crosscountry trains first class food and drink changes for longer journeys & split tickets

[jrh2254]

It says on the crosscountry trains website :

Making a longer journey?
Customers travelling for longer than 50 minutes on a weekday or 90 minutes at the weekend and on bank holidays can choose from a range of complimentary hot and cold sandwiches.

So when I split my ticket on the route from say Sheffield to Bristol at the weekend and each split ticket is less than 90 minutes but in total is over 90 minutes am I still entitled to complimentary hot and cold sandwiches?
Many thanks.

 

[nickswift99]

Yes. Staff will treat split tickets as a single journey so long as you present all tickets for inspection.

I’ve had no problems with this while travelling on their services over the last couple of weeks.

 

[route:oxford]

In some cases it can depend on which train you take whether you get a light snack or not.

For example, one train from Banbury to Birmingham will take 48 minutes, the next might take 51.

 

[AlterEgo]

In some cases it can depend on which train you take whether you get a light snack or not.

For example, one train from Banbury to Birmingham will take 48 minutes, the next might take 51.

They don’t time it to the minute and there should be no difference between the catering provision on those two trains.

 

[Jonfun]

Whilst by the letter of the law, if a train is timed at 49 minutes as opposed to the normal 51 minutes (say) you wouldn't be entitled to food, as I understand it the staff work to a matrix of station-station entitlements so you may well find for the shorter journey time what you get is more generous than the published restrictions. Theres a couple of XC catering guys on here who I'm sure will be able to confirm in more detail.

With regards to split tickets, there's currently no restrictions against using these to make up a complete 50/90 minute plus journey, so long as you are not actually alighting at the split points, with the hopefully obvious caveat that the individual tickets you're using to total the 50/90 minutes have to be first class ones (eg Birmingham-Stafford First, plus Stafford-Manchester Standard wouldn't count as a 50 min+ journey.)

 

[yorkie]

...Customers travelling for longer than 50 minutes on a weekday or 90 minutes at the weekend and on bank holidays can choose from a range of complimentary hot and cold sandwiches...

You are entitled to make a journey using a combination of tickets. This right is enshrined in the National Rail Conditions of Carriage (Condition 14).

There are even accredited train ticket booking sites that will sell combinations of tickets for your journey in one transaction.

 

[transmanche]

You are entitled to make a journey using a combination of tickets. This right is enshrined in the National Rail Conditions of Carriage (Condition 14).

Indeed you are. But I don't believe that means you have a legal entitlement to any freebies that the TOC may dispense. That is, whilst they can't refuse you travel, they probably could (if they so wished) engineer things so that they don't have to have you any free food.

 

[Jonfun]

Indeed you are. But I don't believe that means you have a legal entitlement to any freebies that the TOC may dispense. That is, whilst they can't refuse you travel, they probably could (if they so wished) engineer things so that they don't have to have you any free food.

Correct. Though in any case, it matters little as as the policy currently stands, it relates to the duration of time spent on a a given train, not how long the overall journey, or any constituent ticket thereof, is.

 

[yorkie]

Indeed you are. But I don't believe that means you have a legal entitlement to any freebies that the TOC may dispense. That is, whilst they can't refuse you travel, they probably could (if they so wished) engineer things so that they don't have to have you any free food.

This applies to any journey, but there are no loss of 'rights' or 'entitlements' if you use a combination of tickets for a journey, compared to using one ticket for a journey, if that is what you are suggesting.

 

[Jonfun]

This applies to any journey, but there are no loss of 'rights' or 'entitlements' if you use a combination of tickets for a journey, compared to using one ticket for a journey, if that is what you are suggesting.

Weekend First upgrades, for instance, are an example of a product - on XC at least - which is sold per ticket, not per journey.

You're correct in terms of entitlement to travel, but anything above that, including entitlement to delay repay, is discretionary.

 

[yorkie]

Weekend First upgrades, for instance, are an example of a product - on XC at least - which is sold per ticket, not per journey.

Every XC Guard I - and other forum members I know - have asked about this has denied that claim, and said it is done "by journey".

I have never had, or seen, a "split" issued on Weekend First on XC, out of numerous journeys.

You're correct in terms of entitlement to travel, but anything above that, including entitlement to delay repay, is discretionary.

Delay Repay entitlement when a journey isidelayed by 30 or more minutes is a franchise commitment and is not discretionary.

 

[ainsworth74]

Weekend First upgrades, for instance, are an example of a product - on XC at least - which is sold per ticket, not per journey.

Though it isn't consistency enforced or indeed known about! I was on an XC service from Sheffield to Darlington the other week with split tickets and the guard happily sold a through upgrade. In response to a question asking him if it should be split he responded "no it's done on the journey being done"!

 

[Starmill]

Weekend First upgrades, for instance, are an example of a product - on XC at least - which is sold per ticket, not per journey.

There is no evidence to support this position that I have ever seen.

 

[yorkie]

There is no evidence to support this position that I have ever seen.

Agreed.

The iKB and NRE both state Weekend First applies to the "journey" and XC's website has nothing to state this isn't the case.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/pr3744bcc35ce7410024862c7ece4649.aspx

....Priced at either £5.00, £10.00, £15.00 or £20.00 depending on the journey being made. Available to holders of valid Standard Class tickets on board the train, and subject to space being available in First Class....

 

[jrh2254]

There is no evidence to support this position that I have ever seen.

I have done upgrades to 1st on crosscountry many times with split tickets and have always been sold the upgrade on the basis of 'per journey'.

 

[221129]

Weekend First upgrades, for instance, are an example of a product - on XC at least - which is sold per ticket, not per journey.

You're correct in terms of entitlement to travel, but anything above that, including entitlement to delay repay, is discretionary.

This is not correct.

 

[221129]

In terms of service it should be done on the length of journey regardless of tickets held. I haven't got the brief to hand right now and as I am not involved on the South Coast Routes I haven't paid a lot of attention to the station pairings on that route.