Contactless ticket acceptance to Reading in the event of incidents on the GWML

[matt_world2004]

I was at Paddington yesterday when there was an passenger incident blocking the GWML. They were announcing that tickets were accepted on SWR from Waterloo to Reading and to Oxford from Marylebone. Would you be able to use your contactless card from London Waterloo to Reading in those circumstances?

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Speaking from a position of total ignorance, does Waterloo have contactless card readers on the gates for the Reading platforms?

If not, then in practice the answer will be 'no' in that there would be no way to validate your contactless card on leaving London (or arriving if coming from Reading).

And I suspect (again from a position of total ignorance) that even if there are readers, the answer is still 'no'; someone who already holds a ticket is being given an ad-hoc easement of what route they can use so that the railways can complete the existing contract for a journey from London to Reading; someone with a contactless card doesn't enter into a contract to travel until they go through the first barrier line so the railway doesn't have a commitment to fulfil until that point.

As I say, total ignorance speaking here, so I would love to be proved wrong!

And a further thought: for the specific example quoted, won't the slow Waterloo to Reading fare be cheaper than the fast Paddington fare? If so, surely 'ticket acceptance' charging the Paddington fare would cost the passenger more. Although it makes the question of what happens if the Waterloo line is blocked more interesting...

 

[Bletchleyite]

Generally, within the TfL Oyster/contactless system, ticket acceptance doesn't exist. There are exceptions but it isn't the norm. You pay for what you actually do on the basis that it'll even out.

 

[swt_passenger]

Speaking from a position of total ignorance, does Waterloo have contactless card readers on the gates for the Reading platforms?

Yes of course, as contactless has been available on the Reading route but only as far as zone 6 (Feltham) since introduction. It’s the gap beyond zone 6 that is the problem. AIUI contactless wouldn’t be able to easily resolve a separate SW fare or GW fare as there’s a common gateline area at Reading anyway.

But they aren’t really dedicated platforms, almost all Reading trains go from one of the former international platforms, and all 5 of them are within one gateline.

 

[dmncf]

I think the readers at Waterloo would accept a contactless card user who had travelled from Reading, because one can legitimately do that journey:
- Reading to Ealing Broadway using Elizabeth Line
- Ealing Broadway to Richmond using District Line
- Richmond to Waterloo using SWR

 

[Haywain]

I think the readers at Waterloo would accept a contactless card user who had travelled from Reading, because one can legitimately do that journey:
- Reading to Ealing Broadway using Elizabeth Line
- Ealing Broadway to Richmond using District Line
- Richmond to Waterloo using SWR

OK, what would it charge for that journey?

 

[dmncf]

OK, what would it charge for that journey?

From: https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/find-fares/tube-and-rail-fares/single-fare-finder
Reading Rail Station to Clapham Junction Rail Station: Peak £24.90, Off Peak £10.80
Reading Rail Station to Queenstown Road (Battersea) Rail Station: Peak £29.20, Off Peak £13.90 - bizarrely more expensive than the station before and the station after!
Reading Rail Station to Vauxhall Rail Station: Peak £24.90, Off Peak £10.80
Reading Rail Station to London Waterloo Rail Station: "No fares found, please try again" - bizarre, since there were fares all the way to the station before!

 

[Horizon22]

If you tapped in at Reading, so long as there are card readers at Waterloo it would charge you something surely?

You'd then need to reclaim via TfL, but you might end up being charged less!

 

[miklcct]

My literal interpretation means I will do so.

The reason is that:
* Tickets (for travel between Paddington and Reading) are being accepted on SWR Waterloo - Reading service.
* A contactless card with a touch in is a valid ticket for the purpose of travelling between Paddington and Reading.
* Therefore, the announcement has the effect that a contactless card with a touch in is being accepted on SWR Waterloo - Reading service.

Similarly there were some Southern trains, normally running wholly in the Oyster area, on a diversion which ran outside the Oyster area. Oyster could still be used on those trains provided that one didn't leave the train outside the Oyster area.

 

[JonathanH]

All journeys between two points on the Oyster / Contactless system have a fare defined. It is just that some aren't advertised.

And a further thought: for the specific example quoted, won't the slow Waterloo to Reading fare be cheaper than the fast Paddington fare?

It should most likely be the same - ie Reading to Zone 1 on the NR scale, or more expensive, that is Reading to Zone 1 on the mixed-mode scale. Speed doesn't come into it.

 

[father_jack]

Try going Paddington-Waterloo-Reading-Twyford vice Paddington-Twyford and you'll have problems. Yesterday's unfortunate happening was nearly a 5 hour line closure but that scenario isn't allowed for with contactless where a paper ticket would be ok, with delay repay applicable as well.

 

[JonathanH]

Try going Paddington-Waterloo-Reading-Twyford vice Paddington-Twyford and you'll have problems.

We don't really know what the maximum journey time is from Paddington (underground) to Twyford. I'd imagine that 2 hours may be fair game, possibly longer, but I imagine that circulating via both Waterloo and Reading stands a reasonable chance of timing out if connections are missed.

Where the greater risk of timing out arises is if you are already part way into your journey when you get to Paddington - eg starting in Central London and going back into the underground via a different entrance. Then the clock is already running before the two hour plus trip to Twyford via Waterloo / Reading starts.