Greenwich Station DLR to National Rail Oyster and Contactless
Request ID: FOI-1282-2223 Date published: 15 September 2022
You asked
My name is xxx and I live xxxx. Occasionally, the best journey for me (often due to disruption) is to take the DLR to Greenwich then change to a mainline service into London. In each case I've done this, I have been charged maximum fares to my contactless card, regardless of which (if any) validators I tap on at Greenwich. I have tried both using and not using the pedestal validators when leaving the DLR and entering the mainline train. If I use them, the DLR journey will complete but the national rail will get a maximum fare. If I don't, I'll have two incomplete journeys with maximum fares.
I'd like to know the following:
- Is there any combination of validator taps that can successfully allow interchange from DLR to mainline services at Greenwich?
- If so, what validators need to be tapped? Please note the exact location within the station as validators aren't visibly marked as being for DLR or national rail services.
- If not, why is this not a valid interchange?
- If so, what testing has been done on the signage to help people understand where they need to tap, as I have failed to determine this?
- How many maximum fares were issued in the last five years that could reasonably be attributed to DLR to national rail interchanges at Greenwich, and what percentage of these have been successfully rectified?
- How much additional income has TfL received over the same period as a result of these maximum fares?
Thank you very much in advance for this information!
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-1282-2223
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 23rd August 2022 asking for information about journeys from Greenwich DLR station.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.
I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. Your questions are answered in turn below:
Question 1: Is there any combination of validator taps that can successfully allow interchange from DLR to mainline services at Greenwich?
Answer: There is no requirement to touch on a validator at Greenwich on interchange. A journey from, say, Island Gardens to London Bridge National Rail via Greenwich requires a touch-in on a validator at Island Gardens and a touch-out on a gate at London Bridge National Rail, but here are no other validations required for such a journey.
Question 2: If so, what validators need to be tapped? Please note the exact location within the station as validators aren't visibly marked as being for DLR or national rail services.
Answer: Please see the answer to question 1 above.
Question 3: If not, why is this not a valid interchange?
Answer: Greenwich station has open interchange between the National Rail platforms and the DLR (there are no gates separating the two services) and as such is a “valid interchange”. In common with many other interchanges it is acceptable at that location for customers to transfer from one service to the other without validating anywhere in between. The only requirement is to have touched in at the start of a journey and touched out at the end. In this case that journey may involve two different rail services but it is not viewed as two separate journeys.
Question 4: If so, what testing has been done on the signage to help people understand where they need to tap, as I have failed to determine this?
Answer: See answer to question 3 above.
Question 5: How many maximum fares were issued in the last five years that could reasonably be attributed to DLR to national rail interchanges at Greenwich, and what percentage of these have been successfully rectified?
Answer: As explained above, customers are only required to tap in / out at the beginning and end of their journey when transferring from the DLR to National Rail services at Greenwich, and the correct fare will be charged. There is no need for any additional validation at Greenwich. Therefore TfL does not hold the requested information as the question is based on an incorrect premise.
Question 6: How much additional income has TfL received over the same period as a result of these maximum fares?
Answer: See answer to question 5 above.
If this is not the information you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely,
David Wells FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
