Trivia: Station groups as origin/destination on tickets

[Logan Carroll]

At my local station on the North Clyde/ Argyle Line you can buy a ticket that is valid at either Glasgow Central Low Level or Glasgow Queen Street Low Level.

Are there any other tickets like this on the network?

 

[norbitonflyer]

At my local station on the North Clyde/ Argyle Line you can buy a ticket that is valid at either Glasgow Central Low Level or Glasgow Queen Street Low Level.

Are there any other tickets like this on the network?

Any ticket from the former Southern Region to London is "London Terminals" - valid by any reasonable route to Blackfriars, Cannon Street, Charing Cross, City Thameslink, London Bridge, Vauxhall, Victoria, Waterloo, or Waterloo East.

 

[sluf]

When I used to buy a Preston to Manchester off peak return, it simply states any Manchester station so valid at Oxford Road, Piccadilly or Victoria

 

[swt_passenger]

At my local station on the North Clyde/ Argyle Line you can buy a ticket that is valid at either Glasgow Central Low Level or Glasgow Queen Street Low Level.

Are there any other tickets like this on the network?

Wiki has a list of 38, I cannot vouch for its accuracy...

Station group (railway) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[route101]

Edinburgh and Haymarket are valid at each others, well i used a Edinburgh ticket at Haymarket.

Not sure about Argyle St or Glasgow Central if they are valid at each others stations?

 

[yorkie]

Wiki has a list of 38, I cannot vouch for its accuracy...

Station group (railway) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Without checking, and from memory it's not far off, except I'll add that Pontefract Baghill was removed from Pontefract Stns group was disbanded earlier this year (which was a wrong move in my opinion but that's a whole topic in it's own right).

Edinburgh and Haymarket are valid at each others, well i used a Edinburgh ticket at Haymarket.

That's slightly different and is a local inter-availability arrangement.

It's not documented in electronic data, unfortunately.

Glasgow Central/Queen Street is the destination printed on tickets and that is therefore a formalised and properly supported arrangement.

 

[RHolmes]

When I used to buy a Preston to Manchester off peak return, it simply states any Manchester station so valid at Oxford Road, Piccadilly or Victoria

And Deansgate

 

[Paul Kelly]

Pontefract Group was disbanded earlier this year

It wasn't disbanded, but Baghill station was removed from the fares group and Tanshelf added instead. Pontefract routeing group remains the same and still includes Baghill.

 

[yorkie]

It wasn't disbanded, but Baghill station was removed from the fares group and Tanshelf added instead. Pontefract routeing group remains the same and still includes Baghill.

Sorry yes you're right, though as Tanshelf and Monk Hill are adjacent stations, the main purpose of the group is no more.

It can almost double the cost of a return trip from (say) York to Pontefract (e.g. if someone used the direct train to/from Baghill in one direction and travelled via Leeds to/from Monkhill in the other)

 

[lancededcena]

My local station (Colchester) reads Colchester\Colchester Town rather than Colchester STNs whenever I buy a ticket (usually buy them from the ticket machine).

 

[swt_passenger]

My local station (Colchester) reads Colchester\Colchester Town rather than Colchester STNs whenever I buy a ticket (usually buy them from the ticket machine).

That was done for a number of station groups just a few years ago to clarify exactly what was meant by “STNs”. The text field had previously had a length limitation.

 

[paul1609]

Any ticket from the former Southern Region to London is "London Terminals" - valid by any reasonable route to Blackfriars, Cannon Street, Charing Cross, City Thameslink, London Bridge, Vauxhall, Victoria, Waterloo, or Waterloo East.

Thats not really true anymore. In GTR land advance tickets are often to specific terminals. Theres also tickets now to London Thameslink which include St Pancras and Farringdon and exclude the others off the Thameslink Route. Any London Terminals ticket route plus HS1 is additionally valid by either route to St Pancras.

 

[cool110]

There are a few special ones that aren't on the list of "proper" groups like NORTHWIRALLINES for all Merseyrail stations (inc. Chester)

 

[island]

That was done for a number of station groups just a few years ago to clarify exactly what was meant by “STNs”. The text field had previously had a length limitation.

Yes, it was part of a drive to remove “railway jargon” from tickets.

 

[SargeNpton]

There are a few special ones that aren't on the list of "proper" groups like NORTHWIRALLINES for all Merseyrail stations (inc. Chester)

"NORTHWIRALLINES" is a Zone not a Group; and there aren't just a few special ones but over 400.

 

[Kilopylae]

Exeter tickets (even Advances) to London are always to London Terminals

 

[swt_passenger]

Thats not really true anymore. In GTR land advance tickets are often to specific terminals. Theres also tickets now to London Thameslink which include St Pancras and Farringdon and exclude the others off the Thameslink Route. Any London Terminals ticket route plus HS1 is additionally valid by either route to St Pancras.

Surely that’s getting into the weeds now though? All the OP wanted to know was examples of other station groups. What you say doesn't actually alter that concept...

 

[SargeNpton]

This is, I think, the complete list of Station Groups...

