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I have just received my letter from GTR for short dating back in the summer (August), travelling to Farringdon but only pay for part of the trip.
I, of course massively regret the decision & will not make the same choice again, as it was hugely irresponsible & understand the impact it has on the rail industry. I made & would like to settle outside of court.
Please may you help with my reply. I have attached copies to this thread.
I have seen responses on this forum but appreciate cases can be different.
I have just received my letter from GTR for short dating back in the summer (August), travelling to Farringdon but only pay for part of the trip.
I, of course massively regret the decision & will not make the same choice again, as it was hugely irresponsible & understand the impact it has on the rail industry. I made & would like to settle outside of court.
Please may you help with my reply. I have attached copies to this thread.
I have seen responses on this forum but appreciate cases can be different.
Hi - it may be handy to know a bit more about your case (eg have you done this regularly / before etc) / where you travelled from - questions that are in the 'pinned post' at the top of this which you may want to answer - tho if you want to keep stuff fully confidential then fair enough
In terms of your approach to a response - if you have not seen it before this general advice from another forum member is your starting point to know what to do and what will likely happen, and you can find plenty of other threads with examples of this and how it progresses to look over. Obv you have already got their letter now.
Firstly, you committed a criminal offence by travelling with an invalid ticket and railway companies are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court if they want to. The good news is they will normally offer an out of court settlement to people who co-operate with them and who haven't come to their attention before.
Next, what happens is the railway company will write to you. The letter will go to the address that you gave them / on any of your ID they checked so you need to be able to access hard copy post at that address as they often send things that way (but also check e-mail and spam). It is extremely important that you reply, and you'll only have a limited time to do so (often 14 days from the date on their communication).
When you receive the letter post a redacted copy of it in this thread, along with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you. You'll find lots of example letters you can use in this section of the forum but the reply basically needs to mention:
- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident and will not do this again
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the railway company’s administrative costs in dealing with the matter
The railway will probably offer you an out of court settlement. Expect to have to pay the cost of the fare for the journey you made at the full Anytime rate with no credit given for the invalid ticket you purchased. In addition they will charge an admin fee, typically £150. They will also audit your online ticket purchase history and if this shows you've purchased other tickets that were not valid (eg railcard discounted tickets when you did not have a valid railcard, or tickets for only part of the journey, or tickets bought after boarding the train you travelled on ) they will probably factor the cost of these journeys into the settlement offer. Depending on how many journeys you've made over the period concerned this could end up being expensive.
Settlements usually have to be paid in full within a few days of them being offered so if money is tight you might want to think about how you will raise the sum required at short notice.
I have short fared 5 times previously to being caught & have not done so since & this is the first time being caught.
I was travelling from Harpenden to Farringdon & only bought a ticket from Harpenden to St Albans.
I regret my decision & want to make this right.
Thanks!
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Dear Sir/ Madam,
I am writing in response to your letter of Intention to Prosecute dated 05 December 2025 Reference: GTREMXXXXXXXX
On the 11th August on the train from Harpenden to Farringdon, an inspector approached & I presented a ticket which was only valid from Harpenden to St Albans & we had passed this station.
I apologise for this very poor judgement and deeply regret my actions. I now realise the severity of this and understand the great cost this is to the rail industry and how unjust it is to other rail travellers. I am incredibly ashamed of myself.
I have learnt my lesson and will always and have since bought the correct ticket before boarding the train I intend to take.
I am keen to settle the matter without the need for court action. I ask if I can please pay the outstanding fare along with the train companies administrative costs in dealing with the matter.
I have short fared 5 times previously to being caught & have not done so since & this is the first time being caught.
I was travelling from Harpenden to Farringdon & only bought a ticket from Harpenden to St Albans.
I regret my decision & want to make this right.
Thanks!
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Dear Sir/ Madam,
I am writing in response to your letter of Intention to Prosecute dated 05 December 2025 Reference: GTREMXXXXXXXX
On the 11th August on the train from Harpenden to Farringdon, an inspector approached & I presented a ticket which was only valid from Harpenden to St Albans & we had passed this station.
I apologise for this very poor judgement and deeply regret my actions. I now realise the severity of this and understand the great cost this is to the rail industry and how unjust it is to other rail travellers. I am incredibly ashamed of myself.
I have learnt my lesson and will always and have since bought the correct ticket before boarding the train I intend to take.
I am keen to settle the matter without the need for court action. I ask if I can please pay the outstanding fare along with the train companies administrative costs in dealing with the matter.
Just a thought but GTR might like to understand how you actually got onto the Platform at Harpenden, without a valid ticket, given that Harpenden station is completely gated ... As are all stations from Harpenden northwards to at least Kettering....m with the notable exception of Harlington ..
Just a thought but GTR might like to understand how you actually got onto the Platform at Harpenden, without a valid ticket, given that Harpenden station is completely gated ... As are all stations from Harpenden northwards to at least Kettering....m with the notable exception of Harlington ..
I have short fared 5 times previously to being caught & have not done so since & this is the first time being caught.
