Confused over Southend Stns

[Chapeltom]

Hi all

I'm probably going to make a trip to Southend in a few months time (part of my mission eventually tick all 92 Football League Grounds off) but I'm a bit confused over Southend Stns. I'm led to believe Southend Stns are grouped but National Rail Enquiries will only sell a ticket from Liverpool Street to Southend Victoria/return on that line and Fenchurch Street to Southend Central and return on the line.

I'd quite like to go from Fenchurch Street into Southend Central, end journey there (probably head to Shoeburyness on another ticket) and return from Southend Victoria to Liverpool Street is this possible on one return ticket?

Thanks

Tom

 

[transmanche]

I'd quite like to go from Fenchurch Street into Southend Central, end journey there and return from Southend Victoria to Liverpool Street is this possible on one return ticket?

A quick glance at BRfares.com suggests that the only fare between London Terminals and Southend Stations is a 7-day season.

Starting the journey cross-London offers more options (e.g. Finsbury Park to Southend Stations route Any Permitted) - off-peak day return £18.10, BOJ permitted).

One oddity I noted was that London Terminals to Southend Central offers tickets route Any Permitted and route via Barking at the same price. Does anyone know why?

 

[furlong]

e.g. Maybe a travelcard (perhaps added onto another ticket) together with a boundary zone return ticket (not available online)
http://brfares.com/#fares?orig=1072&dest=0035&rlc=
http://brfares.com/#fares?orig=0072&dest=0411&rlc=

 

[hairyhandedfool]

For whatever reason, the tickets from London tend to be to specific stations in Southend, but from further afield tend to be to "Southend Stns". Might be worth looking at a ticket to a station beyond Southend East.

....One oddity I noted was that London Terminals to Southend Central offers tickets route Any Permitted and route via Barking at the same price. Does anyone know why?

Probably just a legacy of the change from Southend Stns to the individual stations. Seemingly 'Any Permitted' and 'Via Barking' are for Central/East, while Victoria only has 'Via Romford'.

 

[Be3G]

Nevertheless, I believe that a ticket from London Terminals to either Southend Victoria or Southend Central would be valid for use via the other station. I form this conclusion because they're both routeing point group members, which means that the two both have exactly the same permitted routes to/from London. Combined with the fact that they are recognised as an official walking interchange, if you have (say) a Liverpool Street to Southed Victoria ticket but wish to return from Central, you could technically claim that you began your journey at Victoria with a walk to Central, whence you pick up a permitted route to London.

 

[cjohnson]

Could you perhaps try something like a London Terminals - Prittlewell return, breaking your journey at Southend; NRE shows this ticket as a valid itinerary from Fenchurch Street-Southend Central-(walk)-Southend Victoria-Prittlewell (and then obviously a direct Prittlewell-Liverpool Street train on the return).

 

[bb21]

Combined with the fact that they are recognised as an official walking interchange, if you have (say) a Liverpool Street to Southed Victoria ticket but wish to return from Central, you could technically claim that you began your journey at Victoria with a walk to Central, whence you pick up a permitted route to London.

The general consensus amongst senior forum members is that you are not permitted to start a journey with a walk, so I wouldn't recommend that. The ticket would be issued to Southend Central specifically rather than Southend Victoria.

Buying a Prittlewell ticket is a good alternative. I don't know whether all trains to Southend Victoria stop at Prittlewell but it looks like at least the majority of them do.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Prittlewell has no Sunday service.

Thorpe Bay and Shoeburyness have 'Any Permitted' fares for only a small amount more than the Southend Central Fare.

 

[Be3G]

The general consensus amongst senior forum members is that you are not permitted to start a journey with a walk

Noted. I suppose it was too good to be true.

 

[greatkingrat]

Noted. I suppose it was too good to be true.

You may not be able to use a London - Southend Central ticket to go via Southend Victoria, but I don't see any reason why you can't use a London - Southend East ticket instead (as you are no longer starting with a walk).

The Southend East prices are the same as the Southend Central prices as well.

 

[IanD]

You may not be able to use a London - Southend Central ticket to go via Southend Victoria, but I don't see any reason why you can't use a London - Southend East ticket instead (as you are no longer starting with a walk).

The Southend East prices are the same as the Southend Central prices as well.

If the OP is heading to Shoeburyness then they may as well get a ticket to there for 50p more.

 

[Chapeltom]

If the OP is heading to Shoeburyness then they may as well get a ticket to there for 50p more.

Would that be valid to go:

Fenchurch St - Shoeburyness
Shoeburyness to Southend Central
Walk to Southend Victoria
Southend Victoria to Liverpool St?

Its only £2 something with a Y-P to go from Central to Shoeburyness, not a great deal more anyway.


Cheers all for the excellent advice all on the Prittlewell ticket, put FST to Prittlewell via Southend Central into NRE and it shows a Super Off Peak Return - £9.90 with Y-P railcard which is absolutely excellent, with a walk from SOC to SOV. Be breaking journey at Prittlewell anyway for the football, now confirmed I'll be at Southend v Bristol Rovers on 27th Sep, stopping at a mate's in East London and doing Leyton Orient v Walsall the next day.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Would that be valid to go:

Fenchurch St - Shoeburyness
Shoeburyness to Southend Central
Walk to Southend Victoria
Southend Victoria to Liverpool St?....

Yes.

Shoeburyness has only one Associated Routeing Point, Southend Group (Central/East/Victoria), so the permitted routes (in the RG) from London Terminals/Group are by maps EA (Liverpool Street via Romford) or LS (Liverpool St./Fenchurch St. via Barking) to Southend Group and then by the shortest route to Shoeburyness, with return being one of the routes in reverse.

 

[Chapeltom]

Right I've just bought a London Terminals to Prittlewell Super Off Peak Return with a 16-25 railcard. Started at Fenchurch Street, travelling onto Southend Central, walk to Victoria then Prittlewell.

This didn't work the barriers at FST but the barrier staff said it was ok. Can anyone absolutely back it up that my ticket is valid (which I think we established was) - the ticket office staff at FST said it wasn't valid.

Pretty nervous right now! I'm sure someone said this was a permitted route by NRE. Just gone on NRE myself and that works out, just afraid c2c inspectors may argue otherwise!

 

[MikeWh]

Appropriate routeing points for Prittlewell: Shenfield and Southend Group
Any Permitted SDS London Terminals to Prittlewell £15.70
Any Permitted SDS London Terminals to Southend C £11.00

Therefore it's valid.

 

[Chapeltom]

Appropriate routeing points for Prittlewell: Shenfield and Southend Group
Any Permitted SDS London Terminals to Prittlewell £15.70
Any Permitted SDS London Terminals to Southend C £11.00

Therefore it's valid.

Well we had issues at Barking, missed the 1525 by a few minutes after being held up 6 mins while I argued my case with the barrier attendant then another man. Eventually allowed to proceed, I wasn't aggressive and showed both my phone, showing National Rail Enquiries with a FST to Prittlewell journey via Leigh On Sea (to show it was valid via Southend Ctrl then walk to Victoria). Many other passengers would have given up, onto Basildon now where further problems will probably be encountered.

I can't see how c2c get any revenue out of this so can understand any reluctance to accept it!