On 26 Jan, 09:04, brixtonite wrote:
On Jan 25, 11:47 am, Andy wrote:

This Saturday there is engineering work which means the the West
Ruislip - Marylebone services are diverted to Paddington. Currently
Oyster PAYG is valid on the Marylebone route, but not into Paddington
(this being on the list for spring 2008). Does anyone know if
provision has made for people touching in at West Ruislip and then not
being able to touch out at Paddington during the diversion? Will the
be posters saying that PAYG is not available or will people have to
phone up about unresolved journeys.

Last Saturday I took the train from West Hampstead thameslink to St
Pancras. Usually PAYG is valid on this route, but because of
engineering work the train ran into the high level platforms at St P,
where there were no gates and no obvious place to touch out, so I got
charged the max cash fare and had to ring the oyster helpline to get
it refunded. I don't know what else I could/should have done.


Interesting. I was aware of Thameslink engineering work that meant
trains were diverted into St. Pancras high-level, but my cursory
glance at the website suggested that it was only the Bedford
"expresses", which are first stop St Albans, which wouldn't have been
an issue with regards to Oyster Pay-as-you-go. I was evidently wrong.

I understand there are going to be many weekend blockades of the
central Thameslink route through central London for works associated
with the Thameslink Programme (aka Thameslink 2000) - I'm guessing
that this will mean that the situation you encountered, with trains
being diverted into St. Pancras high-level, will happen lots more in
the future. It looks like FCC and TfL need to sort out a solution for
this. One or two Oyster readers on the high-level platforms at St.
Pancras would suffice.