Expired railcard

[pnive]

Hi, I travelled to Southampton yesterday and had stupidly left my railcard at home. I was leaving the gate when someone asked to see my railcard, but I didn't have it on me so he took my details down and said wait for a letter in the post. I checked when I got home to find my railcard and found it - but the railcard expired 8 days ago. I haven't been on a train prior to this while the railcard expired and I immediately renewed it, but I think it might be too late? I'm not too sure what to do now so any help would be appreciated thanks.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Welcome to the forum.

It's most likely that to resolve this you will have to pay the railway £100 or maybe a little bit more. Although the railway is quite forgiving about people who forget to bring their Railcard (once) they are much firmer about not having a Railcard, or having an expired one.

What will probably happen is that in the next few days (although it could be as long as the next six months) the railway (or possibly a company called Transport Investigations Limited - some railway companies use them for work like this) will write to you. The letter may look quite intimidating and suggest that they have already decided to prosecute you, but actually it will be asking for your side of the story.

@Hadders who often contributes to these threads has some excellent advice on what to do when you get this letter - see (for example) https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/inspectors-on-gtr-great-northern.223009/post-5336809. Explain what you have told us in your post above.

The most likely result will be that you are then 'invited' to settle the matter by paying the railway's investigation costs and the train fare (without Railcard) that you should have paid. I would suggest that you pay that, as the alternative will be that the railway take you to court: if they prosecute you under the railway byelaws for not having a valid ticket then on the basis of what you have told us here you will be convicted.

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

@Fawkes Cat has mentioned the advice I've given to other posters in a similar position to yours so I've posted it here for ease.

You are likely to receive a letter from the train company (or an investigation company acting on their behalf) which will probably take a few weeks to arrive saying that they have received a report, are considering prosecuting you and asking for your version of events. It is important that you engage with and reply to this letter. You might want to include the following in your reply:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the matter

Make sure your reply is short and concise, don't give a sob story - they've heard it all before. Most train companies are usually prepared to offer an administrative settlement (commonly known as an out of court settlement) for people who engage with the process and who haven't come to their attention before. There is no guarantee of this and the train company would be well within their rights to prosecute you in the magistrates court.

If you are offered a settlement the amount varies depending on the train company and circumstances but tend to be a few hundred pounds plus the outstanding fare. An out of court settlement might appear to be a fine, but it isn't and you won't have a criminal record as a result of accepting one.

Feel free to post a copy of the letter when it arrives (with personal details removed) and I'm sure members on here will be happy to assist in proof reading your reply.

 

[30907]

In previous instances where someone has forgotten their railcard IIRC they have first been invited to send/upload a copy of it. Policy may vary, but be prepared for that request.

In the long run this may make no difference as neither railcard was valid when you travelled, so the advice given above will become relevant.

And it's worth remembering - this definitely isn't the end of the world or your career path

 

[najaB]

I was leaving the gate when someone asked to see my railcard, but I didn't have it on me so he took my details down and said wait for a letter in the post. I checked when I got home to find my railcard and found it - but the railcard expired 8 days ago.

When was the railcard valid from? If it's a Young Person's three-year railcard then I believe (and would appreciate confirmation) that their validity (and indeed any card that was valid during the first part of 2020) was extended due to lockdowns and travel restrictions.

 

[danm14]

When was the railcard valid from? If it's a Young Person's three-year railcard then I believe (and would appreciate confirmation) that their validity (and indeed any card that was valid during the first part of 2020) was extended due to lockdowns and travel restrictions.

COVID FAQs - 16-25 Railcard

A 16-25 Railcard costs just �30 and it'll save you 1/3 on rail fares throughout Great Britain for a whole year.

www.16-25railcard.co.uk

"After careful consideration, the government has confirmed to us that Railcards will remain non-refundable and will not be extended. Refunding or extending Railcards would come at a significant cost to the taxpayer, at a time when the focus must be on maintaining rail services to support the country’s recovery from the pandemic. Please rest assured that this decision hasn’t been taken lightly and was made at the highest level."

