Rail (UK)

Fare Dealer

- www.oyster-rail.org.uk/faresguide/oyster-fare-finder.

RAIL fares expert Barry Doe says Oyster is a versatile and cheap way to travel in London.

RECENTLY, on a day of extensive travel in Greater London, I paid my first visit to Ruislip Gardens - famous for John Betjeman’s 1954 poem (“Gaily into Ruislip Gardens runs the red electric train”).

The verse ends “...rural Middlesex again”, but with hindsight it’s not surprising that the area is now far from rural. Indeed, Middlesex was abolished in 1965, amalgamati­ng with Greater London, Surrey and Hertfordsh­ire. Even the poem refers to “hurrying down the concrete station”, for it is a 1948 rebuild.

From here I was off to Chesham, which couldn’t be more different - genuinely rural Buckingham­shire. It’s one of the finest towns on the Undergroun­d and at the end of one of the loveliest short (3.85-mile) single-track branch lines in Britain - yet blessed with half- hourly eight-coach electric trains seven days a week to Baker Street (25 miles distant) and King’s Cross/St Pancras. Just one change for Paris!

Now, I knew I would at some stage trigger off my daily Oyster cap (a mere £8 as I have a railcard added), so I thought I’d really put the system to the test. If it didn’t work and charged me too much it wouldn’t matter, as the cap would merely be reached earlier.

First I went from Ruislip Gardens to White City. On exiting I saw I had been charged a trivial £1 for the nine-mile journey. I then walked down the road to Wood Lane (on the Hammersmit­h & Circle Line), a station only opened in 2008. From here I went to Edgware Road, and on leaving spotted that I had correctly been upgraded from £1 to £2.05, as I’d entered Zone 1.

I then did what really must be a totally nonstandar­d interchang­e by walking to the other Edgware Road (Bakerloo Line). Tube maps show them some way apart, to make it clear they’re not linked!

I then went one stop to Marylebone, but the system worked and I was not charged any extra for this leg. Going upstairs to the main line station I used a Chiltern Aylesbury train as far as Chalfont & Latimer, where I awaited the next Undergroun­d service to Chesham.

On completing my journey I was pleasantly surprised to see that for the last 25 miles from Marylebone my fare had risen just 65p, to give the correct Zone 5 to Zone 9 via Zone 1 fare of £2.70. What excellent value for 37 miles, and full marks to a wonderfull­y versatile system!

Incidental­ly, on my return I went from Chesham to Willesden Green. Just over 21

miles, that was charged £1.20! Off-peak Oyster fares are certainly a gift, and it’s great being able to make up your mind where you want to go literally on the move.

That really is the system’s success - you never have to tell anyone where you’re going. I could touch in at Waterloo to go to Epping, and halfway down the escalator decide I’ll make that Uxbridge instead!

Wouldn’t it be superb if National Rail could have such a flexible system? Touch in at your home station and travel as you wish, with your fare determined only by the time you touch in and where you finally alight.

Indeed, with built-in caps as with Oyster, it could even cap travel in any one day effectivel­y to Ranger ticket rates, or to Rovers if spread over several days.

Yet all we’re being offered is the prospect of smartcards that will load normal return fares onto plastic - and probably without even a discount. It’ll be tomorrow’s technology and software merely using a 20th century ticketing structure. The operators are simply not brave enough to innovate.

Finally, for the London system, Mike Whitaker has recently amended his excellent Oyster website, which explains things in a far better way than does the Transport for London site. In particular he has upgraded the fares finder. Try it at

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 ?? JACK BOSKETT/ RAIL. ?? On June 30 2015, a District Line S-Stock train stands at Edgware Road station. The London Undergroun­d stop was one of many that Barry Doe was able to travel between using the excellentv­alue Oystercard.
JACK BOSKETT/ RAIL. On June 30 2015, a District Line S-Stock train stands at Edgware Road station. The London Undergroun­d stop was one of many that Barry Doe was able to travel between using the excellentv­alue Oystercard.

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