Dave Arquati wrote:

(Mind you the latter two weren't available for the student discounted
Oyster when I last tried to renew that way. I got a rude email from TfL
whining on about fraud prevention when these methods perform identical
security checks to turning up to the ticket hall in person or using the
card in practice. Contrast with National Rail who generally have no
problems selling railcard discounted tickets online or at machines...)

...which is extremely odd, because the student entitlement is coded onto
the card - and that must be registered on the central database somewhere
(or at any rate, when the ticket gate comes to place the discount
travelcard onto the Oyster, it could refuse to do it if it doesn't find
the discount entitlement).

It may have changed since I last tried this. My current Oyster has the photo
card built in but the old student discount had a separate photcard - was
that discount entitlement coded in? I was under the impression that that was
what the staff were doing when I asked to transfer the Oyster over but

The TfL system is extremely secure in this respect, compared to National
Rail, where I could buy a railcard-discounted ticket and travel between
gated stations without needing to produce a railcard.

Or in some cases just travel! I'd like to know how one can buy tickets on
the GOBLIN...

Tim Roll-Pickering wrote:
Dave Arquati wrote:

(Mind you the latter two weren't available for the student discounted
Oyster when I last tried to renew that way. I got a rude email from TfL
whining on about fraud prevention when these methods perform identical
security checks to turning up to the ticket hall in person or using the
card in practice. Contrast with National Rail who generally have no
problems selling railcard discounted tickets online or at machines...)

...which is extremely odd, because the student entitlement is coded onto
the card - and that must be registered on the central database somewhere
(or at any rate, when the ticket gate comes to place the discount
travelcard onto the Oyster, it could refuse to do it if it doesn't find
the discount entitlement).

It may have changed since I last tried this. My current Oyster has the photo
card built in but the old student discount had a separate photcard - was
that discount entitlement coded in? I was under the impression that that was
what the staff were doing when I asked to transfer the Oyster over but

I have one with the photocard built in, which has the date of expiry of
the discount stored on it. It still can't be used to buy online
discounted ticket.

The TfL system is extremely secure in this respect, compared to National
Rail, where I could buy a railcard-discounted ticket and travel between
gated stations without needing to produce a railcard.

Or in some cases just travel! I'd like to know how one can buy tickets on
the GOBLIN...

Trainline.com? :-)


--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London

Tim Roll-Pickering wrote:

Or in some cases just travel! I'd like to know how one can buy tickets on
the GOBLIN...

Trainline.com? :-)

I don't think they do local fares. In any case I could just walk to Wanstead
Park and jump on the train and most of the time there's never a ticket
inspector to sell me a ticket en route.

The Trainline does sell local fares, as long as you book them far
enough in advance for them to be posted. And it probably is the only
option for the GOBLIN, unless you're actually going between Gospel Oak
and Barking ?or Blackhorse Road? (can't remember whether it's
integrated with LUL station or not).

I commuted on the NLL for a year (with a Travelcard) and saw a grand
total of two RPIs. Although sometimes the GOBLIN does carry uniformed
bouncers, these are to deter the lairy rather than the ticketless.

--
John Band
john at johnband dot org
www.johnband.org

John B wrote:

Or in some cases just travel! I'd like to know how one can buy tickets
on
the GOBLIN...

Trainline.com? :-)

I don't think they do local fares. In any case I could just walk to
Wanstead
Park and jump on the train and most of the time there's never a ticket
inspector to sell me a ticket en route.

The Trainline does sell local fares, as long as you book them far
enough in advance for them to be posted.

I remember one time when either The Trainline or Qjump refused to mail
tickets to Forest Gate(/Wanstead Park). Is this really a viable option.

And it probably is the only
option for the GOBLIN, unless you're actually going between Gospel Oak
and Barking ?or Blackhorse Road? (can't remember whether it's
integrated with LUL station or not).

Not sure as I've only ever used the line for Barking (which is gated),
Gospel Oak (for interchange onto the North London Line) and Upper Holloway.

I commuted on the NLL for a year (with a Travelcard) and saw a grand
total of two RPIs. Although sometimes the GOBLIN does carry uniformed
bouncers, these are to deter the lairy rather than the ticketless.

And in peak hours the train can be so packed it's not physically possible
for anyone to get along it to sell/check tickets!

