Christmas/New Year peak restrictions

[whole diary]

[Zoe]

Are there peak restrictions on Christmas Eve this year?  According to http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/64319.aspx peak restrictions are lifted between 24 December and 4 January inclusive but the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Christmas and New Year leaflet only says that the restrictions are lifted between 27 December and 4 January inclusive.

[ChrisB]

I thought TOCS were lifting PM ONLY restrictions on Christmas Eve....

[JayMac]

Each TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) will have it's own policy. For instance, SWT^▸ (South West Trains) don't lift restrictions at all on flows they price.

For FGW^▸ (First Great Western) it is 24th December to 4th January inclusive. An example restriction code:

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/64309.aspx

[Zoe]

For FGW^▸ (First Great Western) it is 24th December to 4th January inclusive. An example restriction code:

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/64309.aspx

That's not what FGW's Christmas/New Year leaflet says though.  Does information on the Nationa Rail website take precedence over this?

[JayMac]

National Rail is the definitive source for all passenger information. Any difference of opinion should favour the customer also.

I recently had a conversation with a member of the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) social media team when I spotted that the lifted restrictions weren't being implemented correctly by booking engines on some FGW flows on Friday 2nd January. It appeared that there was a late change to the date range to include that Friday. In previous years the 2nd January hasn't been included. I had the dates confirmed then as 24th December to 4th January inclusive.

I can only assume the leaflet is an error.

[BBM]

There was some kerfuffle at Twyford this morning, it seems that the machines were charging peak fares and passengers who queried that at the ticket office were being given refunds.

[ChrisB]

They should have put notices on the machines advising of this known problem and advising use of only the ticket office pre 0900

[JayMac]

The machines should have been programmed to only sell Off Peak tickets for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) flows between 24th December and 4th January. That can't be beyond the capabilities of either the progammers or the software. Stuck on notices are very unprofessional.

[ChrisB]

Cost implications....the software is used by all TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company)

[ellendune]

Lets face it the software in those machines is far from adequate at the best of times - if it was then closing booking offices might be acceptable. If DB^» (Deutsche Bahn - German State Railway - about) can programme what I understand are the same machines to actually tell you which ticket you need for a certain train then the cost implications surely cannot be that big.  Yes redoing the software is expensive - but you only do it once for all the machines surely?

[ChrisB]

A reprogramme if agreed, would be split across all TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) - to change the peak/off-peak restrictions for each TOC wanting it, I understand, is extremely costly for just 4 days - and then switched back again

[JayMac]

Really? The machines are already programmed to understand the myriad weekday restrictions on all flows. They interpret those restrictions from the relevant restriction code. As all relevant restriction codes for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) priced flows have the festive period easement included then there should be no reason, except "we can't be bothered" why TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) cannot interpret them.

There will be stations with TVMs but no ticket office. Have FGW ensured that all their TVMs have a stuck in notice warning that passengers may be overcharged if they rock up early doors over the festive period and want to buy a ticket? I very much doubt there are notices at unstaffed stations with TVMs. A very real chance that folk could be overcharged.

[ChrisB]

Quite.

To change all these to remove these restrictions across 4 workdays takes a lot of programming & therefore cost - which then have to be reinstated for Saturday 3rd.

[JayMac]

So you ChrisB, as a FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Customer Panel member, are quite happy to see those you apparently represent overcharged? I can't quite understand why you are defending TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) charging Peak prices when Off Peak is valid.

 

[ellendune]

A reprogramme if agreed, would be split across all TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) - to change the peak/off-peak restrictions for each TOC wanting it, I understand, is extremely costly for just 4 days - and then switched back again

The ones I have used in Germany are liked to the timetable database and give you the correct fare for the train just like an internet booking engine.  If that is what the machines can do all that needs to change is the booking engine database - which is changed anyway.  So one lot of reprogramming is required for all machines.