Mind the gap

How to save by stopping off in Slough

Commuters using the Elizabeth Line could save cash by getting off and on again at Slough.

The ticketing system – which switches between Transport for London (TFL) and Great Western Railway fares – means doing the trip in one go will cost substantially more.

A peak time journey from Reading to Canary Wharf costs £29.20 if a passenger taps in and out using a contactless payment or Oyster card, according to TFL.

However, a trip from Reading to Slough only costs £5.90 while Slough to Canary Wharf costs £12.50, both at peak times.

So a passenger who boarded at Reading would save £10.80 by getting off at Slough, tapping out and in at the gates, and then boarding the next train to Canary Wharf. Similarly, breaking a trip between Reading to Liverpool Street at West Ealing would save £7.20.

Norman Baker, of Campaign for Better Transport, said: “This is yet another example of how complicated, confusing and increasingly out-of-date the ticketing system is.”