Why does the TfL journey planner suggest taking two trains and a bus from
Lewisham when I want to go from Charing Cross to Bluewater Shopping Centre?

One journey suggested is

11:22 Charing Cross Rail Station
Take Southeastern towards Gillingham (Kent) Rail Station

12:19 Greenhithe Rail Station
Take Southeastern towards Charing Cross

13:32 Lewisham Stop: G
Take Route Express bus 022 towards Harbour

Bluewater Bus Station
Walk to Bluewater Shopping Centre

14:05 Bluewater Shopping Centre

But if I read the Southeastern timetable correctly the 11:22 form Charing
Cross goes directly to Greenhithe for Bluewater.

Question number 2:
How can I find out how much this journey (Charing Cross - Greenhithe) will
cost me? I have a 7 day zone 1-6 travelcard on Oyster.

--
jhk

"Jarle H Knudsen" wrote in message
...
Why does the TfL journey planner suggest taking two trains and a bus from
Lewisham when I want to go from Charing Cross to Bluewater Shopping
Centre?

One journey suggested is

11:22 Charing Cross Rail Station
Take Southeastern towards Gillingham (Kent) Rail Station

12:19 Greenhithe Rail Station
Take Southeastern towards Charing Cross

13:32 Lewisham Stop: G
Take Route Express bus 022 towards Harbour

Bluewater Bus Station
Walk to Bluewater Shopping Centre

14:05 Bluewater Shopping Centre

But if I read the Southeastern timetable correctly the 11:22 form Charing
Cross goes directly to Greenhithe for Bluewater.

Question number 2:
How can I find out how much this journey (Charing Cross - Greenhithe) will
cost me? I have a 7 day zone 1-6 travelcard on Oyster.

--
jhk

Just tried it and it offered either via Woolwich then bus 96 or via Lewisham
then bus 002/007. No mention of Greenhithe. Did you actually enter Charing
Cross as the starting point? I have had something similar before when
travelling to Kew: what I believed to be the simplest route refused to come
up until I changed my starting point. I complained to TfL who said they
couldn't replicate it. TfL's journey planner is a bit heavy on buses in
preference to train journeys.

Must be the heat (or the floods)!

MaxB

On 8 Aug, 11:15, Jarle H Knudsen wrote:
Why does the TfL journey planner suggest taking two trains and a bus from
Lewisham when I want to go from Charing Cross to Bluewater Shopping Centre?

Probably because Bluewater is outside Greater London, and so isn't
fully covered by the TfL planner. The National Rail planner www.nationalrail.co.uk
is your best bet here.

The correct fare will be from Boundary Zone 6 to Greenhithe, which is
*approximately* £2.50 return. Unfortunately, it isn't possible to find
exact Boundary Zone fares online (or to buy from ticket machines) -
you'll need to go to the office at Charing Cross.

--
John Band
john at johnband dot org
www.johnband.org

On Aug 8, 12:46 pm, John B wrote:
Probably because Bluewater is outside Greater London, and so isn't
fully covered by the TfL planner. The National Rail plannerwww.nationalrail.co.uk
is your best bet here.

You want Traveline southeast if you're planning anything other than
station-to-station:
http://www.travelinesoutheast.org.uk/

Though it suggests changing to the bus at Dartford.

You need to buy a ticket to "Bluewater" if you want the bus trip from
Greenhithe included:
http://www.bluewater.co.uk/guest-inf...-here/by-train

U

--
http://londonconnections.blogspot.com/
A blog about transport projects in London

On 8 Aug, 12:46, John B wrote:
On 8 Aug, 11:15, Jarle H Knudsen wrote:

Why does the TfL journey planner suggest taking two trains and a bus from
Lewisham when I want to go from Charing Cross to Bluewater Shopping Centre?

Probably because Bluewater is outside Greater London, and so isn't
fully covered by the TfL planner. The National Rail plannerwww.nationalrail.co.uk
is your best bet here.

The correct fare will be from Boundary Zone 6 to Greenhithe, which is
*approximately* £2.50 return. Unfortunately, it isn't possible to find
exact Boundary Zone fares online (or to buy from ticket machines) -
you'll need to go to the office at Charing Cross.


I thi - ink that if you have, say, a zone 1 - 2 travelcard, you can
travel to Bluewater from Lewisham via 89 and 96 without paying
anything. Takes a long time of course.

On 8 Aug, 15:15, MIG wrote:
Why does the TfL journey planner suggest taking two trains and a bus from
Lewisham when I want to go from Charing Cross to Bluewater Shopping Centre?

Probably because Bluewater is outside Greater London, and so isn't
fully covered by the TfL planner. The National Rail plannerwww.nationalrail.co.uk
is your best bet here.

The correct fare will be from Boundary Zone 6 to Greenhithe, which is
*approximately* £2.50 return. Unfortunately, it isn't possible to find
exact Boundary Zone fares online (or to buy from ticket machines) -
you'll need to go to the office at Charing Cross.

