Can you change return ticket if outbound journey delayed

[Willie Bee]

My daughter is travelling to Leeds today from Newcastle for an appointment (on TPE) but got a text this morning saying her train has been cancelled. She'll now take the train about an hour later at 10:43

Luckily she has been able to change her appointment, which means her return train trip is pretty tight, time-wise

Would she be able to change that ?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Travelling using 2 x (booked train only) advance singles, presumably, one each way? Or was it an Off Peak return?

 

[Willie Bee]

Two singles

 

[Bletchleyite]

Any Advance can be changed via the retailer for payment of the difference in fare plus an admin fee (typically £10, though some retailers seem to have reduced it to £5 now even though this reduction was only mandated for refunds of walk-up tickets). This must be done before the departure of the journey in question. It may also be possible to do it at a booking office, I forget.

It is rather unfair to have to pay in the circumstances, though, so having done this it may make sense to appeal to the TOC for a discretionary refund of those costs. Also don't forget to claim the Delay Repay for the outward.

 

[Willie Bee]

My daughter asked at the NCL ticket office and was told .. it should be Ok

I've told her to double check when she gets to Leeds

 

[Mcr Warrior]

My daughter asked at the NCL ticket office and was told .. it should be Ok

That old verbal permission thing again, but nothing in writing!

 

[Bletchleyite]

That old verbal permission thing again, but nothing in writing!

Absolutely do not rely on "it should be OK". It is likely to result in a post in Disputes and Prosecutions.

You want the ticket endorsing or a note with a booking office stamp at the very least. If they won't, pay to rebook and take it up with customer services (but you may get nothing back, even though that's really unfair in the circumstances).

(For completeness: a third option before any travel had taken place would have been to "abandon" and get a full refund and rebook a walk-up return ticket, if cheaper)

 

[Willie Bee]

OP here .. now she finds out her return train is cancelled too.
She's going to phone TPE, but the next train to Newcastle looks to be at 16:42
Will she be able to claim delay compensation for both journeys ?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

OP here .. now she finds out her return train is cancelled too.
She's going to phone TPE, but the next train to Newcastle looks to be at 16:42
Will she be able to claim delay compensation for both journeys ?

Almost certainly 2 x separate Delay Repay claims possible, one for each of today's journey legs. What were the originally booked trains, and what trains were actually travelled on (to determine the length of the delay(s)?

Were they as follows...?

Outward 0943 Newcastle to Leeds (TPE) - Cancelled. Should have arrived Leeds at 1112. Actual arrival time on the later 1043 train = 1218, so 60+ minute delay (= 100% compensation of single fare due from TPE).

Return 1544 Leeds to Newcastle (TPE) - Cancelled. Should have got into Newcastle for 1717. Travelling on the 1642 likely to mean arrival in Newcastle at 1807 (if on time) so a 50 minute delay (= 50% compensation of single fare due from TPE) or 100% if it's 60+ mins late.

 

[Willie Bee]

Were they as follows...?

Outward 0943 Newcastle to Leeds (TPE) - Cancelled. Should have arrived Leeds at 1112. Actual arrival time on the later 1043 train = 1218, so 60+ minute delay (= 100% compensation of single fare due from TPE).

Return 1544 Leeds to Newcastle (TPE) - Cancelled. Should have got into Newcastle for 1717. Travelling on the 1642 likely to mean arrival in Newcastle at 1807 (if on time) so a 50 minute delay (= 50% compensation of single fare due from TPE) or 100% if it's 60+ mins late.

You are 100% correct

She is in York now and already 3 minutes later than planned, so fingers crossed it'll be two 60-minute delays

 

[Mcr Warrior]

She is in York now and already 3 minutes later than planned, so fingers crossed it'll be two 60-minute delays

More or less on time arriving back at Newcastle, so, overall, only a 30-59 minute delay on the "return" leg.