Peak from Paddington - Reading

[whole diary]

[plymothian]

From 21st May, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) are altering their peak time restrictions between Paddington and Reading to align them to match the Elizabeth Line.

[nickswift99]

Can someone explain the impact of this?

[TaplowGreen]

Can someone explain the impact of this?

Yes it would be good to know the detail/implications.

[Oxonhutch]

There is a very good article on London Reconnections which details the service changes which will certainly benefit me between Didcot and Reading but no mention of Peak/Off Peak times. Anyone familiar with Elizabeth Line off peak times?

[didcotdean]

Elizabeth Line peaks fares are 06:30 and 09:30, and between 16:00 and 19:00.

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) current peaks are 04:30 and 9:30 and between 16:00 and 19:17 on day returns.

So not a lot of difference apart from the early travellers.

[Ralph Ayres]

Times are already aligned for (contactless) pay as you go fares as far out as Reading.  Real ticket times vary - often to the passenger's benefit - by specific journey so there isn't a simple blanket timeband. Many longer distance tickets via London are valid at all times on all trains, and even for example an Off Peak Day Return from Didcot to Paddington can apparently be used to leave London on most evening peak trains, though bizarrely not on the slowest ones.  Checking ahead by planning a journey for 22 May on the National Rail website the same seems to apply then.

It would be good to know exactly what GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have said (or was it from another source?) as it looks oversimplified.  Some gateline staff at Paddington I gather do try to enforce a simple rule when a ticket is rejected, as they have neither the tools nor the training to deal with the full complexity, and the gates themselves are limited in what they have been or can be programmed to do.