Maiden Newton-Dorchester Stations fare

[whole diary]

[Eliza]

I've just bought online a ticket that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) retail ticket sales (aka Fujitsu) was unable to sell me.  The route was Maiden Newton to Dorchester South via Weymouth and the cost £2.40 (Anytime Day Single with a Railcard). According to the second person at GWR that I spoke to, the route was doubling back on itself, and the ticket shouldn't have been allowed. 

I may well get off at Dorchester West and walk to Dorchester South Station, so I recognise that I'm being awkward.  However, the ticket was available, at no extra cost to me, so I took it.  But is it valid?

 

[grahame]

However, the ticket was available, at no extra cost to me, so I took it.  But is it valid?

Here it is, without a railcard,on the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) site:



If offered and bought based on that offer, my understanding is that it's valid.  I would take a printout / screen capture with me, as this fare is lower than a Maiden Newton to Weymouth fare, and it may not be an option that's well known to staff.

I did have put in "via Weymouth" to get these timing options as the system cheekily offered me rail journey plus walk across Dorchester as default suggestions - much quicker, but if I'm not very good on my pins, that might not be a valid option.

With regards "doubling back" - yes, I'm bit surprised as you could / should change at Upwey. However, looking at disabled access there the National Rail site specifically recommends carrying on to Weymouth

Staff help available: No
Ramp for train access: No
Step free access coverage: No
Step free access note
Platform 1 (for trains to Poole and London) has level access.
Access to platform2 (for trains to Weymouth) is via a footbridge with steps.
** NOT SUITABLE FOR CHANGING TRAINS - PLEASE USE WEYMOUTH **
 
Wheelchairs available: No

So there you go - if anyone's not walking from Dorchester West to Dorchester South - which is not very far - it's probably because they have limited mobility in the first place!

[Eliza]

Thanks, Grahame, and I'll take a screenshot with me to be on the safe side.

As I was thanked by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) telephone sales for using Fujitsu (or words to that effect), it made me wonder whether anyone else has noticed the Japanese? characters that break through on the GWR home page, when it's first opened and the stations are loading.  (I seem unable to insert a relevant screenshot.)  They disappear after a few seconds and I take them to be benign (rather than Chinese malware!).  Another of life's little mysteries, when negotiating GWR.

[RichardB]

I just had a look and that £3.60 fare (£2.40 with a railcard) is the Maiden Newton to Dorchester West one too, so I suspect if there is a Revenue Protection Inspector on either of the trains, you may be in difficulty travelling via Weymouth and they may ask you to pay more.   

If you have the screenshot with you and given the journey you are making, I'd be pretty confident you'll be OK as long as you don't try and break your journey at Weymouth and spend any time there (and as long as you don't meet an RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context))).

[froome]

Perhaps not completely relevant to this, but if I travel from Bath to somewhere like Wareham, which involves changing trains at the two Dorchester stations, the National Rail website often shows changing at Weymouth instead, for the same fare. I have often wondered whether that would be allowed, but as it is shown on their website, assume it is.

[didcotdean]

There are easements in place that allow people to travel from Bournemouth and Branksome via Dorchester West to travel via Upwey/Weymouth. Shouldn't apply just from Dorchester South possibly but maybe the programming has gone awry.

[JayMac]

If Bournemouth and Branksone get an explicit mention in the Routeing Guide Easements, then why not Poole, Wareham, Wool and all other intermediate stations between Bournemouth and Dorchester South?

Is it possible that online booking engines are coded more generously than station booking systems?

It seems that journeys from stations on the Bristol- Weymouth route (I've checked as far back as Bristol TM^‡(resolve)) to Dorchester South, via Weymouth, are being allowed by online booking engines.

[Eliza]

Thanks, everyone, for your replies.  They were all instructive.

[RichardB]

Thanks, everyone, for your replies.  They were all instructive.

Thanks (on behalf of all of us) Eliza.  Let us know how you get on.