I was travelling from Harpenden to Farringdon & only bought a ticket from Harpenden to St Albans.
I regret my decision & want to make this right.
Thanks!
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Dear Sir/ Madam,
I am writing in response to your letter of Intention to Prosecute dated 05 December 2025 Reference: GTREMXXXXXXXX
On the 11th August on the train from Harpenden to Farringdon, an inspector approached & I presented a ticket which was only valid from Harpenden to St Albans & we had passed this station.
I apologise for this very poor judgement and deeply regret my actions. I now realise the severity of this and understand the great cost this is to the rail industry and how unjust it is to other rail travellers. I am incredibly ashamed of myself.
I have learnt my lesson and will always and have since bought the correct ticket before boarding the train I intend to take.
I am keen to settle the matter without the need for court action. I ask if I can please pay the outstanding fare along with the train companies administrative costs in dealing with the matter.
Your Response draft follows the general format advised - You could perhaps end it with adding another line like 'I would be most grateful for your sympathetic consideration of this request'
They may yet ask you about other occasions if they have checked your records or already have suspicions.
When you reply you should keep a copy of everything for your records
You should post your reply tracked postage from a post office so you can be sure it was delivered should you need to check or prove that.
Thank you so much, is the below good to send or should I change/add anything further:
Dear Sir/ Madam,
I am writing in response to your letter of Intention to Prosecute dated 05 December 2025 Reference: GTREM
On the 11th August on the train from Harpenden to Farringdon, an inspector approached & I presented a ticket which was only valid from Harpenden to St Albans.
I apologise for this very poor judgement and deeply regret my actions. I now realise the severity of this and understand the great cost this is to the rail industry and how unjust it is to other rail travellers. I am incredibly ashamed of myself.
I have learnt my lesson and will always and have since, bought the correct ticket before boarding the train I intend to take.
I am keen to settle the matter without the need for court action. I ask if I can please pay the outstanding fare along with the train companies administrative costs in dealing with the matter.
I would be most grateful for your sympathetic consideration of this request.
Thank you so much, is the below good to send or should I change/add anything further:
Dear Sir/ Madam,
I am writing in response to your letter of Intention to Prosecute dated 05 December 2025 Reference: GTREM
On the 11th August on the train from Harpenden to Farringdon, an inspector approached & I presented a ticket which was only valid from Harpenden to St Albans.
I apologise for this very poor judgement and deeply regret my actions. I now realise the severity of this and understand the great cost this is to the rail industry and how unjust it is to other rail travellers. I am incredibly ashamed of myself.
I have learnt my lesson and will always and have since, bought the correct ticket before boarding the train I intend to take.
I am keen to settle the matter without the need for court action. I ask if I can please pay the outstanding fare along with the train companies administrative costs in dealing with the matter.
I would be most grateful for your sympathetic consideration of this request.
Looks OK to me - but you could wait until the morning for other comments, before printing and going to the post office in time to catch the Saturday post collection mid morning - so probably by about 10am on Saturday
It doesn’t take long reading GTR short faring cases here to learn that you don’t have to pass a gateline at Farringdon to exit the National Rail system.
On the 11th August on the train from Harpenden to Farringdon, an inspector approached & I presented a ticket which was only valid from Harpenden to St Albans
I would advise saying a little less here, as it isn't in your interest to help to much. I would suggest, "On 11th August an inspector approached me on a train and I failed to present a valid ticket."
I would now advise writing (email) back and being honest about how many times you have short-fared, with apologies and a request to settle by paying the outstanding fares. This is likely to yield an appropriate result.
I would now advise writing (email) back and being honest about how many times you have short-fared, with apologies and a request to settle by paying the outstanding fares. This is likely to yield an appropriate result.
Agree with this, and to make it easy for them, set out as much of the details as you can, ie dates, where you were travelling from/to, and what tickets you actually bought. Anything to be as cooperative as you can should make a settlement more likely.
I would now advise writing (email) back and being honest about how many times you have short-fared, with apologies and a request to settle by paying the outstanding fares. This is likely to yield an appropriate result.
There’s no need for this imo, ask GTR to present their list alongside restating an apology and request to settle, we have seen this approach work many times.
There’s no need for this imo, ask GTR to present their list alongside restating an apology and request to settle, we have seen this approach work many times.
What's the point in creating more work for GTR when the OP has stated here, in post #3, that they have done this on 5 previous occasions? Your suggestion just drags things out for the sake of it.
What's the point in creating more work for GTR when the OP has stated here, in post #3, that they have done this on 5 previous occasions? Your suggestion just drags things out for the sake of it.
It isn’t our place to try to steer the outcome towards what we think is the right one. The OP has come here for help. We aren’t assisting the interests of justice, we’re assisting the OP, and it isn’t in the OP’s best interests to do as you’ve said.
GTR will almost always settle, so why not ask them what amount they think is owed instead of presenting them with a potentially higher figure?
