Great Western Coffee Shop

ATOC have released the public version of the Fares Manual for the period 23rd May-4th September 2010.

Available from TSO in CD-Rom format it is again priced at ^14.34 (inc VAT and P&P).

http://www.tsoshop.co.uk/bookstore.asp?FO=1160356&Action=Book&ProductID=9780117068537&From=Subject

Of course, it may soon be available elsewhere for considerably less......

_cough




C.  ::)

Well, I've got my copy and the first things I checked were the Didcot to Paddington Off Peak Day Return (CDR) and One Day Travelcard (ODT) validities.

FGW/ATOC have finally changed the 'RETURN TRAVEL' condition from 'By Any Train' to now include the list of barred expresses between 1600 and 1915.

Ho hum. One legitimately exploitable loophole closes but I've found another which allows a day return from points west to Paddington with a split ticket utilising a CDR or ODT into PAD which remains valid out of PAD on all trains in the evening peak. ^5 more than the DID split but still a darn site cheaper than the fare you would be offered if you wanted to return, same day, from PAD to say, Bristol at 1800. Gonna keep this one a bit closer to my chest as I'm concerned that my pointing out of the Didcot CDR/ODT anomolies to FGW's Fares Manager may have hastened the closing of the loophole!

Another thing that has changed is that the CDS/CDR from Severn Beach Line stations to London Waterloo via Salisbury has been changed to match the validity of the ticket from Bristol TM (BRI). Prior to NFM 06 a CDS/CDR from Shirehampton (SHH) was valid after 0930, but the CDS/CDR from BRI was valid for arrival into Waterloo after 1000. I've always purchased the ticket from SHH and travelled into WAT arriving at 1019 without any problems, but it's nice to see the validities now match.

Of course, things are still a bit skew-whiff though. The CDR to WAT from SHH remains ^1 cheaper than from any other station on the SVB Line and at ^27.10 is a whacking ^10.50 cheaper than the CDR from BRI to WAT. In fact it is cheaper than the more restrictive Super Off Peak Day Return (SCO) from BRI to WAT which is priced at ^29.80!

Oh, and St Erth to St Ives fares are now in the NFM! Still cheaper to get a CDR from Hayle though.....