In message , at 00:03:51 on Wed, 7
Jun 2006, Clive Page remarked:
MML still accept off-peak Travelcards in the evening rush, so this may
shift even more of the Luton/Bedford crowd off Thameslink and onto
MML.

Are you sure about that? I just complained to FCC about the fact that
their new pocket timetables no longer show the morning peak
restrictions with darker shading, as all Thameslink ones did (and their
own first attempt did also). In their reply they also told me about
the new evening peak restrictions, which they say also apply to
departures from St.Pancras - and only MML runs trains from there.

I will check by emailing MML customer services, but they usually take
ages to reply, which means getting an answer before the restrictions
come into force is unlikely.

The FCC leaflet is at:

http://www.firstcapitalconnect.co.uk...DL_Leaflet.pdf

but the headline wording is somewhat misleading, even for a railway
publication.

It says:
"The return portions of Cheap Day Return, One Day off-peak
Travelcard, Family Travelcard and DaySave tickets are no
longer valid on services departing from Moorgate, King’s
Cross, King’s Cross Thameslink and St Pancras between
1630 and 1901 Monday to Friday."

But the rest of the leaflet goes on the describe a regime where only
*some* return portions aren't valid.

You really need to see the leaflet to understand, but they've chopped
their lines into Zones A,B,C,D and E, and only banned the travel between
B and D.

That's journeys originating in the Central area between East Croydon and
WestHampstead/Finsbury Park, *which also* terminate in an outer area
between Potters Bar and Peterborough/Waterbeach

All other travel is still OK, for example from the centre to Ely or
further north; or to destinations south of Elstree/Hadley Wood/Crews
Hill, and south of Redhill.

Looking at it from another perspective, all they are targeting is people
originating in Central London travelling to places between about half an
hour and one hour away.

What's missing from the mix is any detail with regard to the Zoning for
the alleged similar restrictions by GNER and MML.

It's feasible, if they adopt the same system, that MML will only be
targetting (eg) Off-peak travelcards issued at stations from Bedford
south, and that tickets to stations further north will still be
accepted, being in MML's equivalent of the Zone E [nb. That assumes they
still offer Travelcards from stations further north, yesterday I was
struggling to find a Kettering Travelcard after July 6th].

Savers have much smaller (1 hour) restricted window; if MML or GNER
adopt that much more lenient approach I'd be dancing in the streets.

ps. A final point for the pedants - these rules are from 11th June, but
what if I bought my saver a few weeks ago and haven't yet used the
return portion (or indeed either portion). Can they change its
availability "under my feet" so to speak?

--
Roland Perry