Govia Prosecution Expired Railcard 2025

[surreytrain101]

Hi,

I just had an ‘intent to prosecute’ letter through. I have attached in the pics

I was stopped on the 5th of December and asked to produce my ticket, I had a ticket for my full route but didn’t realise my 16-25 railcard had expired earlier in the year.

What is the best way of responding to this letter in the space given to not have this taken to court?

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Pictures:

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My Attempt:
[My Name]
[My Address]
[My Email]
[My Phone Number]
[Date]
[My reference number]

Prosecutions Department
Govia Thameslink Railway


Subject: Response to Notice of Intention to Prosecute


Dear Sir/Madam,


I am writing in response to the Notice of Intention to Prosecute that I recently received. I would like to sincerely apologise for this mistake and any inconvenience it has caused to the railway company.


On the day in question, I genuinely believed that my 16-25 Railcard was valid. Unfortunately, when asked to provide proof, I realised that it had expired earlier in the year. This was an honest mistake on my part, and I take full responsibility for not checking my railcard’s validity before travelling. As soon as I became aware of the issue, I renewed my railcard immediately to ensure this does not happen again.


This experience has been a wake-up call for me, and I have learned the importance of double-checking my travel documents before purchasing discounted tickets. I deeply regret this oversight and want to assure you that it was not a deliberate attempt to avoid paying the correct fare.


I am very keen to resolve this matter amicably and avoid court proceedings. I would therefore like to offer to pay the outstanding fare for my journey as well as any reasonable administrative costs incurred by the company in handling this matter.


Once again, I apologise for my mistake and sincerely appreciate your time and consideration in reviewing my response. I hope we can settle this matter fairly, and I am happy to cooperate in any way necessary.


Yours sincerely,
[My Name]

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@Hadders - What are your thoughts?

 

[jfollows]

Search this forum, eg https://www.railforums.co.uk/search/5854581/?q=expired+railcard&o=date

Consider

A short, concise reply that mentions the following should obtain a favourable result:

- 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

If you have been buying tickets online without a valid railcard, be aware that they will be able to review your purchase history, but don’t incriminate yourself by volunteering information at this stage.

If you have now bought a valid railcard, then mention this also.

 

[surreytrain101]

Thanks - I have not included anything in there that volunteers information about other journeys I made under this railcard. I have also mentioned that I bought a new rail card, and will provide proof of this.

 

[jfollows]

Thanks - I have not included anything in there that volunteers information about other journeys I made under this railcard. I have also mentioned that I bought a new rail card, and will provide proof of this.

Yes, your letter seems to cover the bases to me.

 

[Trainman40083]

Thanks - I have not included anything in there that volunteers information about other journeys I made under this railcard. I have also mentioned that I bought a new rail card, and will provide proof of this.

And diary the new expiry date of the new Railcard to enable you to renew when it expires.

 

[surreytrain101]

And diary the new expiry date of the new Railcard to enable you to renew when it expires.

Haha yep! First thing I did

 

[Trainman40083]

Haha yep! First thing I did

A good thing to add into your letter ..

 

[Hadders]

I think the letter is ok. Very minor point but I'd call it an administrative error rather than an honest mistake. Large organisations like using 'administrative error' as an excuse when they get something wrong so I think it should work both ways!

GTR arer only asking about the incident on the day when you were stopped, so it's fine to just refer to this incident in your reply but do be aware that they could come back to you about other incidents at some point in the future.