On Jun 9, 6:31*pm, wrote:

On Jun 9, 4:23*pm, Mizter T wrote:

, but at London Bridge
this requires one to touch-in or out on the standalone Oyster readers
on the Thameslink platforms and then you have to go and ask to be let
out the side gate after explaining that you've used PAYG on Thameslink
- the gates will not open for you.-

Is that right ) I did not know that. I've previously had a PAYG
Oyster and now have a staff free Oyster but I don't recall ever
needing to use either at LB.


Yes, 'tis true. To be honest it's actually fairly sensible - the
number of passengers who specifically enter London Bridge station from
the street to use Thameslink to get to stations on the Thameslink core
route must be fairly small - for St Pancras, Kentish Town and West
Hampstead then the tube from LB is the natural choice, which leaves
Blackfriars, City Thameslink and Farringdon - I'd say only for the
latter journey does Thameslink really make sense (for the former two
I'd go with the District/Circle from Blackfriars or Mansion House -
though Blackfriars LU is of course shut now, so perhaps Thameslink
might sort of make sense).

I'd think it more likely that those using Oyster PAYG on the
Thameslink core from/to London Bridge are interchanging there with
other mainline services, so never have to negotiate the LB gateline
situation whatsoever during their journey.

*If* the main gatelines at London Bridge were to be enabled for Oyster
PAYG then there would be an enormous number of people erroneously
thinking they can use their Oyster cards (in PAYG mode) to travel on
trains south of the river - this would lead to mass confusion and lots
of ticketless travel. Better then that the few Oyster PAYG-using
Thameslink passengers are inconvenienced than causing mass problems
elsewhere.

Of course eventually this anomaly will disappear once PAYG gets
universal acceptance across NR on London. Which will happen, in a
distant and much promised land called the future. Oh, and on strike
days, when it seems you get to travel for free merely by brandishing
an Oyster card!