From 20 May, if you want to travel to London, there will be two levels of ticket prices in the off-peak period
While Standard Class, peak-time commuter and Season Ticket fares remain unchanged, and Standard Class journeys in the direction away from London Waterloo are also totally unaffected, the now serious overcrowding in the period just after the 10am threshold has convinced South West Trains that the only real solution is to change the availability of off-peak fares.
The Cheap Day Return fares into the London area will rise by up to 20%, with terms and conditions unchanged. However, where these increases occur, a new “Super Off-peak Return” ticket will be introduced at only slightly more (up to 3%) than the old price level.
Our Commercial Director, Bruce Akhurst, explains: “The new fares are necessary both to enable us to meet our new franchise commitments to the Department for Transport and to attempt to tackle the ‘second peak’ of passengers currently arriving into London on trains just after the morning peak rush hour. Passenger counts have shown that trains arriving just after 10am are more than twice as crowded as trains arriving during the previous half hour or so of the ‘peak’. We can’t run more trains or add extra coaches without affecting the present peak-hour services, so we want to encourage those who can to travel earlier or later,” explains Bruce.
Super Off-peak tickets will generally only be available for journeys to or towards London, except to stations in the London Zonal Fare Area, which remain unchanged. They will also be valid later in the morning than Cheap Day Returns, on services arriving into London at midday or later. There will be no time restriction on the use of either off-peak tickets in the evening peak, and Super Off-peak tickets will be valid for use any time at weekends. Railcard discounts will continue to apply to Cheap Day Returns, and also to the new Super Off-peak tickets, subject to the usual terms and conditions.
The changes do not affect either Standard Class peak-time commuter and Season ticket fares or journeys in the direction away from London Waterloo where the ticket structure and prices remain unchanged. Nor do they apply to any travel entirely within the Greater London area covered by the present zonal ticketing system.
Additionally, First Class Day and First Class Season Ticket fares will increase by between 15 and 20%. First Class travel forms only a small part of our business, but it has become apparent that, in some cases, demand is outstripping supply. Adding more First Class seats on the busiest trains is not an option, but this move, together with clamping down on fraudulent travel, means that First Class passengers are more likely to get a seat.
Posters explaining the ticket types and their availability, together with specific fares, will be displayed at stations before they come into force, and our Train tickets leaflet is available with details of the new fare type.
Bruce accepts that some passengers may now decide to travel at the end of the current peak, when there are more seats available on some services. But, overall, the aim is to reflect demand better and perhaps also to spread train use more evenly throughout the day.
In the future, smartcard technology, which is due to be introduced across South West Trains and Island Line in 2009, will permit greater versatility of ticket pricing and better options for passengers. “Even this new two-stage off-peak ticket structure is still very basic,” says Bruce. “We know that usage of our trains varies enormously on different days of the week and at different times of the year. The same train can be packed and standing on some days, and virtually empty on others. If, like the airlines, we can vary prices to match demand more closely, more people will be able to travel in comfort and, hopefully, we will have more, and happier, passengers.”
Ask at your local station or see posters for details of how the new fare structure will affect you.