Didcot Parkway - Swanley

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

Anyone with access to The Manual mind checking the restriction code for the CDR^▸ (Off Peak Day Return [ticket type] (formerly 'Cheap Day')) Didcot Parkway - Swanley. Would like to know whether it concurs with NFM^▸ (National Fares Manual) 07.

Thanks awfully,

BNM.   

[super tm]

Outward travel by any train scheduled to arrive at London Terminals / Kensington Olympia after 10.00

Return by any train.

Subject to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) blanket restriction not valid  fast services from London to Reading from 1600 - 1915.

[JayMac]

How can it be 'Return by any train' then subject to the restriction on using fasts out of PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) in the evening? Can we have a FGW^▸ (First Great Western) description of the word 'any' because it obviously differs from that in the dictionary. There is no 'except those listed below....' against the restriction code in NFM07.

So...it would appear that staff info differs from NFM07. No mention of the evening bar against the CDR^▸ (Off Peak Day Return [ticket type] (formerly 'Cheap Day')) in NFM07. In fact why should there be - the fare is set by Southeastern with restriction code C4.

So FGW are applying the evening bar on fares which they don't set are they? And that is confirmed in The Manual?

[super tm]

The FGW^▸ (First Great Western) evening bar on fast services between pad and reading has been in place since BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) days.  Used to be not valid on intercity services valid on network south east trains.

In the fares manual there is a list of the restricted trains at the top.  Dont really see a problem with that. I also dont believe there is any rule that says a TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) can not make a restriction on a fare set by a different TOC.

[JayMac]

Then, all those fares set by other operators that are in NFM07, that make no mention of the evening bar, are wrong? They should not say 'By Any Train' if FGW^▸ (First Great Western) don't want them to use the dictionary definition of 'Any'.

AFAIC The Manual is not publically available so cannot be used as part of the ticketing contract.

All that said, I've also discovered this extract from the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement:

The price of a Compulsory Inter-available Fare, and any restriction of validity, is entirely at the discretion of the Lead Operator.

[super tm]

Well in the NFM07 I am looking at when you get the fare it gives restriction code C4.  When you click on that it takes you to the ticket finder page.

After the description of the ticket types and before all the time restriction information there is a list of all the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) barred trains.  The restriction applies to all CDR^▸ (Off Peak Day Return [ticket type] (formerly 'Cheap Day')) restriction codes.  That is why the list appears at the top.

The other way of doing it would be to repeat the list of barred trains against each restriction code which would take up an awful lot of space.

As I already said these restrictions have been in place for at least 15 - 20 years so I would imagine the lead TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) is happy for the restriction to be in force.

In the paper NFM^▸ (National Fares Manual) days this information used to be at the bottom of each page detailing the restrictions so nothing has changed.  CDR of any type have never been valid on fast  (inter city HSS^▸ (High Speed Services)) trains from Paddington.

[JayMac]

Are you looking at Avantix^▸ (Ticket Issuing System used on board trains) Traveller, the publically available National Fares Manual? There are no links to restriction codes on other pages with Avantix Traveller NFM^▸ (National Fares Manual) just a description of the restrictions when you select a ticket type. Select the CDR^▸ (Off Peak Day Return [ticket type] (formerly 'Cheap Day')) for DID^» (Didcot Parkway - next trains)-SAY and it brings up a description of C4 and no list of barred trains out of Paddington in the evening.

If the restriction on evening 'fasts' is only in the staff publications then IMO^▸ (in my opinion) it cannot be legally enforced. Where there is a conflict in contract terms then the term more favourable to the customer shall prevail, as stated in 'The Unfair Terms in Comsumer Contracts' legislation.

If, as you state, the CDR is not valid on any fast in the evening peak (1600-1915) then why can I book a journey (on any booking engine) including the 1847 to Didcot, with a DID-SAY CDR. The 1847 is on the list of barred trains.

Curiouser and curiouser.