Engineering / fare changes and Christmas by train

Engineering projects - Kings Cross and Moorgate tunnels

Engineering work will impact train services at Hatfield until summer 2020 - particularly at weekends and on weekday evenings.

As outlined in more detail in a previous newsletter https://us12.campaign-archive.com/?u=7361969992fcd61d377531cc2&id=9fdcfd8f07, there are significant changes with Moorgate services being diverted into Kings Cross:

Most weekends
On weekday evenings after 21:40 - with 3 services being omitted due to lack of capacity

There will be no trains at all at Hatfield on 2 weekends - 25-26 Jan and 29 Feb-1 Mar. Details of limited alternative travel arrangements, including buses to St Albans (for Thameslink trains) or Cockfosters via Potters Bar (for Piccadilly Line) will be publicised after Christmas.

At the time of writing some online info suggests that Moorgate / Old Street passengers can just use the Northern Line to get to/from Kings Cross, but in fact the Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith and City trains can also be used between Kings Cross and Moorgate with relevant train tickets.

See https://www.greatnorthernrail.com/travel-information/plan-your-journey/northern-city-line and below for latest info re Moorgate dates, and https://eastcoastupgrade.co.uk for Kings Cross and Stevenage work. Do check on journey planners shortly before before travelling, as things can change at short notice:

Fares - January increases and TfL Contactless

January increases

Train fares are increasing by an average of 2.7% on 2nd Jan. There will also be increases in Contactless fares as these are partially set by GN/TL, rather than wholly by TfL.

If you look at journey planners or TfL websites for dates after that, the new fares are showing.

Contactless

We have been looking at pricing in detail and our broad conclusions remain as shown in our previous newsletter https://us12.campaign-archive.com/?u=7361969992fcd61d377531cc2&id=1d5cfd7fc3

Lack of railcard and child discounts mean tickets are very likely to remain the best option for passengers in those categories.

However we believe there may be more beneficiaries from TfL Contactless than we had originally thought, particularly among passengers doing return journeys beyond London Terminals, and we would encourage you to check your existing pricing against the TfL figures: https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/find-fares/tube-and-rail-fares/single-fare-finder?

Do watch out for the differing M-F off-peak boundaries eg:

Contactless has an Off-peak before 06:30 (peak with traditional ticketing)
Contactless from London has an evening peak 16:00-19:00 whereas Off-peak Carnets and tickets are unrestricted.

As mentioned last time, many single journeys and trips to/from Gatwick will be cheaper with TfL Contactless.

Using multiple payment methods?

If you are currently combining a ticket into London with separate Oyster / Contactless payments within London, we would encourage you to re-check the 2020 prices against a combined ticket or a travelcard, to see whether you have the best option (particularly for weekend travel).

Conversely there may be other journeys for which splitting is cheaper and we will investigate this for a newsletter next year.

Christmas and New Year

Timetables

As usual there will be no GN/TL services on Christmas Day or Boxing Day and reduced services at other times https://www.greatnorthernrail.com/travel-information/plan-your-journey/christmas-and-new-year-2019.

Details for all train operators are available via: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/228478.aspx and for TfL closures: https://tfl.gov.uk/status-updates/planned-track-closures.

Kids for £2

You can take up to 4 children with you for £2 each on many journeys, when you buy an Off-peak or Super Off-peak ticket. For some journeys the tickets will need to be purchased at a ticket office (eg if you already have the adult ticket or are using a season ticket for the adult) https://www.greatnorthernrail.com/tickets/discounts-and-railcards/kids-for-2

Discounts

Your train ticket can give you access to a range of leisure discounts - often giving 2-for-1. Check out the details at https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk.

Renewing your annual season ticket?

If you use Oyster in London, don't forget to pair it with your new ticket to access discounts on TfL services https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/46573.aspx. This can be done at most staffed Underground stations - speak to a member of staff near the ticket machines.

We had hoped to update you in this newsletter on a wide range of other issues - impacting trains, the station and information provision, but things are moving more slowly than we had anticipated. Hopefully we'll have some definite news for you next time.

In the meantime, if you have an issue where you think we can assist, please let us know.

The next sessions are:

Kings Cross Thursday 30 Jan: 07:30 - 09:30
Blackfriars Thursday 27 Feb: 07:30 - 09:30
St Pancras Thursday 26 Mar: 16:30 - 18:30

There are usually a good range of senior managers at these events and we would encourage you to go along and ask questions / raise issues.

We are hopeful that there will also be a session at Moorgate early in 2020.

HART - Engineering / fare changes and Christmas by train

Other issues

Meet the Manager Sessions