Oyster PAYG starting to work?

There are quite a few sections on NR where a PAYG and indeed an LU staff pass will work, however I've mislaid my list! If I find a new one I'll post it up.

Goody! I can't wait until I can do Gunnersbury to Stratford on the North London!

I was travelling on the GOBLIN yesterday and noticed that my local station (Crouch Hill) has had the new ticket machines installed as well as Oyster readers. The ticket machines appear to be already up and running, but the Oyster readers are still covered up:

paulbigland.fotopic.net/p45980577.html

AFAIK certain A-B journeys are (for single tickets) are already defined as being via Z1 even when an alternative route avoiding Z1 is available... so presumably that status quo will remain (although potentially adjusted) when NLL joins the PAYG network.

And what of Camden Road?

From memory, the only journeys that currently applies to are for journeys West of Nottinghill Gate on the Central - who can travel via Ealing Broadway to avoid using Zone 1. No journey is direct and bar a few add a longer journey time.

The system simply will not be able to tell which route you took.

The only was I can see this changing would be if you had a special reader at Stratford/ Richmond that you touched to indicate you were using the North London Line (NLL).

IF Lu kept the "via Z1" fare for the Richmond - Stratford NLL journey, it raises the real possibility of it being cheaper to break your journey, which is inconvenient and simply proves how inflexible Oyster really is.....

One thing I have noticed with Oyster is that Highbury & Islington to Moor Park is £1.80/£1.00 despite the fact you travel through zone 1, it is not reflected in the price. But go from Holloway Road 10 minutes walk away and it is £3.50/£2.00 which is the right via zone 1 fare.

You could go via the NLL but PAYG is not valid, so you'd be liable to Penalty Fares and/or you could be reported for prosecution.

Ditto!

It's the same to go to Epping too (Holly Rd £3.50/£2.00 + Highbury £1.80/£1.00), but I think there is a route (Seven Sisters to Stratford) where PAYG is accepted.

the day the Overground operation starts running?

There is a new Oyster Card reader on Platform 3 @ Olympia

No, it's definitely from November 11th. Confirmed here and here.

Yeah and PAYG is deffo going to be in operation from day one. That is why they are making sure all the oyster readers are installed on Overground (Silverlink metro currently) stations before that date. The only problems will be.. If, as someone has said, someone starts or finishes at Stratford. You get on at Kew and off at Stratford. Did you take a direct NLL train or District and Jubilee via West Ham, for example?? Hmm tricky. I never got why Stratford had extra gates for the Jubilee line. Does anyone else know? You have to touch in through two sets of gates to enter the jubilee line.. it seems silly does it not? Well I dunno maybe they are planning something similar for the NLL platforms at SFD but I cant see them investing money on platform apparatus there as soon the platforms are moving upstairs (I think) and the DLR will be where the NLL is now.. maybe some else can help with the details there?

Or maybe TFL will say anyone going from Richmond to Stratford pays a fare of *whatever it is* no matter which route they take.. that is the fare.

The reason for the extra gate line on the Jubilee side of things was due to people being able to get off a mainline (now One) service at Stratford and then hop onto the Jubilee without a ticket. They had to also add gates to stop people getting on Central as well meaning the result is that Stratford Jubilee has two ticket barriers. Imperfect but not alot else they could have done due to the NLL lines running where they are.

That might be why the situation is left this way, but it was never planned. AIUI the station was designed with just a gateline for the Jubilee, and the whole station gateline was a last minute addition.

On a side note, Harrow and Wealdstone developed a set of LUL ticket gates overnight last night, though Bushey hasn't yet. I'm impressed they managed it over night, though the gates aren't actually active yet.

Can't say I'm too impressed at the layout though, as of the two ticket windows, one is now behind the gate line, leaving just the one and two very dodgy ticket machines to handle the morning swarms. I suspect it's going to get ugly when the gates are active and the machines are playing up, though I can see some utility in having a train-side ticket window, I don't think H&W can afford to spare it.