Thames Rover (3 Day)

[Andy Pacer]

Had a discussion with a guard over the validity of my Thames Rover (3 day) between Reading and Didcot Parkway. It is of course valid as shown by the map on National Rail Enquiries website.

Its not helped though by www.gwr.co.uk in its very useful Rovers & Rangers section showing the validity map for Thames Branches instead of the correct one.

Rangers and rovers | Great Western Railway

Get unlimited travel Off-Peak with Rangers and Rovers tickets from GWR. Discover more while you hop on and hop off trains across the network. Find out more.

www.gwr.com

I'll get in touch with GWR about it, but just flagging it up for others.

 

[ChrisC]

I see what you mean. Totally wrong map displayed for the 3 or 7 day version.

I did a 3 day one this time last year. I thought it was fantastic value. I was staying in London within easy reach of Paddington and had 3 great days out. One day walking in the Cotswolds from Kingham Station, another day walking in the Thames Valley around Goring and Pangbourne with a trip up to Bedwyn, and the final day visiting Windsor, Henley and Marlow.

 

[Andy Pacer]

I see what you mean. Totally wrong map displayed for the 3 or 7 day version.

I did a 3 day one this time last year. I thought it was fantastic value. I was staying in London within easy reach of Paddington and had 3 great days out. One day walking in the Cotswolds from Kingham Station, another day walking in the Thames Valley around Goring and Pangbourne with a trip up to Bedwyn, and the final day visiting Windsor, Henley and Marlow.

Yes agreed they're really good, especially when you even simply consider the cost of one off peak day return ticket between Reading and London.

 

[mangyiscute]

Also very interestingly, there is very different advice for the evening peak restrictions. On GWRs website, it says

Not valid for travel from London Paddington between 16:00 and 19:15 except on all TFL services and the following GWR services:

• 16:56 to Maidenhead
• 17:27 to Maidenhead
• 17:56 to Reading
• 18:26 to Reading
• 18:49 to Didcot Parkway
• 18:56 to Reading
• 19:07 Bedwyn service as far as Reading

Half of which no longer exist or run at a different time.
On NRE, it says

Mondays to Fridays, valid from 09:30 or when Off-Peak Day Return is valid (whichever is earlier).

• 16:00 (16:27) to Bristol Temple Meads
• 16:03 (16:33) to Penzance
• 16:15 (16:41) to Swansea
• 16:30 (16:57) to Taunton
• 16:33 (17:04) to Exeter St Davids
• 16:45 (17:11) to Swansea
• 16:52 (17:20) to Oxford
• 17:00 (17:26) to Bristol Temple Meads
• 17:03 (17:32) to Penzance
• 17:15 (17:41) to Carmarthen
• 17:22 (17:50) to Hereford
• 17:30 (17:56) to Taunton
• 17:33 (18:04) to Paignton
• 17:42 to Cheltenham Spa
• 17:45 (18:11) to Swansea
• 17:52 (18:23) to Worcester Shrub Hill
• 18:00 (18:27) to Bristol Temple Meads
• 18:03 (18:33) to Penzance
• 18:14 (18:42) to Swansea
• 18:22 (18:50) to Hereford
• 18:30 (18:56) to Weston-Super-Mare
• 18:33 (19:03) to Exeter St Davids (Mondays to Thursdays) / Plymouth (Fridays)
• 18:37 to Cheltenham Spa
• 18:45 (19:11) to Swansea
• 18:50 (19:23) to Oxford
• 19:00 (19:27) to Bristol Temple Meads
• 19:03 (19:33) to Plymouth (Mondays to Thursdays) / Penzance (Fridays)
• 19:15 (19:41) to Swansea

Which are all very out of date times, and you'll also note that it doesn't state what the significance about these trains are, we obviously know they intend to say that it isn't valid on these trains but this is not clear at all.