 

[najaB]

"After careful consideration, the government has confirmed to us that Railcards will remain non-refundable and will not be extended. Refunding or extending Railcards would come at a significant cost to the taxpayer, at a time when the focus must be on maintaining rail services to support the country’s recovery from the pandemic. Please rest assured that this decision hasn’t been taken lightly and was made at the highest level."

Ah, thanks. I knew that there had been discussion about it. Probably conflating it with season tickets.

 

[pnive]

Welcome to the forum.

It's most likely that to resolve this you will have to pay the railway £100 or maybe a little bit more. Although the railway is quite forgiving about people who forget to bring their Railcard (once) they are much firmer about not having a Railcard, or having an expired one.

What will probably happen is that in the next few days (although it could be as long as the next six months) the railway (or possibly a company called Transport Investigations Limited - some railway companies use them for work like this) will write to you. The letter may look quite intimidating and suggest that they have already decided to prosecute you, but actually it will be asking for your side of the story.

@Hadders who often contributes to these threads has some excellent advice on what to do when you get this letter - see (for example) https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/inspectors-on-gtr-great-northern.223009/post-5336809. Explain what you have told us in your post above.

The most likely result will be that you are then 'invited' to settle the matter by paying the railway's investigation costs and the train fare (without Railcard) that you should have paid. I would suggest that you pay that, as the alternative will be that the railway take you to court: if they prosecute you under the railway byelaws for not having a valid ticket then on the basis of what you have told us here you will be convicted.

thanks for the help- puts my mind at ease a bit!

 

[pnive]

Welcome to the forum!

@Fawkes Cat has mentioned the advice I've given to other posters in a similar position to yours so I've posted it here for ease.

You are likely to receive a letter from the train company (or an investigation company acting on their behalf) which will probably take a few weeks to arrive saying that they have received a report, are considering prosecuting you and asking for your version of events. It is important that you engage with and reply to this letter. You might want to include the following in your reply:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the matter

Make sure your reply is short and concise, don't give a sob story - they've heard it all before. Most train companies are usually prepared to offer an administrative settlement (commonly known as an out of court settlement) for people who engage with the process and who haven't come to their attention before. There is no guarantee of this and the train company would be well within their rights to prosecute you in the magistrates court.

If you are offered a settlement the amount varies depending on the train company and circumstances but tend to be a few hundred pounds plus the outstanding fare. An out of court settlement might appear to be a fine, but it isn't and you won't have a criminal record as a result of accepting one.

Feel free to post a copy of the letter when it arrives (with personal details removed) and I'm sure members on here will be happy to assist in proof reading your reply.

thanks so much for the advice!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Oct 2021 ==

In previous instances where someone has forgotten their railcard IIRC they have first been invited to send/upload a copy of it. Policy may vary, but be prepared for that request.

In the long run this may make no difference as neither railcard was valid when you travelled, so the advice given above will become relevant.

And it's worth remembering - this definitely isn't the end of the world or your career path

thanks this helps a lot, this is the ideal situation haha

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Oct 2021 ==

When was the railcard valid from? If it's a Young Person's three-year railcard then I believe (and would appreciate confirmation) that their validity (and indeed any card that was valid during the first part of 2020) was extended due to lockdowns and travel restrictions.

It is a 3 year 16-25 railcard, I got it october 2018. Hopefully there was an extension!

 

[221129]

thanks this helps a lot, this is the ideal situation haha

It doesn't apply to your situation though.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Oct 2021 ==

Hopefully there was an extension!

There wasn't.

 

[najaB]

It is a 3 year 16-25 railcard, I got it october 2018. Hopefully there was an extension!

Unfortunately it was confirmed further down the thread that HM Government decided that they had wasted spent too much money to afford to be able to extend them.