I've just Googled the National Rail Conditions Of Carriage (
NRCOC▸ ) and performed a 'find' operation looking for the famous "you must buy a ticket at the first available opportunity" looking for a definition of "first available opportunity" and was supprised to find that there is apparently only one instance of the word 'opportunity' in the document (and that relates to the use of a ^Permit to Travel^). Apparently, Arriva Trains Wales (
ATW▸ ) will permit travel if you have a ticket collection code for a
TVM▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) but board at a station that doesn't have one
^Where there are no ticket collection facilities available at the origin station, customers may board the train and provide the Conductor on-board with their reference number and the payment card used to pay for the tickets. The reference number can be displayed by showing the Conductor either the confirmation email or text message received when ordering the tickets, or a printout of the confirmation that shows the reference number and the journey details. Customers are then able to collect their tickets at the next available station on the line with a Ticket Vending Machine.^
(source
fishguardtrains.info).
However, the FishguardTrains article states, FirstGWR do not allow travel unless you have found a TVM and collected your tickets before boarding one of their trains. FishguardTrains comments:
Fishguard Trains thinks this is absurd. London is a common destination for Fishguard passengers. One ticket policy applies to half the journey, and the opposite policy to the other half. The train operating companies need to get their act together.
That opens the debate:
I think you have interpreted Arriva^s response differently to me. ^Customers are then able to collect their tickets at the next available station on the line with a Ticket Vending Machine.^ To me, that means if I were to board the 07:50 Fishguard to Manchester at Fishguard I would be forced to alight at Carmarthen (the first station on the line with a ticket machine, since Clarbeston Road, Clunderwen and Whitland don^t have one either) to collect my ticket. Or, if you were going to Milford Haven you^d need to get off at Haverfordwest, get your ticket and get back on, similarly for Fishguard to Pembroke get off at Tenby to get your ticket. Since FirstGWR don^t run to Fishguard, their different policy does not effect Fishguard passengers.
Actually, there is one possible exception where First^s policy would effect Fishguard travellers. If you are travelling to the Pembroke Dock line on summer Saturdays until 2018 there^s a possibility part of the journey before you reach a ticket machine would be with FirstGWR.
No interpretation needed, Rhydgaled.
Arriva lets you travel without a ticket from a station without ticketing facilities to collect your pre-booked ticket at the first available station.
Great Western Railway doesn^t.
That^s nonsense, and it should be sorted.
Now, I can agree with the assertion that the difference in policy needs to be sorted (by FirstGWR allowing travel from their stations without TVMs), but I don't understand why Spad thinks no interpretation is needed. What exactly does "the next available station on the line with a Ticket Vending Machine" mean? My example of the 07:50 from Fishguard isn't too much of a worry, since it has a long dwell at Carmarthen so there should be time to collect. But if I'm on the lunch-time boat train out of Fishguard, the one and only express service out of Pembrokeshire, do I have to alight at Carmarthen and collect from the TVM there and probably while doing so miss the express and be forced to wait for a slower service?
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