On Aug 24, 9:22*pm, "SteveL" wrote:

"Mizter T" wrote:
[...]
Maybe instead of working on the basis of Bakerloo-Victoria-NLL, the
default fare is instead based on taking a fast train from H&W to
Euston, then Vic line to H&I, then NLL to Hackney? (Though yes, that
would inevitably entail passing through ticket gates in zone 1 twice
at Euston NR & LU.)

Indeed, whilst the NR journey planner suggests travelling via a
change at Willesden Jn and then the NLL for nearly all journeys, the
TfL Journey Planner alternately suggests that route and the fast
train to Euston route - and the latter is shown as being faster at
around 45 mins compared to 55 mins for the former.

Thinking aloud, I dare say that 'default fares' are generated by some
sort of routing algorithm, and it takes a bit of human intervention
to alter them (which hasn't happened here)? Given the need to pass
through gates in zone 1 if travelling via Euston (which would
inevitably mean a via-z1 fare being charged), I think it'd be fair
enough to change the default fare so as to assume the non-z1 route,
i.e. changing at Willesden Jn.

The way that I see it is that where there are two routes with different
prices, the default is the higher priced route, by touching your card onto a
pink validator you get switched onto the lower fare. Being realistic, if the
default was the cheaper route then how many people voluntarily admit to
having taken the higher-priced route.

Understood - though if travelling via a fast train from H&W to Euston
then one doesn't really have a choice about whether to 'admit' going
via zone 1, as one is compelled to negotiate at least one gateline at
Euston LU (whether one has to negotiate another gateline at Euston NR
depends whether or not the train arrives in to one of the suburban
platforms - though regardless of where it arrives, a punter should
touch-out on exit at Euston NR anyway) - so the very act of choosing
the Euston route flags up the journey as via zone 1.

Of course that doesn't cover punters who travel via the Bakerloo line
to Oxford Circus, then the Vic line to H&I, then the NLL to Hackney
Central - but under normal situations that's really not a very logical
route these days, i.e. in the context of the much improved NLL service
(it's certainly not a route that any journey planner suggests).

However the shear number of origin/destination pairs in London likely
makes in-depth of pondering all the options for all potential journeys
unrealistic - and it'd be understandable if, for routes where two (or
more) fares could exist, there'd be some automatic presumption that
the cheaper fare would apply to those pax who used the pink Oyster
route validator at the relevant interchange (if provided).


As for Willesden Junction, IIRC the pink validator is half-way along the
(narrow) tunnel between the two groups of platforms, so anyone who would
benefit from using the pink validator there will naturally walk past it when
changing trains.