[Travel] Railways Going to Victoria but want to go to Blackfriars

[Garage_Doors]

I probably mentioned this before but I’m not a train person

I have a meeting in London tomorrow near Blackfriars and have tickets bought for me to Victoria.
I didn’t know you could get a train direct to Blackfriars from Brighton until someone told me yesterday.

The outward ticket clearly states Victoria so have to go there and get the tube across, but the return says London terminals so do I assume correctly I can get a train back for Blackfriars?
Also I’m due to get a before 9am train, does the “anytime day s” cover this?

 

[banjo]

https://www.southwesternrailway.com/train-tickets/ticket-types/anytime-tickets?gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=eaiaiqobchmio-k17ebf4wivdbttch2thqxaeaayasaaeglmipd_bwe

This might help. I assume it’s the same for southern.

 

[dazzer6666]

I probably mentioned this before but I’m not a train person

I have a meeting in London tomorrow near Blackfriars and have tickets bought for me to Victoria.
I didn’t know you could get a train direct to Blackfriars from Brighton until someone told me yesterday.

The outward ticket clearly states Victoria so have to go there and get the tube across, but the return says London terminals so do I assume correctly I can get a train back for Blackfriars?
Also I’m due to get a before 9am train, does the “anytime day s” cover this?
View attachment 113206

Not sure of the ‘rules’ but I doubt it would be a problem. The only ‘enforcement’ that Southern/Thameslink seem to be rigorous about on the London line is not using ‘TL only’ tickets to go to Victoria. I’d just check at the ticket office before you travel if you’re worried, or ask the guard.....if you can fine one [emoji23]

Your return ticket is definitely ok from Blackfriars, and ‘anytime’ means pretty much just that so fine before 9am.

 

[Beach Hut]

Not sure of the ‘rules’ but I doubt it would be a problem. The only ‘enforcement’ that Southern/Thameslink seem to be rigorous about on the London line is not using ‘TL only’ tickets to go to Victoria. I’d just check at the ticket office before you travel if you’re worried, or ask the guard.....if you can fine one [emoji23]

Your return ticket is definitely ok from Blackfriars, and ‘anytime’ means pretty much just that so fine before 9am.

If he travels on a Thameslink there is no guard

 

[Garage_Doors]

How would i know if i'm traveling on Thameslink?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Bit of a longshot but maybe 'Any Permitted Route' might permit you to go to Victoria via Blackfriars in the morning. That would be a half decent defence for an admitted non habitual train user, I'd suggest, in the unlikely event that somebody at any point beyond East Croydon were to question your choice of route. And you could probably wave anything from a laundry ticket to an Albion season ticket at the guys on the gate at Blackfriars in the rush hour and be waved through. Not that I would condone any such behaviour, obviously...

 

[Beach Hut]

How would i know if i'm traveling on Thameslink?

If you are on a train direct to Blackfriars or beyond from Brighton

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

How would i know if i'm traveling on Thameslink?

It says Thameslink on the side

 

[Garage_Doors]

It says Thameslink on the side

That's a bit of a clue

 

[dazzer6666]

How would i know if i'm traveling on Thameslink?

The board at the station will tell you anyway......

 

[Gwylan]

It says Thameslink on the side

I've got on Southern services that have Thameslink and Gatwick Express trains, as well as Thameslink services that use Southern trains.

The indicator board is a better guide

And I think London Terminals includes Blackfriars ... but not City TL, Farringdon or St P

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

The board at the station will tell you anyway......

And the on-train announcements: 'Welcome aboard the <train company name> service to <destination name> calling at <station names en route>'

And in anticipation of OP's next question: 'How will I know I'm on a train?' It's that big thing on tracks with multiple carriages that keeps apologising for being late

 

[goldstoneseagull]

I think you'll be fine considering there are no guards on Thameslink anyway, when at Blackfriars, hold the ticket up and follow people using the disabled gate, with the caveat that this runs the risk of meeting a jobsworth.

To be 100pc covered, tube across from Vic is a few stops on circle/district line and your return ticket is valid for a direct train back from blackfriars to brighton/preston park.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I think you'll be fine considering there are no guards on Thameslink anyway, when at Blackfriars, hold the ticket up and follow people using the disabled gate, with the caveat that this runs the risk of meeting a jobsworth

Is the 'disabled gate' an actual thing? Is it a different thing from the gate manned by humans for tickets that don't work in the automatic barriers for whatever reason? Which is loads of tickets.

 

[dazzer6666]

Is the 'disabled gate' an actual thing? Is it a different thing from the gate manned by humans for tickets that don't work in the automatic barriers for whatever reason? Which is loads of tickets.

The double-width gates.........for wheelchairs, luggage etc. The staff often stand by a normal gate pinging people through. Your ticket can be used normally on the wider gates anyway.

 

[goldstoneseagull]

Is the 'disabled gate' an actual thing? Is it a different thing from the gate manned by humans for tickets that don't work in the automatic barriers for whatever reason? Which is loads of tickets.

I meant the gate manned by humans for tickets that done go through the automatic barriers, I assumed it was also used for persons who are disabled too.

 

[Nottseagull]

The outward ticket clearly states Victoria so have to go there and get the tube across, but the return says London terminals so do I assume correctly I can get a train back for Blackfriars?
Also I’m due to get a before 9am train, does the “anytime day s” cover this?
View attachment 113206

No, you can only get a train back for Brighton
Strange how people just seem to accept the prices. Nobody's questioned why the off-peak single is dearer than the anytime one! I expect the OP must have had an odd single ticket to use up because surely a day trip to London doesn't cost £56.80 even at peak times?

 

[dazzer6666]

No, you can only get a train back for Brighton
Strange how people just seem to accept the prices. Nobody's questioned why the off-peak single is dearer than the anytime one! I expect the OP must have had an odd single ticket to use up because surely a day trip to London doesn't cost £56.80 even at peak times?

Almost - £53.50 Brighton/London terminals, £43.50 Thameslink only (that's without travelcards). Us commuters get royally screwed.

Good point though, OP should have just got a simple anytime day return to 'London Terminals' even without knowing a TL only return to Blackfriars was the best option.

 

[Garage_Doors]

I did not book the tickets, as i'm not a "habitual train user" the other party offered to book them for me, this they did and had them sent down to me.
I didn't even know until yesterday that you could get a train direct from Brighton to Blackfriars, i'd always believed it was just Victoria or London Bridge.
Somewhat strange i know especially as i spent a good 10 years working in and around London buy always drove up, but this was back in the 80/90's.

 

[BensGrandad]

Was it not much simpler in the 'good old days' when you arrived at the station and bought a day return to wherever.. I haven't used a train other than home from The Amex for about 40 + years.