Clapham Junction to Shepherd's Bush: why are paper tickets so expensive?

[joncombe]

I just used the National Rail app to look up the train times between Clapham Junction and Shepherd's Bush.

I was quoted £12.60 return off peak (this is on Sunday so off peak)! This seems ridiculously high it's no more than 2 miles, probably less and a direct train.

Why is the price so high?

I then checked on TFL which says the fare £1.60 each way, £3.20 return. I presume to get the latter fare I need to use Contactless or Oyster.

However I've never seen such a large price difference quoted. I assumed it was a mistake but the Railforums ticket web page gives the same price.

How on earth has this happened?

 

[Watershed]

I just used the National Rail app to look up the train times between Clapham Junction and Shepherd's Bush. I was quoted £12.60 return off peak (this is on Sunday so off peak)! This seems ridiculously high it's no more than 2 miles, probably less and a direct train. Why is the price so high? I then checked on TFL which says the fare £1.60 each way, £3.20 return. I presume to get the latter fare I need to use Contactless or Oyster. However I've never seen such a large price difference quoted. I assumed it was a mistake but the railforums ticket web page gives the same price. How on earth has this happened?

It's a combination of the general increases which were applied to paper tickets within the Zones when Oyster was rolled out (to encourage people to switch), the multi-year freeze on TfL-scale PAYG fares outside Zone 1, and the further swingeing increases which were applied to London Overground-set paper fares. So you end up with 'worst of all worlds'.

By way of comparison, Queens Road Battersea to Shepherds Bush is significantly cheaper. In fact a weekly season ticket (£15.50) costs barely more than the SDR from Clapham Junction! This works for anywhere that the fares are ATOC-set rather than LO-set.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

£6.30 is the Anytime Cash Single Fare in London.

(2 x £6.30 = £12.60 for a return).

Doesn't seem to be a cash Off Peak equivalent version.

Well expensive!

As @Watershed has explained, the powers that be would rather you didn't purchase such walk-up paper tickets.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Wonder if the routing is via central London !.

EDIT, just beaten to it with the explanation.

 

[AlbertBeale]

It's a combination of the general increases which were applied to paper tickets within the Zones when Oyster was rolled out (to encourage people to switch), the multi-year freeze on TfL-scale PAYG fares outside Zone 1, and the further swingeing increases which were applied to London Overground-set paper fares. So you end up with 'worst of all worlds'.

By way of comparison, Queens Road Battersea to Shepherds Bush is significantly cheaper. In fact a weekly season ticket (£15.50) costs barely more than the SDR from Clapham Junction! This works for anywhere that the fares are ATOC-set rather than LO-set.

And indeed you then go via Clapham Junction anyway, and could presumably start/end short using the tickets for a longer journey and pay much less. A weird anomaly.

The same applies from Wandsworth Road to Shepherds Bush, it being much cheaper to buy that ticket than one from Clapham Junction via which you go anyway. (Though I thought this anomaly stemmed from the time of the through trains between Wandsworth road and Olympia.

 

[hkstudent]

£6.30 is the Anytime Cash Single Fare in London.

(2 x £6.30 = £12.60 for a return).

Doesn't seem to be a cash Off Peak equivalent version.

Well expensive!

As @Watershed has explained, the powers that be would rather you didn't purchase such walk-up paper tickets.

There's no off peak paper single ticket in TfL system, to "encourage" the shift to oystercard/ contactless payment card.
Obviously, by adopting that on London Overground, it would cause quite a bit of anomaly.

 

[talldave]

Another xample of my "buy a ticket to/from somewhere you're not going" rule! Queenstwon Road, Wandsworth Town, Vauxhall all give £5.20 return. Contactless still wins though.

 

[Watershed]

Another xample of my "buy a ticket to/from somewhere you're not going" rule! Queenstwon Road, Wandsworth Town, Vauxhall all give £5.20 return. Contactless still wins though.

There are a few circumstances where a paper ticket would still be cheaper. A return journey made by a Railcard holder where both legs are made in the evening peak, for instance.

 

[joncombe]

Another xample of my "buy a ticket to/from somewhere you're not going" rule! Queenstwon Road, Wandsworth Town, Vauxhall all give £5.20 return. Contactless still wins though.

Thanks for the replies. Only slight irritation with contactless is that I'll be travelling to Clapham Junction on a paper ticket, so I presume I'll need to exit the station with that and re-enter to pay contactless for the train onto Shepherd's Bush? Rather than just cross to the appropriate platform.

Thanks for the explanation about the prices. I assume the discrepancy has come about because Clapham Junction to Shepherd's Bush is set by TFL and Wandsworth Town to Shepherd's Bush set by SWR? Either way it seems excessive as someone entering the station might well head to the ticket machines and not realise they would be paying about 4* the price if they did so.

 

[talldave]

There are a few circumstances where a paper ticket would still be cheaper. A return journey made by a Railcard holder where both legs are made in the evening peak, for instance.

Very true. It's sad that only rail geeks understand this!!

 

[Watershed]

Thanks for the replies. Only slight irritation with contactless is that I'll be travelling to Clapham Junction on a paper ticket, so I presume I'll need to exit the station with that and re-enter to pay contactless for the train onto Shepherd's Bush? Rather than just cross to the appropriate platform.

There are yellow readers at platform 17. You can touch in/out on those. Alternatively there are also pink readers at platforms 1/2, and whilst these are not intended for this purpose, you can also use them to touch in (but you can't touch out using them).

Thanks for the explanation about the prices. I assume the discrepancy has come about because Clapham Junction to Shepherd's Bush is set by TFL and Wandsworth Town to Shepherd's Bush set by SWR? Either way it seems excessive as someone entering the station might well head to the ticket machines and not realise they would be paying about 4* the price if they did so.

Clapham Junction to Shepherd's Bush is set by London Overground. Wandsworth Town to Shepherd's Bush is set by ATOC/RDG. But yes, there's scope for people to hugely overpay.