't be the 1st - so forgive me if this topic has been covered before).

I wish to travel to Stansted Airport before 9:30am. The maps' information is valid from 31st May 2015 and may be out of date (its a year and a half after all). I go on the website and find the City of London's exclusions and interpret that travel is allowed on London Overground's route from Liverpool Street to Cheshunt before 9:30am (this is as far as the London Freedom Pass allows you to go at any time).

To confirm this I ring the no. found on the site. The operator has to ask her supervisor and I am finally told emphatically that travel is allowed on all of the Overground's routes on that stretch before 9:30am, the map is confusing and the website is right (even though it contains irrelevant information) and if I have any trouble at the gate I should direct the operator to the website's statement.

Now, I don't wish to have to wait for and speak to a supervisor in the middle of the rush hour, I'm sure that he or her will have better things to do. So, considering that I have been told (by an employee of TFL I imagine) that this information is wrong - who's right - the people that operate Liverpool Street or the people that administer the Freedom Pass scheme.

Does anybody have experience of this? Any definitive answers will be appreciated.

wealdroam

slackdad1 wrote: »

1st post.

I am a Freedom Pass holder and I seem to have found a discrepancy between the Freedom Pass map and the website one is redirected to when one types in freedompass.org (and I can't be the 1st - so forgive me if this topic has been covered before).

I wish to travel to Stansted Airport before 9:30am. The maps' information is valid from 31st May 2015 and may be out of date (its a year and a half after all). I go on the website and find the City of London's exclusions and interpret that travel is allowed on London Overground's route from Liverpool Street to Cheshunt before 9:30am (this is as far as the London Freedom Pass allows you to go at any time).

To confirm this I ring the no. found on the site. The operator has to ask her supervisor and I am finally told emphatically that travel is allowed on all of the Overground's routes on that stretch before 9:30am, the map is confusing and the website is right (even though it contains irrelevant information) and if I have any trouble at the gate I should direct the operator to the website's statement.

Now, I don't wish to have to wait for and speak to a supervisor in the middle of the rush hour, I'm sure that he or her will have better things to do. So, considering that I have been told (by an employee of TFL I imagine) that this information is wrong - who's right - the people that operate Liverpool Street or the people that administer the Freedom Pass scheme.

Does anybody have experience of this? Any definitive answers will be appreciated.

I am not sure which you are saying is wrong, but the map appears to support your view that you can use London Overground trains from Liverpool Street to Cheshunt at any time. Those trains must go via Seven Sisters and Turkey Street. You cannot travel via Clapton or Enfield Lock before 09:30 on weekdays.

This section of the map confirms this:





Is this 'the website' you refer to:




There is no discrepancy that I can see.
Can you try an explain your problem further please.

slackdad1

Thanks for responding so promptly wealdroam.

As you can see on ‘London’s Rail & Tube services’ map, there are two services that operate out of Liverpool Street: London Overground and Abellio Greater Anglia. I understand that a Freedom Pass can only be used on the Greater Anglia service after 9:30am, and also that it will only take one as far as Enfield Lock. This is shown in pink and red on the Freedom Pass map.

The London Overground route to Cheshunt starts in pink to Turkey Street then changes to dashed orange to Cheshunt. (It also starts in pink to Edmonton Green and continues to Enfield Town in solid orange.) I thought that I would have to pay a fare to Turkey Street, because I initially thought that the services were only available after 9:30am, and from there to Cheshunt I could use my Freedom Pass.

Considering that ‘Free travel on these routes at any time …’ is in solid orange and that ‘Free travel at any time on London Overground and TfL Rail; …’ “semi-colon” is in dashed orange, the map was produced a year and a half ago and it states that it might be ‘subject to change’, I decided to consult the website.

On looking at the website I indeed found this:

“Freedom Pass is valid at any time between ….. and also Liverpool Street and Theobalds Grove on London Overground. “ Please notice the “full stop”.

This statement contradicts the map if you consider that the pink line is only available after 9:30am does it not? The statement in the next paragraph “If you travel from Turkey Street to …” becomes redundant as Theobalds Grove is the stop after Turkey Street and the preceding paragraph should have read “and also Liverpool Street and Cheshunt on London Overground”. London Overground is the only operator to go to Turkey Street.

This means that the whole route is free before 9:30am does it not? If so why is it not shown separately in solid orange? That’s what I understand – and that was what was confusing me. So that’s why I rang the numbers.

I normally use the guidance on the map, but this time I thought I might double check the details on the website.

Thanks for your help.

slackdad1

Update

Yesterday I was in London for an unrelated event, so I took the opportunity to quiz one of the ‘helpers’ at a major station about this, what I called, discrepancy. Let’s now call it a misunderstanding.

I was told that my Freedom Pass should open the gates before 9:30am because, as they understand it, the whole Overground route is free from Liverpool Street to Cheshunt and that the operatives and system should know this.

They agreed that the map could be misunderstood and that the route should be in solid orange; they also agreed that it was out of date. I was told that a new one has been produced but it hasn’t been published yet.

So, I look forward to seeing the new map shortly.

In the meantime I shall post how my journey went when I get back.

aleph_0

I agree it's not the best wording, but the meaning must be:

- For National Rail (AGA) trains, travel is free after 9:30am
- For London Overground, travel is free anytime

As you say, sounds like the line can be orange dotted from Edmonton Green (the line has to be peak to there because of some peak-hour AGA services going that way to Cheshunt). I'm not sure if they'll change it - in theory, if an AGA train does stop at Turkey Street, then the freedom pass is valid on it (because it's in the zones). This may well happen at some point due to disruption, or due to weekend diversions, etc.

slackdad1

Update

The Freedom Pass allowed me to get past the barriers at Liverpool Street before 9:30am (I used the automatic barriers) - it wasn't checked on the journey to Cheshunt via the Overground route. I assume it would let me travel the other way before 9:30am but I travelled back outside of this hour so I don't know.

The map is still the same, as are the instructions. I still find the advice given and the inference taken from the map confusing - maybe it's just me.

I look forward to the updated map (and instructions).

Thanks for everybody's help.