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Journey Planner nonsense message?

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Peter Wilde

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14 Oct 2019
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Planning a simple trip in April on Sunday 21st (Horsley to Streatham, should be do-able changing once at Clapham Jct)

But, National Rail journey planner gives this message "This journey is not a permitted route and may require multiple tickets. Please re-plan your journey”.

WTF ?? There doesn’t seem to be planned engineering work, or any announced strike. What is going on? A re-check using SWR website produces normal services.

Any ideas? What is going on with the National Rail Journey planner? And if there actually is a valid problem, why are they allowed to get away with such an un-informative error message?

This unhelpful attitude is guaranteed to put people off from travelling by train.
 
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Mcr Warrior

Mcr Warrior

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Peter Wilde said:
Planning a simple trip in April on Sunday 21st (Horsley to Streatham, should be do-able changing once at Clapham Jct)

But, National Rail journey planner gives this message "This journey is not a permitted route and may require multiple tickets. Please re-plan your journey”.
Click to expand...
Is Horsley to Streatham possible with a single change at Clapham Junction on Sunday 21st April 2024?
 
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Wandering Pom

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I suspect there's some confusion about "Streatham" stations, of which there are three: plain Streatham, Streatham Hill, and Streatham Common, all on different lines. The schedules currently available in RealtimeTrains for Sunday 21 April show a single change is possible for Horsley to Streatham Common, but not for the other two. Streatham Hill has no service that day, and Streatham needs a second change at Streatham Common.
 
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island

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Horsley-Clapham Junction-Streatham does not appear to be a permitted route. You are meant to change at Epsom and go via Sutton, and that line is closed for engineering works on the 21st.

In reality nobody's going to challenge you going via Clapham Junction.
 
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P

Peter Wilde

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Thanks for helpful replies.

Point remains though that the National Rail journey planner is atrociously unhelpful.

I would never have thought of looking at routes via Epsom - always tend to avoid that line, as it’s slow; and especially so since post-Covid, SWR halved the previous normal service of 2 trains an hour via Bookham to Epsom.
 
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MikeWM

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You can't rely on this 'not a permitted route' message being accurate, however, as I posted about in another thread earlier this week, where it claims that Cambridge to Liverpool isn't valid via Sheffield (which it very much is). I just re-tried it and it still says the same. Which is rubbish.
 
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island

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For the avoidance of doubt, I checked it in the Routeing Guide.
 
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Hadders

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National Rail doesn't sell tickets and is an atrocious site. You're better off going to your retailer of choice directly and purchasing tickets there.
 
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Somewhere

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Peter Wilde said:
Planning a simple trip in April on Sunday 21st (Horsley to Streatham, should be do-able changing once at Clapham Jct)

But, National Rail journey planner gives this message "This journey is not a permitted route and may require multiple tickets. Please re-plan your journey”.

WTF ?? There doesn’t seem to be planned engineering work, or any announced strike. What is going on? A re-check using SWR website produces normal services.

Any ideas? What is going on with the National Rail Journey planner? And if there actually is a valid problem, why are they allowed to get away with such an un-informative error message?

This unhelpful attitude is guaranteed to put people off from travelling by train.
Click to expand...
There are no direct trains from Clapham to Streatham, so you would have to change at least twice. You would also need to change at Peckham Rye, Mitcham Eastfields or Streatham Common

Peter Wilde said:
Thanks for helpful replies.

Point remains though that the National Rail journey planner is atrociously unhelpful.

I would never have thought of looking at routes via Epsom - always tend to avoid that line, as it’s slow; and especially so since post-Covid, SWR halved the previous normal service of 2 trains an hour via Bookham to Epsom.
Click to expand...
Journey Planners are generally useless to those with a knowledge of railway geography and timetables. They're fine for simple line of route stuff, but one it starts involving changes, particularly when there's a choice of routes, they're not very good.
And any staff checking tickets in South London aren't going to notice you're not on a permitted route if you turn up at Clapham Junction, Peckham Rye or anywhere else in South London. They'll just be glad you've got a ticket
 
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DavidGrain

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Last week in an attempt to assist a friend whose computer experience is limited to email, I checked trains from Nottingham to Gobowen (Shropshire). I first tried Trainline but when I saw a routing via Slough, I did not even look into the actual route. I then tried Transport for Wales. The routing I was given was: National Express coach Nottingham to Milton Keynes Central, Avanti West Coast to Birmingham International, and then TfW to Gobowen.

I advised my friend to travel via Birmingham New Street.
 
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JonathanH

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island said:
Horsley-Clapham Junction-Streatham does not appear to be a permitted route. You are meant to change at Epsom and go via Sutton, and that line is closed for engineering works on the 21st.
Click to expand...
Changing at Wimbledon is also a valid and more frequent option. Timings much the same as going via Epsom and Sutton, but one less change.

No service on 21 April though from Wimbledon to Streatham.
 
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