Peak Shoulders and Joining Short

[whole diary]

[jamestheredengine]

Okay, here's an interesting anomaly that basically comes down to TfW^▸ (Transport for Wales) being incompetents who shouldn't be trusted with maintaining a fare table.

There are two First Class return fares between Neath and Cardiff:
"Off-Peak" (restriction code 8A, actually valid any time within a month) £25.60
Anytime Day £19.30

So obviously if one's actually travelling off-peak, one goes to the booking office and buys a ticket from Swansea instead:
Off-Peak Day (restriction code B1, "Not valid on trains timed to depart after 04:29 and before 09:30") £15.70

That much is easy. TfW are incompetents who can't maintain a fare table properly; no wonder their station usage estimates are so bad.

But Murphy's Law dictates that there's a train at:
0923 Swansea
0935 Neath

I rarely want to travel at that time of day, but I did last Tuesday. I just bought an Anytime Day Return without thinking about it. But was I right? Or is it okay to buy the cheaper ticket, so long as you're joining short?

[brooklea]

My understanding is that the “not valid on trains timed to depart before 0930” restriction is applied to the starting point shown on the ticket I.e. Swansea in your example, and that is irrespective of where you actually board the train. Hence the Off-peak Day Return from Swansea would not be valid on the 0923 from Swansea at any point of the train’s journey between Swansea and Cardiff, even if you were to board after 0930 at Neath.

I therefore surmise that the Anytime Day Return was the correct ticket for your journey.

[ChrisB]

That is absolutely my opinion too.

[PrestburyRoad]

Would this restriction therefore apply to, for example, the 09:25 Penzance to Edinburgh 20:11 for all intermediate usage throughout its journey, just because it is scheduled to start out from Penzance before 09:30?  For example, Cheltenham to Birmingham.

[ChrisB]

If the ticket was bought as if starting from Penzance, yes.

[PrestburyRoad]

Aha, I understand - thank you.
By way of illustration, in the case of the 09:25 from Penzance this means that a 'from-Penzance' ticket (scheduled departure 09:25) would likely be be more restricted/expensive than a ticket from the next station, a 'from-St Erth' ticket (scheduled departure 09:34).
Something to bear in mind when we are trying to be clever ;-)

[grahame]

Peaks and shoulders are interesting things on long journeys that start at peak times but dawdle on into the evening or midmorning.  I always feel it a bit unfair that a single on the 17:02 from Paddington to Chippenham costs £97.50 when the train is distinctly unbusy after Didcot.  I think if I buy a Paddington to Didcot anytime single it's valid on that train at a cost of £37.00 and if I buy a super off peak single from Didcot to Chippenham, it's valid on any train after 10:30 - which includes that one that started at Paddington and costs £15.40.