All change - jargon to be removed from train tickets - MSE News

This makes no sense. The information referred to is actually useful, indeed crucial, for understanding what journeys a ticket is valid for.

I'm not sure what's jargon-ish about "Any permitted" route for starters, that's any route that's permitted. I'm also not sure what's jargon-ish about "London Terminals" - what constitutes a "London Terminal" is freely available information, if not obvious to anyone with a basic understanding of what London and a terminal are.

Utter nonsense.

JuicyJesus wrote: »

I'm not sure what's jargon-ish about "Any permitted" route for starters, that's any route that's permitted. .

Any permitted is jargon and not very helpful. What a passenger needs is something specific to their journey.


If you have a ticket from Reading to Brighton, say, any permitted gives no useful information at all. Via London, via Guildford or via London or Guildford tell the passenger their choices.

Ian011 wrote: »

So, rather than printing it on the ticket, where it is then clear exact!y what it is that you have bought, the information will be provided on a website which you are unlikely to read. Yet more dumbing down of everything.

But we have a situation now where a ticket I regularly use says "any permitted route". I've searched and been unable to find a list of the permitted routes, so at least the new plans will bring some clarity. Some things do need dumbing down.

I see there are many replies questioning if this could lead to erosion of our rights and doubting if it will actually make things simpler.


I firmly agree with those concerns.

pmduk wrote: »

But we have a situation now where a ticket I regularly use says "any permitted route". I've searched and been unable to find a list of the permitted routes, so at least the new plans will bring some clarity. Some things do need dumbing down.

You can find out if a route is permitted by searching the National Rail website (or any ticket booking website) and see if you can get an itinerary that is valid on one ticket for the journey you wish to make.


If you book a particular journey online, you can obtain a travel itinerary which will be evidence that the route you wish to take is a permitted route; production of the itinerary on your booking confirmation email is evidence of a contract.


If you want to find a particularly convoluted route, there are websites that offer up to 3 via points and up to 3 avoid locations, such as Trainsplit.

NaughtiusMaximus wrote: »

There is a site where you can find the info you need but it's incredibly awkward to use. I think it's probably aimed more at people who work in the industry but I fail to see why they couldn't have designed a user friendly version for the general public. The information is all there but spread across various bits of the website.

http://data.atoc.org/routeing-guide

Yes, that site is very much intended for experts within the rail industry or people wishing to learn the inner workings of it.

t0rt0ise wrote: »

Getting rid of London Terminals on the ticket is a good idea.

Are you sure it's a good idea? What would you do for the following examples:

• Edinburgh to London;
• Oxford to London;
• Ashford Intl to London.

These examples are currently valid into numerous terminals, and I do not see how you could possibly come up with a viable proposal that does not reduce passenger rights.

t0rt0ise wrote: »

The amount of people who think it means they can travel to any underground station is enormous. And then get abusive when it's pointed out to them that it's a National Rail ticket and not valid on the underground.

I doubt this applies to any more than a tiny minority of passengers; I do not think you can come up with any solution that reduces the number of abusive passengers to zero, as that tiny minority will find something else to be abusive about.