On railrover.org, it says

Not valid on inter-city services that depart Paddington between 16.00 and 19.15 or Reading between 16.27 and 19.41

Obviously this is an unofficial website, but it also interestingly states that it has restriction code B1 which is just a blanket nothing before 09:30 and nothing else restriction.

Therefore, while I wouldn't advise it, it would probably be possible to use this ticket on evening trains if you are willing to put up with having to persuade the staff on the ticket barriers that you technically should be allowed to take the train

edit: what it says on NRE above is also what it says for the thames branches day ranger (as in a list of out of date trains). I would ask the question, if I buy this ticket and then say attempt to board the 17:07 service from Paddington to Reading which is usually a peak service, but isn't mentioned in the list above (and unlike most, there isn't a train to the same destination a couple minutes before or after) and then I show this list to the gate staff at Paddington, would they let me through?

 

[4COR]

I would ask the question, if I buy this ticket and then say attempt to board the 17:07 service from Paddington to Reading which is usually a peak service, but isn't mentioned in the list above (and unlike most, there isn't a train to the same destination a couple minutes before or after) and then I show this list to the gate staff at Paddington, would they let me through?

Paddington are notorious for applying their own rules at the gate line around "peak trains", even where no rules preventing use of the ticket held, so I would fully expect issues (and expect to claim costs/delay repay back later) and be pleasantly surprised if there were none.

 

[Andy Pacer]

Paddington are notorious for applying their own rules at the gate line around "peak trains", even where no rules preventing use of the ticket held, so I would fully expect issues (and expect to claim costs/delay repay back later) and be pleasantly surprised if there were none.

It seems every gateline I've encountered on it simply don't know what it is anyway...

 

[mangyiscute]

Paddington are notorious for applying their own rules at the gate line around "peak trains", even where no rules preventing use of the ticket held, so I would fully expect issues (and expect to claim costs/delay repay back later) and be pleasantly surprised if there were none.

It certainly doesn't help that they seem to make it as confusing as possible - for example an off peak return has slightly less restrictions than an off peak day return/travelcard (for example the former can be used on the 19:28 to Didcot but the latter can't). Why? who knows

 

[Watershed]

It certainly doesn't help that they seem to make it as confusing as possible - for example an off peak return has slightly less restrictions than an off peak day return/travelcard (for example the former can be used on the 19:28 to Didcot but the latter can't). Why? who knows

Most Off-Peak Returns in the Thames Valley are regulated and thus cannot be restricted after 19:00. Off-Peak Day Returns are unregulated and can have whatever time restrictions that GWR sees fit. Though I wouldn't agree with it, their line of reasoning for having different restrictions for the two might be that they don't want to overload the first departure after 19:00 with both holders of Off-Peak Day Returns and holders of Off-Peak Returns.

Frankly, these evening restrictions are nonsensical and are overdue to be scrapped though.

 

[Benjwri]

Frankly, these evening restrictions are nonsensical and are overdue to be scrapped though

They actually have been on most Thames Valley tickets, restriction FP had its evening restrictions removed at some point in the last few years.

 

[mangyiscute]

They actually have been on most Thames Valley tickets, restriction FP had its evening restrictions removed at some point in the last few years.

what tickets have you found that have restriction code FP? From what I can see everything between Reading and Slough has code O9 which has restrictions on gwr fast trains from 16:02-19:04 including the faster Slough/Maidenhead trains - the slow trains (now elizabeth line) have always been off peak

 

[Benjwri]

what tickets have you found that have restriction code FP? From what I can see everything between Reading and Slough has code O9 which has restrictions on gwr fast trains from 16:02-19:04

Was taking the meaning of Thames Valley slightly wider. All GWR priced Off-Peak returns (SVR) from Reading are restricted by FP.

 

[mangyiscute]

Was taking the meaning of Thames Valley slightly wider. All GWR priced Off-Peak returns (SVR) from Reading are restricted by FP.

But these still have evening peak trains in the unpublished restrictions so they are not available to book and good luck getting the gateline staff to let you on