Advance Fares and Emergency Rail Replacement

[class387]

Hello. Does anyone know what the protocol is when a rail replacement bus service is announced after an advance ticket has been bought?

In particular: the emergency Crewkerne to Exeter substitution this weekend which was only announced on Tuesday. I have Advance Singles to travel from London to Exeter and back on the same day. Would I be permitted to take an earlier departure from Waterloo, to ensure I arrive in Exeter by the original scheduled time? Similarly on the way back, would I be obliged to depart earlier from Exeter so that I connect onto the original train at Crewkerne?

 

[Haywain]

Hello. Does anyone know what the protocol is when a rail replacement bus service is announced after an advance ticket has been bought?

In particular: the emergency Crewkerne to Exeter substitution this weekend which was only announced on Tuesday. I have Advance Singles to travel from London to Exeter and back on the same day. Would I be permitted to take an earlier departure from Waterloo, to ensure I arrive in Exeter by the original scheduled time? Similarly on the way back, would I be obliged to depart earlier from Exeter so that I connect onto the original train at Crewkerne?

Have you asked SWR?

 

[class387]

Have you asked SWR?

Have done so for this specific example. I'm interested to know what the general practice is though?

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'm not sure if there is a general case for this, but if the train you booked on is actually cancelled which it often will be in this case with the trains running to a different timetable entirely, you fall back to the standard options of being able to choose between two trains before or two trains after, which tends to have a bit of flexibility in it because people are unlikely to want to make a connectional journey if there's a direct one. I don't know if a partial cancellation (which has happened here) would trigger that, though?

 

[MrJeeves]

In particular: the emergency Crewkerne to Exeter substitution this weekend which was only announced on Tuesday. I have Advance Singles to travel from London to Exeter and back on the same day. Would I be permitted to take an earlier departure from Waterloo, to ensure I arrive in Exeter by the original scheduled time? Similarly on the way back, would I be obliged to depart earlier from Exeter so that I connect onto the original train at Crewkerne?

You should be permitted on the two trains before and after the one you were booked on out of Waterloo.

 

[class387]

You should be permitted on the two trains before and after the one you were booked on out of Waterloo.

Thanks for the information, interesting to know. SWR have confirmed that in this case there is flexibility for me to take the trains around the planned ones if I wish.

 

[kacper]

Don’t see why you wouldn’t just begin your journey at whatever time you deem would offset the inconvenience of having to do it by RRB