Delays Causing a Long Wait

[Dirty_Mac]

Hi there! We bought a split ticket from Bletchley to Bedford then onwards to St. Pancras. The Marston Vale Line segment is obviously an anytime single, but the Bedford to St. Pancras segment is an advance single. Now, the Bletchley to Bedford train we were planning to catch got cancelled, so we caught the earlier train, resulting in us arriving in Bedford an hour early. Are we then allowed on the earlier train to St. Pancras? The conductor certainly didn't think so, but we are allowed to alter our itinerary in the event of a cancellation, are we not?

 

[AlterEgo]

Hi there! We bought a split ticket from Bletchley to Bedford then onwards to St. Pancras. The Marston Vale Line segment is obviously an anytime single, but the Bedford to St. Pancras segment is an advance single. Now, the Bletchley to Bedford train we were planning to catch got cancelled, so we caught the earlier train, resulting in us arriving in Bedford an hour early. Are we then allowed on the earlier train to St. Pancras? The conductor certainly didn't think so, but we are allowed to alter our itinerary in the event of a cancellation, are we not?

Strictly speaking no, you are not. You aren't allowed to unilaterally "alter your itinerary", but you make take the *next* available train if you are *delayed*.

If you start early you have no absolute right to travel on the earlier advance ticket from Bedford although it's annoying not to get discretion shown when this happens.

 

[Dirty_Mac]

Strictly speaking no, you are not. You aren't allowed to unilaterally "alter your itinerary", but you make take the *next* available train if you are *delayed*.

If you start early you have no absolute right to travel on the earlier advance ticket from Bedford although it's annoying not to get discretion shown when this happens.

Thanks! Although I remember booking with Avanti once and being notified we're allowed to take an earlier or later train due to a schedule alteration. Is this a different scenario?

 

[Benjwri]

Thanks! Although I remember booking with Avanti once and being notified we're allowed to take an earlier or later train due to a schedule alteration. Is this a different scenario?

There is a right to take the next train by default. You can be authorised to take an earlier train as well at the discretion of staff/theboperator, which Avanti do.

 

[hexagon789]

Thanks! Although I remember booking with Avanti once and being notified we're allowed to take an earlier or later train due to a schedule alteration. Is this a different scenario?

Sometimes during disruption Train Operating Companies will say you can use your ticket on the train before or after the one you had originally booked if it is cancelled. This is essentially at operator discretion.

The default position is that it's only the next available one though, not also the one before.

 

[AlterEgo]

Thanks! Although I remember booking with Avanti once and being notified we're allowed to take an earlier or later train due to a schedule alteration. Is this a different scenario?

In that case it seems Avanti were deviating from what is strictly allowed and using their own discretion to shift passengers to avoid delay.

 

[Dirty_Mac]

Update: second time's the charm :P

 

[miklcct]

Was your booked Bedford - St Pancras train cancelled as well?

 

[Dirty_Mac]

Was your booked Bedford - St Pancras train cancelled as well?

No, it was just a long wait, since we had to catch the earlier train from Bletchley (1h10 instead of 10 minutes)

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Suppose an hour's additional travel time isn't the worst in the general scheme of things. However, might the OP be entitled to any goodwill gesture from the operator of the cancelled Bletchley->Bedford train (= West Midlands Trains) for the inconvenience they've clearly caused?

 

[Haywain]

Suppose an hour's additional travel time isn't the worst in the general scheme of things.

An hour at Bedford may not be the worst but it's not blessed with a great range of facilities.