Bedford Stations, Bicester Nth/Vil, Birmingham Stns, Bootle Stations, Bradford Yk Stns, Cambridge Stations, Canterbury Stns, Catford Stations, Colchester Stns, Croydon Stations, Dorchester Stns, Dorking Stations, Edenbridge Stns, Enfield Chse/Twn, Falkirk Stations, Farnborough Stns, Folkestone Stns, Gainsborough, Glasgow Cen/Qst, Heathrow Rail, Helensburgh Stns, Hertford Est/Nth, Liverpool Stns, London Terminals, Maidstone Stns, Manchester Stns, Newark Stations, Penge East/West, Pontefract Stns, Portsmouth Stns, Reading Stations, Southend Cen/Vic, Thorne Nth/Sth, Tilbury Town/Riv, Tyndrum Stations, W Hampstead Stns, Wakefield Stns, Warrington Stns, Wigan Stations, Worcester Stns

 

[Haywain]

This is, I think, the complete list of Station Groups...

Bedford Stations, Bicester Nth/Vil, Birmingham Stns, Bootle Stations, Bradford Yk Stns, Cambridge Stations, Canterbury Stns, Catford Stations, Colchester Stns, Croydon Stations, Dorchester Stns, Dorking Stations, Edenbridge Stns, Enfield Chse/Twn, Falkirk Stations, Farnborough Stns, Folkestone Stns, Gainsborough, Glasgow Cen/Qst, Heathrow Rail, Helensburgh Stns, Hertford Est/Nth, Liverpool Stns, London Terminals, Maidstone Stns, Manchester Stns, Newark Stations, Penge East/West, Pontefract Stns, Portsmouth Stns, Reading Stations, Southend Cen/Vic, Thorne Nth/Sth, Tilbury Town/Riv, Tyndrum Stations, W Hampstead Stns, Wakefield Stns, Warrington Stns, Wigan Stations, Worcester Stns

There is no Cambridge Stations fares group, but there is an arrangement that allows Cambridge tickets to be valid at Cambridge North and vice versa.

 

[SargeNpton]

There is no Cambridge Stations fares group, but there is an arrangement that allows Cambridge tickets to be valid at Cambridge North and vice versa.

NLC 8384 Cambridge Stations. Group members Cambridge and Cambridge North. Just that it doesn't have many live fares flows at the moment.

 

[Haywain]

NLC 8384 Cambridge Stations. Group members Cambridge and Cambridge North. Just that it doesn't have many live fares flows at the moment.

Fair enough, never seen it though.

 

[Paul Kelly]

Hmmm, Cambridge Stations to Standon Calling Festival:
http://www.brfares.com/#!fares?orig=8384&dest=L042

I have no idea what that is!

 

[SargeNpton]

Hmmm, Cambridge Stations to Standon Calling Festival:
http://www.brfares.com/#!fares?orig=8384&dest=L042

I have no idea what that is!

Nor have I.

 

[StephenHunter]

I've bought a ticket at Tilbury Town that was also valid from Tilbury Riverside... which shut in 1992.

 

[D6975]

Not a station group, but an easement that used to exist and may still.

Tickets for long distance journeys to Mallaig or Kyle of Lochalsh used to be valid for return from the other, so you could do a round trip.

 

[Hadders]

Not a station group, but an easement that used to exist and may still.

Tickets for long distance journeys to Mallaig or Kyle of Lochalsh used to be valid for return from the other, so you could do a round trip.

There is an easement that still allows this.

 

[PeterC]

I've bought a ticket at Tilbury Town that was also valid from Tilbury Riverside... which shut in 1992.

Valid on the bus to / from Tilbury Town to connect with the ferry?

Hmmm, Cambridge Stations to Standon Calling Festival:
http://www.brfares.com/#!fares?orig=8384&dest=L042

I have no idea what that is!

Probably something to do with travel to the music festival of the same name. However as the festival website doesn't mention bus transfers and recommends taking a taxi from Bishops Stortford station I don't know what the point of the fare is.

 

[Ianno87]

NLC 8384 Cambridge Stations. Group members Cambridge and Cambridge North. Just that it doesn't have many live fares flows at the moment.

Fair enough, never seen it though.

"Cambridge Stns" has definitely only appeard on the likes of brfares.com recently.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Hmmm, Cambridge Stations to Standon Calling Festival:
http://www.brfares.com/#!fares?orig=8384&dest=L042

I have no idea what that is!

"Standon Calling" is an annual music festival at Standon Hall in Hertfordshire scheduled in 2021 for mid July. Wonder where the interchange station is (Bishop Stortford presumably?) and whether the ticket includes onward coach travel to the festival site and if you can purchase the travel ticket for dates other than when the festival is scheduled.

 

[CrispyUK]

"Standon Calling" is an annual music festival at Standon Hall in Hertfordshire scheduled in 2021 for mid July. Wonder where the interchange station is (Bishop Stortford presumably?) and whether the ticket includes onward coach travel to the festival site and if you can purchase the travel ticket for dates other than when the festival is scheduled.

I’m guessing it’s for the combo train/shuttle/entry ticket sold last year by Greater Anglia:

Thursday, 6 June 2019

Festival lovers can travel to a popular Hertfordshire festival this year for less, thanks to Greater Anglia.
The local train operator has partnered with Standon Calling to offer a special discounted ticket price package including train travel, a shuttle bus and entry to the event.

Standon Calling festival-goers to save money with Greater Anglia | Greater Anglia

www.greateranglia.co.uk