On 10 Apr 2006 08:57:54 -0700, "John B" wrote:

Tim Roll-Pickering wrote:

Or in some cases just travel! I'd like to know how one can buy tickets on
the GOBLIN...

Trainline.com? :-)

I don't think they do local fares. In any case I could just walk to Wanstead
Park and jump on the train and most of the time there's never a ticket
inspector to sell me a ticket en route.

The Trainline does sell local fares, as long as you book them far
enough in advance for them to be posted. And it probably is the only
option for the GOBLIN, unless you're actually going between Gospel Oak
and Barking ?or Blackhorse Road? (can't remember whether it's
integrated with LUL station or not).

Barking, Blackhorse Road and Gospel Oak are the only stations on GOBLIN
that have any form of ticketing facility in the station AFAIAA. The LU
ticket office at BHR does struggle to sell you the right ticket though!

I have travelled on it a few times recently and there has been no ticket
inspection whatsoever during the journey which probably explains its
apparent popularity - you can travel for nowt.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

Tim Roll-Pickering wrote:
John B wrote:

Or in some cases just travel! I'd like to know how one can buy tickets
on
the GOBLIN...

Trainline.com? :-)

I don't think they do local fares. In any case I could just walk to
Wanstead
Park and jump on the train and most of the time there's never a ticket
inspector to sell me a ticket en route.

The Trainline does sell local fares, as long as you book them far
enough in advance for them to be posted.

I remember one time when either The Trainline or Qjump refused to mail
tickets to Forest Gate(/Wanstead Park). Is this really a viable option.

Not really (although it is apparently the only option). However, AIUI,
the TfL takeover late next year will require staffing of all North
London Railway stations (incl. GOBLIN) throughout the day, so someone
should be selling tickets! In the meantime, if you can't buy a ticket
anywhere, then I doubt you'd be expected to order them online.

Although, saying that - do the GOBLIN stations not have Permit to Travel
machines?

And it probably is the only
option for the GOBLIN, unless you're actually going between Gospel Oak
and Barking ?or Blackhorse Road? (can't remember whether it's
integrated with LUL station or not).

Not sure as I've only ever used the line for Barking (which is gated),
Gospel Oak (for interchange onto the North London Line) and Upper Holloway.

I commuted on the NLL for a year (with a Travelcard) and saw a grand
total of two RPIs. Although sometimes the GOBLIN does carry uniformed
bouncers, these are to deter the lairy rather than the ticketless.

And in peak hours the train can be so packed it's not physically possible
for anyone to get along it to sell/check tickets!




--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London

On Mon, 10 Apr 2006 17:28:24 +0100, Dave Arquati
wrote:

Although, saying that - do the GOBLIN stations not have Permit to Travel
machines?

No, as it's not a Penalty Fares area. You're supposed to buy your
ticket on the train.

asdf wrote in
:

On Mon, 10 Apr 2006 17:28:24 +0100, Dave Arquati
wrote:

Although, saying that - do the GOBLIN stations not have Permit to Travel
machines?

No, as it's not a Penalty Fares area. You're supposed to buy your
ticket on the train.

This is a completely different query, but do you know whether the Gatwick
Express is the same? If you're running for the Gatwick Express you don't
have time to queue for machines or ticketwindows. So I pay on board.
Whenever I've done it there hasn't been a problem, but is this always the
case, or I have I been lucky with meeting understandable ticket people on
that particular line?

On Mon, 10 Apr 2006 03:07:48 +0100, "Tim Roll-Pickering"
wrote:

Can you get Railcard discounts on any tickets from tube stations then? The
information at them is utterly unclear.

You can definitely get them on ODTCs. At NR stations with a Tube
ticket office (like Blackhorse Road), you can get them on
singles/returns for journeys entirely by NR (e.g. Blackhorse Road to
Gospel Oak).

I'm not sure about journeys that start with a Tube element (e.g.
Oxford Circus to Brighton), as I've never tried, and there seems to be
no information published anywhere about this.

Barry Salter wrote in
:


Gatwick Express doesn't charge a "premium" for purchasing your ticket
on board, and there are/were signs to this effect at Victoria, but
that doesn't stop people from queuing up to buy their ticket from the
Ticket Office! (Usually the main one at that)



However, a cheap-day return cannot be purchased by the on-board ticket bod,
I *think*.

So if you're returning same-day, it's better to get it in advance.