Severn & solent rover ticket question

[whole diary]

[anthony215]

I will be doing the Freedom of severn & solent rover  with the 16-25 discount next week starting from tuesday.

I have been told that the ticket is  not valid before 9am except for certain services or if the off peak return ticket is valid  before 9am.

 i am ok for tuesday plan's as i wont be starting til 9am but on wednesday i want to do this:

07:30 Cardiff Central - Bristol TM^‡(resolve) (Arr 08:17)
08:44 Bristol TM - Weymouth (Arr 11:03)

According to the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website a off peak return is valid  to do this service so would i be allowed to use the rover on this train from Cardiff or if not would i be allowed on the 08:30 Cardiff - Portsmouth Hbr service?


Also are there any services i should avoid  and does anyone know which SWT^▸ (South West Trains) services from Weymouth are operated using class 444's as i wish to avoid traveling on a class 450 from Weymouth to Southampton Central

[Brucey]

I'm in the middle of an 8 in 15 day at the moment and I've not heard of the exception for off-peak times.  The FGW^▸ (First Great Western) leaflet that I've got just lists specific services before 9am.

If this were the case, it would be questionable as to which restrictions applied.  E.g. Cardiff to Bristol is not valid until after 0930 (as off-peak day return), whereas Cardiff to Weymouth is valid at any time (subject to no break of journey).

Also are there any services i should avoid  and does anyone know which SWT^▸ (South West Trains) services from Weymouth are operated using class 444's as i wish to avoid traveling on a class 450 from Weymouth to Southampton Central

I believe most services are 444s.  AFAIK^▸ (as far as I know), no specific services are booked to be 450s, it all depends on unit availability on the day.

[anthony215]

Ok Thank You, i have been reading through the rover ticket guide which came with the latest issue of todays railways

[paul7575]

I believe most services are 444s.  AFAIK^▸ (as far as I know), no specific services are booked to be 450s, it all depends on unit availability on the day.

There are two booked 450s, but as both are relatively early, you shouldn't see one normally unless there are short term problems.

0725 to Brockenhurst
0820 to Waterloo

I can't think of any reason why the diagrams would be different after the timetable change, but it isn't impossible...

Paul

[devon_metro]

Monday to Friday: Valid from 0900, plus the following

0722 Axminster - Sailsbury
0827 Swindon to Penzance
0836 Taunton to Bristol Parkway
0839 Patchway to Paignton
0849 Hereford to Bham N Street
0853 Weymouth to Gloucester
0854 Swindon to Cheltenham Spa
0858 Great Malvern to London Paddington

[JayMac]

....and any journey which has CDR^▸ (Off Peak Day Return [ticket type] (formerly 'Cheap Day')) availability before 0900.

But, in true FGW^▸ (First Great Western) restriction style that gets complicated. Just one example of many....

Yate - Weymouth valid on the 0809. Yate - Yeovil PM, not valid until the 0910. Yate - Westbury, not valid until the 1013.

Of course, Break of Journey is allowed with a Rover, but can you break your journey at a station to which the corresponding CDR is not valid?

[Brucey]

....and any journey which has CDR^▸ (Off Peak Day Return [ticket type] (formerly 'Cheap Day')) availability before 0900.

Is this information to be found in the public domain anywhere?  I've never seen it mentioned...

[JayMac]

Aha.... Maybe the Freedom of Severn & Solent is more restrictive than the Freedom of the South West. Probably by omission rather than design though. Rather like the difference in opinion with the valid routes according to published maps. It would be a little perverse to, for example, be able to travel Bristol TM^‡(resolve)-Weymouth on the 0840 with a FOSW^▸ (Freedom of (the) South West Rover) and a Heart of Wessex Day Ranger, but not a FOSS^▸ (Freedom of Severn & Solent Rover).
 
FOSW has the, "Available after 0900 (Mondays-Fridays) or when Cheap Day Return is valid (whichever is earlier)," clause mentioned on NRE^‡(resolve) website. 

Nice to see ATOC^» (Association of Train Operating Companies See - here) (through NRE) still referring to Cheap Day Returns 3 years after they renamed them! 

[anthony215]

So i could technically travel to Penzance on the following using a freedom of south west rover using the following train since the off peak return is valid:

07:00 Cardiff - Bristol TM^‡(resolve) (Arr 07:51)
08:10 Bristol TM - Exeter St Davids (Arr 09:10)
09:36 Exeter St Davids - Penzance (Arr 12:42)

[Louis94]

Monday to Friday: Valid from 0900, plus the following
0849 Hereford to Bham N Street

I didn't know the rover was valid on London Midland  

[JayMac]

Well, the rover IS valid on LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) within the mapped validity area, but quite why FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are including the LM 0849 Hereford to Birmingham on the list of valid trains mentioned on their website is beyond me. Neither Hereford or Birmingham are on the published map. You can legitimately catch the 0849 ex-Hereford from Great Malvern (0918) to Worcester SH on a FOSS^▸ (Freedom of Severn & Solent Rover) or FOSW^▸ (Freedom of (the) South West Rover), but for FGW to suggest those Rovers are valid from Hereford to Birmingham is plain wrong.

[devon_metro]

Well, the rover IS valid on LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) within the mapped validity area, but quite why FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are including the LM 0849 Hereford to Birmingham on the list of valid trains mentioned on their website is beyond me. Neither Hereford or Birmingham are on the published map. You can legitimately catch the 0849 ex-Hereford from Great Malvern (0918) to Worcester SH on a FOSS^▸ (Freedom of Severn & Solent Rover) or FOSW^▸ (Freedom of (the) South West Rover), but for FGW to suggest those Rovers are valid from Hereford to Birmingham is plain wrong.

The FGW website doesn't actually state  that.

As copied from the FGW website:

0556 Exeter St Davids to Barnstaple
0640 Exeter St Davids to Axminster to Salisbury (train continues to London Waterloo)
0654 Exeter St Davids to Barnstaple
0724 Exeter St Davids to Axminster to Salisbury (train continues to London Waterloo)
0819 Plymouth to Penzance
0826 Exeter St Davids to Axminster to Salisbury (train continues to London Waterloo)
0827 Swindon to Penzance
0836 Taunton to Bristol Parkway
0840 Patchway to Taunton
0843 Barnstaple to Exeter to Exmouth
0849 Hereford to Worcester Foregate Street (train continues to Birmingham New Street)
0850 Weymouth to Gloucester
0854 Swindon to Cheltenham Spa
0858 Great Malvern to Worcester Shrub Hill (train continues to Birmingham New Street)

[JayMac]

The FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website doesn't actually state  that.

Agreed. I was referencing your earlier post (0849 Hereford to Bham N Street) and when I looked at the website I saw '0849 Hereford' and didn't notice the 'Worcester Shrub Hill' bit.

Still suggesting valid from Hereford though. Maps say otherwise.

Can't possibly be an easement to allow an 'out of area' journey on just that one train. How would someone from Hereford get home again?

[Brucey]

Still suggesting valid from Hereford though.

The text above the list of services even says
"You can also use your Rover ticket on the following Monday ^ Friday morning services between the stations indicated:"

I read that as being valid from Hereford on that one service only 

The paper leaflet I have (obtained from BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains)), does not list this service.

[bobm]

Hadnt realised the SW Rover was valid on the 07:30 from Paddington to Penzance after Swindon. Presumably it's ok to buy a ticket from Reading to Swindon and then take up the Rover on the same train?