Havant & Cosham to Bourne End

[Lockwood]

I've got another annoying question for you, once again seeming to involve routes via Guildford.

I've got to go to Bourne End on Thursday from Havant, and a colleague is coming from Cosham.
I have put the journeys in to NRE, and there are routes from
Havant (0540) -> Guildford (0642) -> Reading (0742) -> Maidenhead (0801) -> Bourne End (0812)
and
Cosham (0642) -> Winchester (0731) -> Reading (0812) -> Maidenhead (0831) -> Bourne End (0842).
I notice that both of these routes come out as £37.50

One route that appears on each is:
Havant (0622) [-> Cosham (0629)] -> Southampton Central (0715) -> Reading (0812) -> Maidenhead (0831) -> Bourne End (0842).

This does not allow me to select it and simply states "You need to buy more than one ticket for this journey" "No fares available" and does not give any further information about which tickets are required. I'm going to guess that it is the XC service that is messing everything up here?

I could get the 0540 and meet my colleague at Reading, grabbing a McBreakfast in Reading and catching the 0812, but that seems a slightly silly thing. "I'm setting off a few miles from you. Meet you in Reading!"

How do I get the details for the "more than one ticket" route?
Is there a slightly more useful route option than doing a pincer attack on Reading?

Thanks

 

[Gathursty]

I would imagine the warning on the route via Southampton Central is that it is off-route and well over the 'within three miles of the shortest route' rule that allows you to take a differing route.

On saying that and not being too familiar with easements around the Solent with regards to reaching Reading from the Portsmouth area, I'd await someone who can double check your problem.

In short, via Haslemere or Hedge End would be okay but via Southampton Central, I'd assume you would have to pay for an extra ticket anyway.

 

[Lockwood]

Why would NRE offer it as a route if it's not valid? I would have thought that if it was invalid NRE wouldn't offer you it, or at the very least tell you what to do to make it valid

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Why would NRE offer it as a route if it's not valid? I would have thought that if it was invalid NRE wouldn't offer you it, or at the very least tell you what to do to make it valid

NRE and lots of other journey planners give itineraries that are not supposed to be valid with any of the available through tickets. With NRE this is a feature and not a bug - it specifically suggests the split of tickets required to take an otherwise not permitted route. It doesn't always suggest the cheapest split though.

 

[Starmill]

Why would NRE offer it as a route if it's not valid?

Because its quicker.

or at the very least tell you what to do to make it valid

Nope! NRE can't do that. It can suggest using a rover or multiple tickets but in general these are not the cheapest. They also cannot be sold to you through NRE so it's pretty pointless.

One interesting thing you could do is visit a ticket office stating the trains you want to catch and asking for a ticket to cover that journey. If they sell you a through ticket then you are all set to simply travel on that route. You could ask them to print you a journey plan.

If they say it's not valid, they should ask you to agree to a combination of tickets which is the cheapest and valid, as with any case where no through fare exists. It may be worth asking them if using this restricts or excludes your rights in any way, and if they could give you something in writing too.

Or, you could just run it through Trainsplit.com.

 

[sonic2009]

Looks like NRE is simplifying the journey but reducing the changes from 4 to 3 via offering the route via Southampton Central. Upon me putting avoid Southampton Central and travel via Hedge End into the advance search section, i'm offered this journey leaving Havant at 0622.

06:22 Havant [HAV]

Fareham [FRM] 06:36
06:53 Fareham [FRM]

Winchester [WIN] 07:21
07:31 Winchester [WIN]

Reading [RDG] 08:04
08:12 Reading [RDG]

Maidenhead [MAI] 08:26
08:31 Maidenhead [MAI]

Bourne End [BNE] 08:42

 

[Lockwood]

Thanks for that, but I think the new plan is that I will drive to Cosham and we will both go from there on the 0642.