Warning issues to commuters as peak train fare changes come into force
Commuters have been warned by National Rail that prices will change for tickets in and out of London at peak time
The new rates from Sunday for some tickets are part of the ongoing rollout of Contactless at railway stations across the country and the intention is to streamline the prices.
During the rollout of Contactless at railway stations this year, some challenges were encountered during the testing process, and National Rail say further work is needed to address the issues found. It means the launch of pay as you go at the 53 new stations being added to Contactless has been delayed until the spring of 2024.
But in the meantime, some ticket prices are changing and travellers are being advised of the cheapest ways to travel including where it is better to buy two singles rather than a return journey. Below are each of the tickets impacted by the change and how they will be affected.
Single tickets cost around half a return ticket
To enable pay as you go with Contactless, single tickets will cost around half of a return ticket on journeys where pay as you go will be available. National Rail say that depending on the day and time of your journey, it may be better value to buy two single tickets than a return ticket, reports MyLondon.
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Super off-peak tickets no longer available on new contactless routes
Super off-peak tickets will no longer be available from December 3. Once the additional stations have been set up with Contactless, when you pay as you go with Contactless, you will either be charged a peak or an off-peak fare. To keep the price of tickets and pay as you go with Contactless as similar as possible, you will be able to buy either an anytime or off-peak ticket for journeys where pay as you go with contactless will be available. However, the price of off-peak tickets have been reduced to reflect this.
Peak times confirmed
When you buy a ticket for your journey, your fare is determined by the departure time of your trains. Morning peak times will apply between 4.30am and 9.30am, Monday to Friday. Evening peak times will apply if your departure time is between 4pm and 7pm, Monday to Friday, if you are travelling from or via stations in London Zones 1 to 9.
If you are making a direct journey, as long as the departure time of your first train is in the off-peak period, you can buy the off-peak ticket. If you change trains during your journey and the departure time of any of your trains is in the peak period, you will need to buy an anytime ticket.
National Rail says off-peak day travelcards may be cheaper than buying separate single or return tickets for journeys where pay as you go with Contactless will be available. Off-peak day travelcards are valid for travel from 9.30am, Monday to Friday, including travel in the evening peak times.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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