Harrow-on-the-Hill NR Ticketing

Ok, cheers for that. Always good to know these things in advance for whenever something like today crops up. Bit of a pain though, as it means I ended up paying a lot more for my travel as I had to buy separate tickets (oyster to Kings cross each way and a return from/to Kings Cross), which is why I don't normally travel into London by tube to get the other mainline termini.

Come to think of it, I've often found it quite irritating over the years that you can't buy through tickets from tube stations to NR stations, (e.g. Stanmore to Brighton). Does anyone know if there's a reason (good or otherwise) that LUL don't offer the same machines (or even just ones with equivalent functionality) as the NR ticket offices use, as these seem to have the full LU tickets as well as NR stations?

You'll be amazed to know that you can indeed buy NR destination tickets from both the LU booking office and the LU multifare machines (the large touch screen ones).

The majority of stations within the old Network South east area are sold. There are some exceptions to this, some are political , some are historic. Indeed one of the tickets we used to "sell" as a part of our test to become a booking clerk was an annual travelcard to Kings Lynn and a single to East Croydon.

Additionally at locations where LU are the operator, but NR trains stop, they will sell tickets to more destinations and will offer the railcard discounts. These are called internally section 14 stations, after the section of the ticket office rule book. For example West Ruislip will sell the entire range of tickets as far as Birmingham and will offer railcard discounts (whilst Ruislip Gardens wouldn't).

It is very annoying that you can't purchase Railcard tickets at the MFM's on LUL / Net Rail stations (For example: South Ruislip, Greenford, Harrow). If I want to use my YP railcard to buy a single ticket from one of those stations I have to go to the window (which in the case of S.Ruislip probably will be closed)... and except for once or twice when doing this I have had to explain to the SS on the window, how to sell a single NR ticket with a railcard discount

YP discounts (& other railcards) only apply at LU stations where your journey doesn't involve travelling on LU trains. As this accounts for 95% of LU journeys a "one size fits all" mentaility has been taken.

As HB said, you can get railcard discounts at the window, but only if your journey doesn't involve travelling on LU services.

I always thought this as odd, as NR give you YP discounts on LU services.......

The whole question of Railcards and closure of ticket offices is a big issue with London Travelwatch. They are protesting at the proposed closure of South & West Ruislip, claiming that no railcard discounted fares will be available. They are insisting LU retain the ticket issuing equipment at these locations to sell NR railcard discounted fares.

Ticket office procedure handbook section 14F

"No discount is available on LU journeys or on through fares to NR destinations, which involve travel on LU services, except where there is joint availability between LU and NR as shown in Appendix 3 and additionally Great Missenden, Wendover, Stoke Mandeville and Aylesbury."

Section 14B states:

"If it is not possible to issue a ticket to a NR destination, the ticket seller must issue a ticket to the appropriate interchange station and advise the customer to purchase another ticket from there, for the NR portion of their journey"

Don't know if this helps for future strikes, but LU were accepting Silverlink tickets via reasonable routes.

So buy the NR ticket with the YP discount (perhaps night before or whatever) and use the same journey you've been taking.

I agree that NR companies will give YP discounts on journeys that cover LU, but LU won't is a bit of a strange one. I can only assume it's to do with being a member of ATOC, which LU isn't. But don't quote me.