On Tuesday I took the High Speed train from Stratford to Margate.
The bloke at the ticket office apologised for how confusing the fares were.
"Even I don't understand it," he said.
Here's how confusing the fares are.
Five High Speed trains depart Stratford International for Margate between 09:16 and 10:34.
The day return fare for each train is different.
Depart
via
Ticket
Fare
Restrictions
Arrive
09:16
Ashford
Canterbury
Anytime Day Return
£45.10
10:39
(1h23m)
09:34
Gravesend
Herne Bay
Off-Peak Day Return
£35.90
Only valid for travel via Herne Bay.
Not valid on trains timed to depart before 09:30
10:58
(1h24m)
09:44
Ashford
Dover
Off-Peak Day Return
£41.40
Not valid on trains timed to depart before 09:30
11:30
(1h46m)
10:15
Ashford
Canterbury
Super Off-Peak Day Return
£32.10
Not valid on trains timed to depart before 10:00
11:39
(1h24m)
10:34
Gravesend
Herne Bay
Super Off-Peak Day Return
£25.70
Only valid for travel via Herne Bay.
Not valid on trains timed to depart before 10:00
11:58
(1h24m)
I knew tickets were cheaper after 09:30, but I didn't realise the price dropped another 20% after 10am.
It's not like the trains out of London are busy on a weekday morning.
I also didn't know that Southeastern had started charging less if you travelled via Herne Bay.
It's not even a slower route.
For comparison, here are three consecutive trains from London Victoria via the non-High Speed route...
Depart
via
Ticket
Fare
Restrictions
Arrive
09:07
Bromley
Herne Bay
Anytime Day Return
£38.90
Not valid on Southeastern high speed services.
10:58
(1h51m)
09:37
Bromley
Herne Bay
Off-Peak Day Return
£35.70
Not valid on Southeastern high speed services.
Not valid on trains timed to depart before 09:30
11:22
(1h45m)
10:07
Bromley
Herne Bay
Super Off-Peak Day Return
£23.70
Not valid on Southeastern high speed services.
Not valid on trains timed to depart before 10:00
11:58
(1h51m)
The journey times are longer than the High Speed route, by about 25 minutes...
...but this doesn't actually save much money - between 09:30 and 10:00 it only saves 20p!
As another comparison, two Advance Singles from Stratford would have cost a total of £27.20.
...but I didn't know what time I'd be coming back, plus there was a cheaper option anyway.
Five consecutive trains with five different fares is ridiculous, surely?
How have we ever let the system get this complicated?
Is it only Southeastern who are toying with passengers like this?
And where will it all end?
