Travelling between London and Exeter (and points west thereof), 20th-24th March?

[whole diary]

[1st fan]

Strangely I was potentially going to be travelling west of Exeter recently. That trip proved to be unnecessary but I had already done the research into tickets and train times. I looked at trains via Clapham Junction as I would have to travel from Shepherds Bush and could use the West London Line. National Rail Enquiries despite putting via Honiton as a requirement and a Gold Card was still offering me trains via GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway). I then realised I would be better off looking at trains from Clapham Junction as that would simplify things. It didn’t sadly and it was only when I selected direct trains, that ones avoiding any GWR appeared.

On the direct trains only results page there was a message that said

We're currently not able to provide Advance ticket prices and availability on our online and telephone enquiry channels.
The prices shown below are for tickets that do not require reservations, you may be able to purchase cheaper tickets once the issue is resolved. We are working to fix this problem as quickly as possible, and thank you for your patience during this time.

Weirdly though going through Paddington or using part GWR did offer advance fares. 

[IndustryInsider]

So why is GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) selling the wrong ticket?

Due to the limitations of ‘the system’.  ‘Via Honiton’ tickets are presumably set by SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) as that’s their normal route.  The fares engines won’t be clever enough to realise a diverted GWR service will be going that way and not stopping, so it won’t be offered.

Not ideal by any means, but the logic behind it is clear.  What I’m not clear on is how easy it would be to manually intervene and change the system for each train affected, and indeed whether it is possible at all?

Look at the 09:28 Newton Abbot to London Paddington, returning on the 16:04 ex-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains). Both services are advertised as stopping at Honiton, yet it still only offers the 'via Taunton' ticket at £113.20 instead of the £91 'via Honiton' ticket.

Yes, agreed that anything booked a passenger call at Honiton should be much easier to encode in the booking engines and automatically be offered.

[PhilWakely]

Online offerings still show only the 'via Taunton' fare this morning 

[ChrisB]

It is being investigated within GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) at present

[grahame]

From the latest issue of routeing guide easements:

Due to engineering works between Exeter and Taunton from 20 to 23 March 2023,
tickets priced on (00842) VIA TAUNTON, (00700) NOT VIA LONDON, (00411) AP
SLOUGH, (00820) GW^▸ (Great Western) ONLY, (00810) NOT VIA READING, (00000) ANY PERMITTED,
(00203) GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) SLEEPER & GWR and (00840) VIA HONITON will be valid for Travel on
Great Western trains via Honiton, Yeovil and Castle Cary. This map easement will not
apply to journeys that include travel via Brockenhurst or Salisbury. This map easement
applies in both directions

At least that confirms that the following - which is still the only offering from GWR's web site for a Paddington to Exeter trip next week to arrive between 9 and 10 p.m. - IS a valid ticket in spite of what's in the pop-up text.



Whilst I understand that GWR will honour tickets routed "via Honiton" on this train - the equivalent fare is £85.20, I still feel that it would be honourable of them to at the very least actually offer that fare on their web site on the direct trains that goes via Honiton. Perhaps they should go further and offer travel at £59.90 which is what they would charge for an arrival into Exeter at about quarter past / half past nine at night if their own services supplier (Network Rail) hadn't chosen not to supply as normal next week.

Online offerings still show only the 'via Taunton' fare this morning 

It is being investigated within GWR at present

OK.  Spend long enough  "investigating" and the problem will go away.  Or has the investigation concluded with "we are now offering a valid fare because of the easement ... and are not obliged  to offer the best fare via our website, so no action needed".

[ChrisB]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have investigated and it's a fares database problem - and GWR don't look after that - it's an RDG^‡(resolve) (ex-ATOC^» (Association of Train Operating Companies See - here)) issue. GWR are pushing for a correction before Monday, but its out of their hands unfortunately

[grahame]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have investigated and it's a fares database problem - and GWR don't look after that - it's an RDG^‡(resolve) (ex-ATOC^» (Association of Train Operating Companies See - here)) issue. GWR are pushing for a correction before Monday, but its out of their hands unfortunately

How unfortunate ...

[bobm]

In their defence at least GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) looked.  Going back a few years I am not so sure they would have done so.

[Trowres]

I doubt whether a TTI would consider problems with my internal fares database as a valid excuse for having a wrongly-routed ticket for the journey being made.

I hate these unequal relationships.

[infoman]

Its a shame a computer can't think like a human brain.

I put in Paddington to Exeter central on the first available

MY ROUTE  06:37am departure from Paddington to Exeter st davids arrive 09:14,bus/walk/train to the top of the hill

computer route 06:29am Padington to Waterloo direct route arrive 10:54am

[PhilWakely]

I note that a modication has been made, but not the one I would have expected!

Apparently, if you catch a slower train and change onto the direct service at St Davids the 'via Honiton SVR' is showing as valid - which is actually more expensive than the 'via Taunton' SSR. However, they are still not showing the £91 'via Honiton' SSR which should be valid!

[grahame]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have investigated and it's a fares database problem - and GWR don't look after that - it's an RDG^‡(resolve) (ex-ATOC^» (Association of Train Operating Companies See - here)) issue. GWR are pushing for a correction before Monday, but its out of their hands unfortunately

How unfortunate ...

Whoever (and which subcontractor it is or isn't),  I am happy to report that as of today GWR are offering the £85.20 anytime "via Honiton" fare on their 18:04 train from Paddington to Exeter St Davids (and beyond) which, err, runs via Honiton.   Thank you for that change; the £149.50 fare is still offered as an option, but it has rightly been displaced off the "headline fare" box by the cheaper fare designed for the route the train is taking.

So if you want to reach Exeter between 9 and 10 p.m. next week, you'll need to catch the 18:04 at £85.20 anytime via Taunton ticket, whereas in a normal week you could leave London at 19:04 and benefit from an off peak fare of £59.90.      You could also depart at the "normal" 19:04 time which gets into Exeter after half past nine at £52.50 (under the normal fare now, as it's correctly priced via Honiton).    There is also an exotic offering of an 18:00 departure from London, change at Bristol Parkway into a Cross Country bus and arrive in Exeter at 22:00 at a princely price of £140.00 - that's a "no thank you" from me but the RRB^▸ (Rail Replacement Bus) Facebook Group members might love it!