Using Thameslink East Croydon- London St Pancras for connection on Advance Ticket

[tram21]

Hi everyone,

Returning from a trip away on 3rd August to Gatwick we're staying at East Croydon Premier Inn then returning home to Beeston/Nottingham on Sunday 4th August. We'll have a lot of bags, and looking at itineraries its only giving the option for Advance tickets to go East Croydon- Victoria- Victoria Line- EMR. A direct Thameslink to STP would be much better, but I assume this isn't possible on an Advance? Is there any way to buy Advances using a direct Thameslink, or to somehow use these tickets on Thameslink as they allow a journey across London on Thameslink?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

@tram21. What price have you been quoted and by who? A direct walk up East Croydon to St. Pancras single ticket (route "Not Underground") using Thameslink is £8.10 and should be even cheaper if using pay as you go or Oyster.

 

[tram21]

@tram21. What price have you been quoted and by who? A direct walk up East Croydon to St. Pancras single ticket (route "Not Underground") using Thameslink is £8.10 and should be even cheaper using pay as you go, as Off Peak.

An advance from East Croydon to Nottingham is only £1 more than an advance from St Pancras to Nottingham, so I was hoping to use this however its probably not possible on Thameslink.

 

[Iggy12a]

Have you tried specifying via City Thameslink?

 

[Benjwri]

Have you tried specifying via City Thameslink?

Won't get any results as City Thameslink isn't served on Sunday (And journey planners don't seem to pick it up as a via point. By searching via Farringdon however you can pick up journeys, for example here I have found a morning advance directly from East Croydon to St Pancras on TrainSplit. You won't be able to get the journey without a split though I don't think.

 

[JonathanH]

Specifying the itinerary to avoid Victoria may be another option. However, as Thameslink trains from East Croydon to St Pancras are reservable, it may be that the quotas make the price of the advance higher than going via Victoria.

One of the biggest problems is that the EMR services are diverted via Corby, so going via St Pancras is a slow route on 3 August.

 

[Iggy12a]

Won't get any results as City Thameslink isn't served on Sunday (And journey planners don't seem to pick it up as a via point. By searching via Farringdon however you can pick up journeys, for example here I have found a morning advance directly from East Croydon to St Pancras on TrainSplit. You won't be able to get the journey without a split though I don't think.

I beg to differ:

Edit: mistakenly input Sat 3rd, but the same results are possible for Sun 4th with City Thameslink closed on both days

 

[Watershed]

Won't get any results as City Thameslink isn't served on Sunday (And journey planners don't seem to pick it up as a via point. By searching via Farringdon however you can pick up journeys, for example here I have found a morning advance directly from East Croydon to St Pancras on TrainSplit. You won't be able to get the journey without a split though I don't think.

Services are still timed at City Thameslink even when the station is shut, because it's a mandatory timing point. All northbound trains are also scheduled to make an unadvertised operational stop there, to change from DC third rail to AC overhead. Therefore it's still possible to use it as a via point on Sundays.

 

[Haywain]

Won't get any results as City Thameslink isn't served on Sunday

Fortunately, the OP wants to travel on a Saturday!

Edit: wrong, first bit on Saturday, second bit on Sunday.

 

[Benjwri]

I beg to differ:

Edit: mistakenly input Sat 3rd, but the same results are possible for Sun 4th with City Thameslink closed on both days

Huh on TrainSplit at least it gives a no journeys found error

Fortunately, the OP wants to travel on a Saturday!

They're going from Gatwick to Croydon on Saturday, but the trip they're asking about is the day after on the 4th, which is Sunday.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Fortunately, the OP wants to travel on a Saturday!

Believe the OP is making the return journey on a Sunday.

 

[MrJeeves]

And journey planners don't seem to pick it up as a via point.

All services booked to pass through/stop at City Thameslink have been cancelled on Sunday.



And, if you check the Thameslink website, you'll see there are no trains in the core this Sunday:

 

[Mcr Warrior]

All services booked to pass through/stop at City Thameslink have been cancelled on Sunday.

That's as may be, but believe the OP is planning on making their return journey on Sunday 4th August 2024.

 

[Benjwri]

All services booked to pass through/stop at City Thameslink have been cancelled on Sunday.

View attachment 159626

And, if you check the Thameslink website, you'll see there are no trains in the core this Sunday:

View attachment 159627

I'm confused now. We're talking about, and I was searching for 4th August, and was getting no results. Trains are running then.

 

[Iggy12a]

I have corrected the day to the 4th Aug, but it does give a warning about possible engineering works

 

[MrJeeves]

I'm confused now. We're talking about, and I was searching for 4th August, and was getting no results. Trains are running then.

Sorry, missed that entirely...

 

[tram21]

Thanks everyone!! Yes it's 4th August and services on EMR are diverting via Corby yes, and Thameslink should be running unless anything changes. My question really was is there any 'hack' to legally use the + tickets on Thameslink. I don't think there is, so don't worry and I'll just use contactless! Thanks for your help!

 

[kieron]

According to nre.co.uk (link), Southern and Thameslink only offer advance fares on Sundays until 28th July at the moment, so you will only be able to buy an advance ticket involving either if you choose a service which isn't marked as "reservable" in the timetable data (I don't know how feasible that is with Thameslink from East Croydon).

If you wait until they release advance fares (which will probably be in the next week) you should be able to buy a through advance ticket. The price may go up between now and then, but that's the risk you run.