Curiouser And Curiouser
There are three stations called Watford. One is actually just called Watford but tends to be known as Watford (Met) for Metropolitan Line. (above map, centre left, definitely an "Underground" station). The station is quite sweet realty and probably the least used of the three.
Watford High Street (map bottom right) was served by the "Watford Electrics" ...
The line wiggles through to terminate at Watford Junction where it meets up again with Avanti West Coast and London North Western longer distance trains.
So what fares can we expect to have to pay? Here is the National Rail web site offering.
Seems a lot. What about Watford High Street?
So that would make it £6.20 for the one stop from High Street to Junction.
Not so, according to National Rail.
Such, Mr Andy Burnham, are the glorious benefits of London's regulated and integrated transport system.
But Watford isn't in London; it is in Herefordshire where be dragons!
What about Watford (Met)?
It does not exist as it is not a National Rail line. But, in a previous blog, (remember?) National Rail did admit to journeys via the Northern (Underground) Line between London Bridge and Kings Cross.
What has Watford done to upset the ideals of London's integrated system?
Before revealing all, fbb must apologise for incompetence. Transport for London journey planner does give fares but (for fbb at last) they are easy to miss and not always well explained.
Just £4.70 - cheap as chips!
And utterly crackpot!
If you are non-plussed with the integrated system, all you have to do is to look at the Fare Zones on the Underground map.
Watford (Met) is in Zone 7; Watford High Street is in Zone 8 (Why the difference?) and Watford Junction (as you can clearly see NOT) ...
... is outside fare zones; another decision to improve integration NOT!
Once upon a time, fbb travelled to Watford (Met) on business. Sensibly he arranged to be collected, by his contact, there rather than at High Street or Junction. It is also a much easier station for a pick-up car to get at!
But the old man had a One Day Travelcard from Portsmouth which, as we all know so well, only includes travel in Zones to to 6, and NOT zone 7.
Ooer!
fbb tried manfully and honestly to pay an excess fare upon arrival at Watford (Met) but the man in the little window waved the old man through with a cheery "that's all right".
fbb guessed that the horrendous complexity of paperwork was too onerous for the ticket office clerk who happily returned to the much less onerous task of reading his newspaper!
But how daft is a "system" (for want of a better word) that demands fares of £15.70, £9.50 and £4.70 for a journey to the same place, and using a supposedly integrated and much-admired (?) system.
Dis-Integration?
Manchester, you must be SO excited to enjoy the fulfillment of Andy's London-style system!
fbb will do buses from London Bridge to Kings Cross etc tomorrow. Honest!
A Harvest Song!That would liven up a few sleepy church services! Very much the joy of harvest.
Septuagenarian's Silly Signal Box
fbb has begun the process of turning a garish "toy" into something that looks a bit more realistic.
The front and back of this very basic clip-together kit for 3+ year olds (thus about right for fbb!) are the same.
The arched windows in the interlocking room have become square windows ...
... awaiting a dob of filler and some scribed infill brickwork. The signalman's big windows have lost their middle glazing bars and are looking somewhat better. Although not yet photographed, a floor and a ceiling have been cut to fit when all the bits are assembled.
Today fbb will be painting - hopefully the signal box, not himself, the furniture or his clothing.
But you never know!
Next Andy Burnham's Integration blog : Thurs 5th Oct
Regarding the Watford fares - the £4.70 fare you quote is Oyster or contactless (this would be £8.30 if you paid by cash). The other two fares you quote are both cash fares and would be considerably cheaper on Oyster or contactless.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, Watford Junction fares are set by West Midlands Trains and so are out of the control of TfL.
Back in the day, fares at WFJ were outwith London fares, because WFJ is outside London!! The Met line has always had London fares applied, even out to Amersham and Chesham (which are in Zone 9), because they're run by London.
ReplyDeleteThen along came Overground, which also went to WFJ !! To bring Overground fares into london prices, a fudge was employed, whereby passengers using only Overground trains would pay less than those using LNWR trains.
It is a fudge, but a necessary fudge because LNWR (or WMT) had a franchise which required a profit to be earned, and they (and their predecessors) blocked cheaper fares (for obvious reasons).
Now that TOCs are on a cost contract, in theory the fares "could" be tidied up . . . don't hold your breath !!
Hertfordshire, not Herefordshire!
ReplyDeleteThe Liverpool Street to Hertford East line has also had London Transport fares ever since the Victoria Line was built due to the popular interchanges and no ticket barriers.
ReplyDeleteThere is a confusion here. Transport for London is not integrated into National Rail. However Oyster card enabled National Rail stations and the relevant National Rail services are integrated into Transport for London. The TfL website is the place for fare information within London. London has zonal fares and not point to point fares as well as a range of daily, weekly, monthly offers varying by age, mode, peak / off peak, method of payment, etc.
ReplyDelete