On 23 Dec, 18:47, Matthew Dickinson
wrote:

On 23 Dec, 18:26, Mizter T wrote:

On 23 Dec, 18:11, Paul Corfield wrote:

(snip)

Heathrow Connect implementation is planned for 22 Feb 2009. There will
be separate fares to cover the higher rate into Heathrow plus higher
daily peak and off peak caps. In addition the minimum fare deduction on
entry will rise to £8 at Heathrow and Paddington Main Line.

Thanks for the info. Somewhat esoteric questions comments follow...

So the arrangement at Heathrow mainline stations (for Heathrow Connect
services) will be a bit like the "zone W" arrangement at Watford
Junction (though this "zone W" concept is only used in internal
communications, not passenger facing ones) - i.e. a station outside
the normal zones that accepts Oyster PAYG.

Presumably, so as to cover every eventuality, there will have to be
"zone H" + "zone W" daily price caps (in both peak and off-peak
flavours).-

These will be the first caps without a related Travelcard, as
Travelcards from Watford Junction are available.


It took a moment for me to figure out what you meant - but yes I see,
there isn't an 'out-boundary' Travelcard from Heathrow for use on
Heathrow Connect.


I wonder if PAYG will extend to Heathrow Express at any point. The
only way I could see to implement that without revenue risks is to
install on-train validators.


Hmm, not sure about that, what with HEx charging a premium over HC. As
you suggest, validators on board would be one solution - I suppose
another would be for the extra premium fare to be deducted by the
handheld reader used by the HEx conductors - not without precedent, as
this is how conductors on Routemaster buses deal collect the fares of
Oyster PAYG users.

The extension of Oyster PAYG to Heathrow Connect does at least put one
little query about Crossrail to bed - the question of whether or not
Oyster could be used to Heathrow on Crossrail. The follow-on question
of whether using Crossrail to Heathrow would attract a surcharge above
and beyond a normal London zonal fare, as will be the case with
Heathrow Connect, remains open.

Of course little questions about Oyster acceptance at Heathrow are
somewhat overshadowed by some other questions about Crossrail - a 16
billion pound question stands out in particular.