On Sat, 17 Nov 2007 16:08:22 -0000,
Peter Masson wrote:

"W14_Fishbourne" wrote in message
...
On Nov 17, 3:26 pm, burkey wrote:


"Hopefully now people will get the savings and service that they
deserve."


I fear that Ms Ward is mistaken if she thinks that the availability of
Oyster PAYG from Watford Junction will mean lower fares. PAYG fares
will be the same as for paper tickets from Watford Junction.

Presumably, if they make other journeys, such as tube onwards from Euston,
PAYG price-capping will give them a daily fare 50p less than a ODTC from
Watford Junction.

Or possibly not. The ODTC from Watford Junction is not a ODTC from
Watford Junction but more like an all zones TC plus a (return) boundary
Z6 to WJ extension (I don't know what the situation is with the stations
between Hatch End and Watford High Street)

When you exit WJ with your ODTC the barrier eats the ticket and you
cannot use it again.

While it's never affected me, there are cases where it would be cheaper
to buy a ODTC from Watford Junction plus a return to Harrow and
Wealdstone and then be careful which ticket you used when you exited WJ
for the first time if you were making multiple trips into London during
the day.

I don't see how they can possibly charge differential fares between WJ
and Euston depending on the train you took. It's possible to do a WJ to
H&W on Southern plus H&W to Euston on LM currently and, theoretically at
least, if one or other train is slightly delayed to allow the connection
to work perfectly, manage the journey as fast or faster than the average
person manages the WJ to Euston non-stop service.

I also always sit at the extreme rear of the train going into Euston
(I've got my Brompton with me and by sitting at the extreme rear I'm not
trying to unfold the bike while people are walking past me and I don't
end up in the middle of the crowds trying to get through the barriers at
Euston) and this probably adds five minute onto the journey as compared
to someone who stands in exactly the right point to run for the barriers
when the train arrives at Euston.

So my expectation is that a WJ to Zone 1 commuter travelling between 7am
and 7pm will now pay 11GBP/day on PAYG. For someone (me :-( ) who gets
28 days holiday a year including bank holidays and IIRC a WJ all zones
gold card is 2464 it works out at 10.62 per working day. (Today I did
go into London with someone to see them off on a train from KX so I do
occasionally make extra journeys but I also occasionally cycle into
work)

For someone (me :-) ) who always makes at least one of their journeys
before 7am or after 7pm it will be cheaper by PAYG. (If this is right
it's also an extra incentive to get me swimming again in the mornings
and start catching a train before 7am again). Although my gold card is
2064 because I don't use the tube so I need to do both journeys offpeak
to save money (assuming the occasional trip into London at the weekend
as well)

But the fact that PAYG is available to/from WJ regardless of exactly how
much it costs is great news. Now I can just have a couple of oyster
cards with auto topup setup and when I have people to visit there's no
faffing around required at all.

Tim.


--
God said, "div D = rho, div B = 0, curl E = - @B/@t, curl H = J + @D/@t,"
and there was light.

http://tjw.hn.org/ http://www.locofungus.btinternet.co.uk/