I agree with @Haywain (who has I note been providing quality advice on here for a much longer time than @z444z). GTR has come back and said "we've seen you've done this before, and we want to talk to you". So the game is up in terms of previous offences. If the OP wants to be as cooperative as they can be then they should reply (and I paraphrase) with "Fair cop, here's my list of how many times I think I've done this." If they want to caveat it with "This is my record, but please let me know if you think I've missed any" then that should remove any risk that they are seen as trying to minimise the cost, should GTR see any further offences.
There is no such risk. As we established in a similar thread with similar contributors just a few days ago, GTR always settle. I have read all 422 pages on this section of the forum and have never seen the advice given to preemptively send the railway your own record of your fare evasion, so am quite baffled by this to be honest.
There is no such risk. As we established in a similar thread with similar contributors just a few days ago, GTR always settle. I have read all 422 pages on this section of the forum and have never seen the advice given to preemptively send the railway your own record of your fare evasion, so am quite baffled by this to be honest.
To start this off- yes I'm a dumbass. In hindsight I should have just said I had no ticket rather than making a fake one. But if I could time travel I wouldn't be in this mess- or using trains. I thought I brought a return ticket on my usual route. It wasn't until I was on my train home (there...
www.railforums.co.uk
Yes, GTR did settle - but only after commencing court proceedings and the passenger involved instructing solicitors. I think it is fair to say that we had expected settlement on the basis of the original apologetic letter, but we were wrong.
Further, that's a recent case. We don't yet have enough other cases around it to know if it's a one-off, or evidence of GTR beginning to take a tougher line. If we want to serve posters well, we may want to assume the worst and advise on that basis.
Thank you for all the advice below, how does the below reply sound? Please let me know of changes / amends.
Dear Sir/ Madam,
I am writing in response to your email, with the attached letter dated 15 January 2026.
Prior to the incident on 11.08.2025, there were 4 incidents where I didn’t pay the full travel journey which I apologise and deeply regret my actions. The dates for these are below:
X
X
X
X
As stated in my first letter, I now realise the severity of this and understand the great cost this is to the rail industry and how unjust it is to other rail travellers.I am incredibly ashamed of myself.
I have learnt my lesson and will always and have since, bought the correct ticket before boarding the train I intend to take.
I am keen to settle the matter without the need for court action. I ask if I can please pay the outstanding fares along with the train companies administrative costs in dealing with the matter.
I would be most grateful for your sympathetic consideration of this request.
That thread, which you seem to have failed to notice I contributed to multiple times, and have in fact been following from the beginning, involved an altered ticket, which this one does not, and the summons was issued very close to the 6 month deadline.
I quote you from Sunday:
the train company involved are generally keen to settle out of court, so are unlikely to reject a sincere response.
Thank you for all the advice below, how does the below reply sound? Please let me know of changes / amends.
Dear Sir/ Madam,
I am writing in response to your email, with the attached letter dated 15 January 2026.
Prior to the incident on 11.08.2025, there were 4 incidents where I didn’t pay the full travel journey which I apologise and deeply regret my actions. The dates for these are below:
X
X
X
X
As stated in my first letter, I now realise the severity of this and understand the great cost this is to the rail industry and how unjust it is to other rail travellers.I am incredibly ashamed of myself.
I have learnt my lesson and will always and have since, bought the correct ticket before boarding the train I intend to take.
I am keen to settle the matter without the need for court action. I ask if I can please pay the outstanding fares along with the train companies administrative costs in dealing with the matter.
I would be most grateful for your sympathetic consideration of this request.
This is good and is very likely to get you a settlement, but you should be aware that there is a chance that you’ll be bringing their attention to an incident they haven’t noticed and in doing so paying more money, and there’s also a chance that you’ve missed one or more in your own list, and in that case it might appear to GTR that you’re trying to mislead them. As you can see, and sorry for doing it in your thread, there’s some disagreement about the best approach, but it’s your decision at the end of the day.
Make sure to add the reference number to the top, and send your response with tracked postage. Good luck, and please do come back to update us with the outcome if you don’t mind
Thank you for all the advice below, how does the below reply sound? Please let me know of changes / amends.
Dear Sir/ Madam,
I am writing in response to your email, with the attached letter dated 15 January 2026.
Prior to the incident on 11.08.2025, there were 4 incidents where I didn’t pay the full travel journey which I apologise and deeply regret my actions. The dates for these are below:
X
X
X
X
As stated in my first letter, I now realise the severity of this and understand the great cost this is to the rail industry and how unjust it is to other rail travellers.I am incredibly ashamed of myself.
I have learnt my lesson and will always and have since, bought the correct ticket before boarding the train I intend to take.
I am keen would be very grateful if thisto settle the matter could be settled without the need for court action. I ask if I can please pay the outstanding fares along with the train companies administrative costs in dealing with the matter.
I would be most grateful for your sympathetic consideration of this request.
We are aware of an issue with emails from the Forum to Microsoft-based email accounts (hotmail/outlook/live.com email addresses). This is being looked into currently, thanks for your patience meanwhile.
