Re: [NSW] CityRail ticketing query.

["Rod Gayford" <rjaygee@eisa.net.au>]

The ticketing system in Sydney is not only hopeless but can lead passengers
to unknowingly break the law since they are not aware of the arcane
ticketing system.  For instance:  Every week I used to purchase a City
Weekly from the ticket machine at Cheltenham.  Now I know the fare for a
weekly is the same from Pennant Hills and on occasion I drop my car off for
servicing at Pennant Hills and catch the train to the city. I do not see why
I need to purchase a ticket from PH to Cheltenham as the weekly fare is the
same, however, if I was caught by a ticket inspector no doubt he would cite
me for traveling without a valid ticket between PH & Cheltnm.  Solution to
the problem, purchase a weekly from the ticket window at Cheltenham and you
receive an Asquith to City weekly. With that ticket you can go via either
Shore or Main North for the same price. The ticket office at Wynyard told me
a similar result can obtained by asking for a weekly McDonaldtown ticket.
My view is why should you have to have inside knowledge to obtain a ticket
that enables you to have better traveling options and avoid breaking the
law.  Its about time zone fares were bought in to avoid this madness. I
realise this issue has been canvassed before on this group and a
disadvantage of it was the possibility of traveling long distances within
the one zone (I think an example was traveling from say Liverpool to
Parramatta) but so what.  The other thing that needs to be brought in is a
the travel ten idea used on busses since many travelers do not use a weekly
on the weekends and some times waste a weekly if say you may use a work
place motor vehicle to do a job and garage it at home overnight, also public
holidays are a waste. I wouldn't use the trains on the weekend as it takes a
month of Sunday's to get anywhere other than directly to the City. eg
Cheltenham to Parramatta, 20 minutes by motor vehicle, over an hour by
train.
Cheers
Rod Gayford
"David Johnson" <trainman@ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
39464559.16FCAF1A@ozemail.com.au">news:39464559.16FCAF1A@ozemail.com.au...
> Hubert Lam wrote:
>
> > hmm...I haven't tried this before, but say I got a Burwood & Hornsby
weekly, would I be able to get
> > off at Central or Chatswood (although it only takes half an hour to go
via main north but via
> > City/Shore it takes up to 1 hr)
>
> No.  Not unless you got a Burwood to Hornsby via North Sydney weekly.
>
>
> --
> David Johnson
> trainman@ozemail.com.au
> http://www.ozemail.com.au/~trainman/
> ------------------------------------
> These comments are made in a private
> capacity and do not represent the
> official view of State Rail.
> C.O.W.S. Page 11.
>
>