Southern season ticket to "London Terminals"

[Bozza]

Will that cover me to St Pancras tomorrow morning?

 

[Wozza]

yes

 

[Bozza]

good

thanks

 

[Beach Hut]

Providing on an FCC train

 

[Uncle Buck]

Probably not, but the barriers are never closed early in the morning...

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Just wave your ticket in the general direction of the manually operated barrier person. They don't give a shit.

 

[tinycowboy]

Apparently, there is a line between Farringdon and St Pancras that you cannot cross with a "London terminals" ticket from the south. So, on a technicality, I don't think you can. If you are polite and hospitable with the gate staff, I'm sure you'll be OK as it's a one-off. I'd be interested to know if your ticket gets you through at the St Pancras barriers: they used to until a couple of years ago. I had to change my commute because of this, so, if they allow you through now, I'd be thrilled and would go back to my old commute.....

 

[Biscuit]

Might be worth checking, Bozza. I think I've been told before that it'll take me as far up as Blackfriars etc but not St Panc.

From website: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/46587.aspx

Tickets issued for travel to/from London usually show 'London Terminals' as the destination/origin rather than naming a specific station. This is because the ticket is valid to more than one London Terminal station provided it’s on any reasonable line of route. Tickets can only be used on National Rail services. For example, a ticket from Brighton to London Terminals is valid to Victoria, Waterloo (changing at Clapham Junction), London Bridge, Blackfriars and City Thameslink or Charing Cross Waterloo East or Cannon Street (changing at London Bridge). It would not be valid to, for example, London Euston or Paddington as this would not be on the line of route and would involve crossing London using another mode of transport.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Apparently, there is a line between Farringdon and St Pancras that you cannot cross with a "London terminals" ticket from the south. So, on a technicality, I don't think you can. If you are polite and hospitable with the gate staff, I'm sure you'll be OK as it's a one-off. I'd be interested to know if your ticket gets you through at the St Pancras barriers: they used to until a couple of years ago. I had to change my commute because of this, so, if they allow you through now, I'd be thrilled and would go back to my old commute.....

Anytime I go to Kent from Brighton via St Pancras (HS1), the barrier always refuses to accept the ticket. The barrier staff always do tho. Just seems to be a long standing glitch in the software.

 

[Flex Your Head]

But how does that work? If you get to, say, London Bridge (because that's where the train terminates) and go through the ticket barrier, your ticket is retained. How do you then get to St Pancras other than buying another ticket for the Underground?

I keep getting the feeling I'm missing something ever so obvious.

 

[sten_super]

The fact that it's not clear shows what a farce the system is. Seems to me, if they're going to print tickets that are vague enough to say 'London terminals' on it then you should be able to use it to get to any National Rail station in London. Or alternatively just give a more useful description of available destinations.

Once I was travelling (for a work trip, with my boss) from Cambridge to Victoria. I had looked online ahead of time and I'm sure the system told me to get a 'London terminals' ticket. I went with it when I turned up at the station (although did think it was odd), the ticket let me on to the tube fine and it was only when we tried to get out at Victoria that we ran into problems. Thankfully the guard accepted my explanation and let us off with a 'don't try and do that again'. Great system.

 

[Bozza]

Might be worth checking, Bozza. I think I've been told before that it'll take me as far up as Blackfriars etc but not St Panc.

From website: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/46587.aspx

That link suggests it should be valid...

The list of London termini stations, defined as 'London Terminals' for ticketing purposes are:

St Pancras International - Serves the East Midlands including Derby, Leicester, Nottingham and Sheffield, and is the terminus for high speed domestic services from Stratford Int'l, Ashford Int'l, Canterbury, Dover and Faversham. Services also operate to Gatwick Airport, Luton Airport, Bedford and Brighton. St Pancras International is the London terminus for Eurostar services to Brussels and Paris.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

But how does that work? If you get to, say, London Bridge (because that's where the train terminates) and go through the ticket barrier, your ticket is retained. How do you then get to St Pancras other than buying another ticket for the Underground?

I keep getting the feeling I'm missing something ever so obvious.

"season ticket"

 

[Bozza]

But how does that work? If you get to, say, London Bridge (because that's where the train terminates) and go through the ticket barrier, your ticket is retained. How do you then get to St Pancras other than buying another ticket for the Underground?

I keep getting the feeling I'm missing something ever so obvious.

I know it wouldn't work if I had to get a tube for some of the journey, but you can get a direct train from Brighton to St Pancras. In all logical meaning, St Pancras is a London Terminal for that journey.

 

[lost in london]

But how does that work? If you get to, say, London Bridge (because that's where the train terminates) and go through the ticket barrier, your ticket is retained. How do you then get to St Pancras other than buying another ticket for the Underground?

I keep getting the feeling I'm missing something ever so obvious.

First Capital Connect trains (sometimes) stop at London Bridge, but in any event the Bedford / Luton ones go through London via Blackfriars, City Thameslink and Farringdon and then St Pancras before going further north.

What is weird with London Terminals tickets though is that Blackfriars and City Thameslink are deemed to be London Terminals, but Farringdon isn't. Something to do with TfLs involvement apparently.

 

[Ernest]

Blackfriars is the limit for London Terminals travelling northwards and if it is a routed Southern only ticket it won't take you on any FCC train

 

[tinycowboy]

It's all very complicated. I've been through various rail staff "insider" forums and it is a grey area, but there are some rules. I commute from Canterbury every day. I would like to go to City Thameslink, but I can't because of the barrier problem at St Pancras. However, I AM allowed to get off HS1 at Stratford Intl, walk through the shopping centre, get on another train at Stratford "normal" station and get off at Liverpool St because Liverpool St is a nearer terminus to Canterbury than St Pancras. However, if I didn't get HS1, I could get the Canterbury train that goes via London Bridge, change to a First Capital Connect train and get off legitimately at City Thameslink, because I hadn't crossed the St Pancras/Farringdon line. So it's very hard to tell whether Bozza's route will work. I think not. However, half the time, St Pancras staff let me through with no problems, half the time, they didn't, so I changed my route as the alternative was to pay an extra £700 on my season ticket.

 

[Man of Harveys]

Even Farringdon is considered "beyond" London terminals, I seem to recall. Before they rebuilt the whole thing they had a sign up saying exactly that.

 

[Ernest]

It's NOT complicated at all, from Brighton to London Terminals on the FCC line the limit is Blackfriars

 

[Official Old Man]

I know it wouldn't work if I had to get a tube for some of the journey, but you can get a direct train from Brighton to St Pancras. In all logical meaning, St Pancras is a London Terminal for that journey.

Not true. Nothing in life is that simple. Your ticket says London Terminals & you're going direct? Nope, sound fishy to me.
But the big question, Bozza, is where are you going? Weekend in Paris maybe?