I thi - ink that if you have, say, a zone 1 - 2 travelcard, you can
travel to Bluewater from Lewisham via 89 and 96 without paying
anything. Takes a long time of course.

Correct.

For the benefit of anyone who is not a long-time London resident and
therefore doesn't know the arcana of surface London transport, such as
possibly the OP, this is because 1) all Travelcards [irrespective of
zone] are valid on all London buses at all times 2) some London buses,
including the 96, go beyond the Greater London boundary.

Quite how the unsuspecting tourist is supposed to understand this, I'm
not sure...

--
John Band
john at johnband dot org
www.johnband.org

On Aug 8, 3:26 pm, John B wrote:
On 8 Aug, 15:15, MIG wrote:

Why does the TfL journey planner suggest taking two trains and a bus from
Lewisham when I want to go from Charing Cross to Bluewater Shopping Centre?

Probably because Bluewater is outside Greater London, and so isn't
fully covered by the TfL planner. The National Rail plannerwww.nationalrail.co.uk
is your best bet here.

The correct fare will be from Boundary Zone 6 to Greenhithe, which is
*approximately* £2.50 return. Unfortunately, it isn't possible to find
exact Boundary Zone fares online (or to buy from ticket machines) -
you'll need to go to the office at Charing Cross.

I thi - ink that if you have, say, a zone 1 - 2 travelcard, you can
travel to Bluewater from Lewisham via 89 and 96 without paying
anything. Takes a long time of course.

Correct.

For the benefit of anyone who is not a long-time London resident and
therefore doesn't know the arcana of surface London transport, such as
possibly the OP, this is because 1) all Travelcards [irrespective of
zone] are valid on all London buses at all times 2) some London buses,
including the 96, go beyond the Greater London boundary.

Quite how the unsuspecting tourist is supposed to understand this, I'm
not sure...



Particularly when on some routes travelcards cease being valid at
points which are completely unrelated to the London boundary (although
never within it). I thought that they covered the whole 96 to
Bluewater, but wasn't 100%.

MIG wrote
On Aug 8, 3:26 pm, John B wrote:

Correct.

For the benefit of anyone who is not a long-time London resident and
therefore doesn't know the arcana of surface London transport, such
as
possibly the OP, this is because 1) all Travelcards [irrespective of
zone] are valid on all London buses at all times 2) some London
buses,
including the 96, go beyond the Greater London boundary.

Quite how the unsuspecting tourist is supposed to understand this,
I'm
not sure...

Particularly when on some routes travelcards cease being valid at
points which are completely unrelated to the London boundary (although
never within it). I thought that they covered the whole 96 to
Bluewater, but wasn't 100%.

For English speaking 'unsuspecting tourists' and others the information
is in

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloa...ets-and-PAYG-o
n-buses-outside-London2007.pdf

Which is rather easier to find than other esoteric Oyster information
discussed here such as out-of-station interchanges.

As far as I can tell, travelcards and PAYG are in fact valid for the
full length of all Tfl bus routes.

Tfl doesn't mention anything about validity on non-Tfl routes that
start within the zones. The examples of which I am aware have validity
stopping at or very close to the zone boundary but 'unsuspecting
tourists' might well be unaware that 216 and 411 count as Tfl and 218
and 461 do not.

--
Mike D

Two options:

1 - Ask for a ticket to Bluewater. Get off at Greenhithe and get the
shuttle bus

2 - Get a ticket to Dartford, then get a fast track bus to Bluewater.

"Jarle H Knudsen" wrote in message
...
Why does the TfL journey planner suggest taking two trains and a bus from
Lewisham when I want to go from Charing Cross to Bluewater Shopping
Centre?

One journey suggested is

11:22 Charing Cross Rail Station
Take Southeastern towards Gillingham (Kent) Rail Station

12:19 Greenhithe Rail Station
Take Southeastern towards Charing Cross

13:32 Lewisham Stop: G
Take Route Express bus 022 towards Harbour

Bluewater Bus Station
Walk to Bluewater Shopping Centre

14:05 Bluewater Shopping Centre

But if I read the Southeastern timetable correctly the 11:22 form Charing
Cross goes directly to Greenhithe for Bluewater.

Question number 2:
How can I find out how much this journey (Charing Cross - Greenhithe) will
cost me? I have a 7 day zone 1-6 travelcard on Oyster.

--
jhk

"James Webb" wrote in message
...
Two options:

1 - Ask for a ticket to Bluewater. Get off at Greenhithe and get the
shuttle bus

I tried this once, but they couldn't find the fare.

The bus only[1] costs a quid and I doubt that the inclusive
fare is any different than the sum of parts.

[1] Actually, I think that it was a lot given the distance involved
but in ticketing terms is probably the minimum worth
accounting for.

tim