Advance Fares

[whole diary]

[devonian]

I was wondering if anyone knew why, despite FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s website saying tickets are now on sale until 20th Jan, no advance fares are showing for dates in Jan - noteably the 8th and 11th. Interstingly, neither are they showing for 6th Jan for which I have already bought an advance ticket! The route is Newton Abbot to Ashford International. Checked Newton Abbot to Paddington and advance tickets are available.

Have tried three different TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company)' websites now and all are the same.

[moonrakerz]

SWT^▸ (South West Trains)'s site was showing Advance fares  for Jan 9th when I looked last week.  Have just checked FGW^▸ (First Great Western) site for same date/journey, Advance fares are there.
Have you changed your browser ?

[JayMac]

Well, I've just checked NTA^» (Newton Abbott - next trains)-AFK^▸ ('away from keyboard') on Jan 8th to Jan 11th on SWT^▸ (South West Trains), FGW^▸ (First Great Western), NXEC^▸ (National Express East Coast) and Raileasy and none are showing ADV tickets to Ashford International for those dates at the moment. So I don't know how moonrakerz saw the fares as being there.

[devonian]

ok - so I just tried forcing it through Charing X rather than the automatic St Pancras and you get advance fares.

Is this something to do with HS1^▸ (High Speed line 1 - St Pancras to Channel Tunnel)? Are advance fares not valid on HS1?

[Tim]

HS1^▸ (High Speed line 1 - St Pancras to Channel Tunnel) has different (higher) fares (essentailly it is just a different route).  and it is possible that HS1 doesn't yet have advanced fares. 

[devonian]

HS1^▸ (High Speed line 1 - St Pancras to Channel Tunnel) has different (higher) fares (essentailly it is just a different route).  and it is possible that HS1 doesn't yet have advanced fares. 

Yet the other day I bought an advance ticket from NTA^» (Newton Abbott - next trains)-AFK^▸ ('away from keyboard') which routed me on HS1. I check now, and there are no avance tickets.

Is this a turn around? Or have SET^▸ (Super Express Train (now IET)) suddenly realised that most long distance into and out of Kent will route via St Pancras and so have pulled the cheap tickets? I even bought the advance ticket from SET's website.

I'm aware that tickets into and out of London need to be marked +HS1 or Upgrade+HS1 if you pay a supplement and that those not valid are marked NOT HS1. But that appears to be only in and out of London. 'Any permitted route' does not allow HS1 travel. No mention of TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)+Connections though. Just been through NTA ticket office and asked there to see if it was a website problem but she too couldn't understand it and declined to comment which I fully understand.

If I hadn't have been able to buy Advance tickets already, I would have assumed that they weren't and never were valid. Have contacted SET customer services to find out more. Will post the reply here.

[Tim]

Is this a turn around? Or have SET^▸ (Super Express Train (now IET)) suddenly realised that most long distance into and out of Kent will route via St Pancras and so have pulled the cheap tickets? I even bought the advance ticket from SET's website.

I don't know but I would not be surprised if the website was wrong and then corrected or cheap ticket quotas have been pulled - it is a new service afterall and there may be teething probems.

'Any permitted route' does not allow HS1^▸ (High Speed line 1 - St Pancras to Channel Tunnel) travel. No mention of TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)+Connections though

wrt HS1 restrictions it is not the TOC that matters or whether you are in a Javelin train or not.  it is whether or not you travel on HS1 (ie the new fast bit of line) which determins whether your ticket is valid.

A "not HS1" or "any permitted" tciket woudl be valid on a javelin travelling through the thrid-rail bit of kent, but you woudl have to change before you got onto the HS^▸ (High Speed (short for HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) High Speed Services)) line to St Pancreas 

[paul7575]

I don't think that is generally right about 'any permitted' not being valid on HS1^▸ (High Speed line 1 - St Pancras to Channel Tunnel). There have been discussions in various other forums about HS1 fares, and for Southeastern internal flows at least, 'any permitted' does include HS1 on routes where it is appropriate, their lower priced tickets have all become 'Not HS1' as far as I can make out.  There was a recent routeing guide amendment that introduced a map for HS1, and that map seems to have been added to various long distance flows.

But it does seem likely that national fares haven't all been updated yet. This wouldn't be surprising as it is still only a trial service.

Paul

[Tim]

Paul is right it is still a trial service. 

IIUC, a not-HS1^▸ (High Speed line 1 - St Pancras to Channel Tunnel) ticket holder can travel on HS1 on payment of a flat rate upgrade.  And first class ticket holders are permitted to use HS1 without paying an upgrade (in compensation for there being no FC^▸ (First Class, or Fat Controller, or Football Club, depending on context) on the Javelin trains)