Ticket Validity for “Required Connecting Services” During Strike

[Smylers]

Hello. I have a CrossCountry Advance ticket affected by this weekend's WMR industrial action, and am wondering what the options are.

The ticket is Ilkley–Worcester Foregate Street, “Only valid on booked CrossCountry services and required connecting services. Restriction XV applies”.
The CrossCountry part is Leeds–Birmingham New Street.
The connection from Birmingham New Street to Worcester Foregate Street was a WMR service which has now been cancelled, and WMR aren't running any other trains on that line during the industrial action.

But there are other operators' trains on which I could complete the journey: I could catch a Crosscountry train to Worcestershire Parkway, then a GWR train to Worcester Foregate Street.

Would I need to buy a new ticket to use those operators for the connections?
(And if so, would that invalidate my exist Advance ticket, because I'd be ending my journey early at Birmingham, and I'd need to buy a new ticket for that as well?)

I bought the ticket using this forum's ticketing site. This morning they emailed me about the cancellation. The email starts with two boxes, saying:

Passenger: This is an official notification from the Timetable Comparator Service. Please present this as evidence if travelling on an alternate itinerary.​

​

Train operating company: Please allow the passenger to travel on alternative services to their booked service where permitted under the Timetable Comparator Service Code of Practice (RSPS1035).​

Further down it says:

Please review your updated itinerary below and replan your journey if needed.

and:

If you still wish to travel:​

• You do not need to purchase additional tickets to complete your journey.
• Take the next available service which matches the route and operator restrictions on your ticket(s).

I do still wish to travel. The restriction on the ticket is to a CrossCountry service we'd still be catching. The ticket doesn't mention any operator or route restrictions for “required connecting services”.

Obviously the booked connecting service was with a particular operator on a particular route, but the above doesn't say that when taking the next service it has to be with the same operator and route as the cancelled train, merely that it matches the restrictions — so I thought that would be permitted.

However, when I contacted Trainsplit and asked if I could have a seat reservation on the train I now planned to catch, they replied:

Your ticket is an Advance fare tied to a specific CrossCountry service and its connecting services, so the whole journey needs to follow that booked itinerary. Changing to a different Birmingham → Worcestershire Parkway service, including a different destination or operator, wouldn’t be valid under these conditions.

Even when seat reservations are available on other services, that does not make the ticket valid. Ticket validity is determined by the ticket restrictions, route, and operator(s) specified on the ticket or itinerary. In this case, LNR has confirmed that there is no ticket acceptance in place, so the tickets cannot be used on alternative services outside the booked itinerary.

What are my options?
Obviously I can cancel the original booking and rebook the journey using the trains that are running, but prices have gone up a lot since I bought my original Advance ticket, so I want to avoid that if possible (and especially after receiving an email which told me I wouldn't have to do that!).

 

[Bletchleyite]

(And if so, would that invalidate my exist Advance ticket, because I'd be ending my journey early at Birmingham, and I'd need to buy a new ticket for that as well?)

That may technically be true but it's basically unenforceable if you're changing trains there anyway. It's also industry guidance not to be funny about it if it is not being done to avoid a higher fare.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

With a strike being on I can't imagine you having any issues with going via Worcestershire Parkway.
It's literally the only way for you to complete the journey you've paid for.

 

[Haywain]

What are my options?

To worry rather less and travel via Worcestershire Parkway. There is nothing on your ticket that prevents that, and the response that you have had from Trainsplit is just standard terms when strikes are not taking place. Go with the original information in the two boxes from the email. You do not need to buy any new tickets.

 

[Watershed]

I don't know why you have received that response from Trainsplit, I'm not sure if they have appreciated that WMT aren't running any services on that route due to the strike. The original email is correct: you do not need to pay anything extra or to change your ticket.

Since one of your booked trains is cancelled, under the Advance ticket terms & conditions you are entitled to take the next available service(s) to reach your destination, subject to your ticket's restrictions. Since your ticket is routed "XC & Connections" it does not restrict you to any particular operator. So if the quickest alternative now involves going via Worcestershire Parkway then that would be valid.

You can make a standalone reservation for your alternative route between Birmingham and Worcester by going to the TPE or TicketyBoo website/app and registering for an account, then going to My Account -> Make a seat/bike reservation. This works regardless of operator and isn't tied to your ticket in any way. To be honest I have never bothered contacting any operator's or retailer's customer services for reservations since becoming aware that this functionality exsts.

 

[Smylers]

Thanks, all, especially for such speedy responses — that has reassured me.

To worry rather less ...

Well I wasn't worrying until I contacted customer services!

That may technically be true but it's basically unenforceable if you're changing trains there anyway. It's also industry guidance not to be funny about it if it is not being done to avoid a higher fare.

Yeah, I'd presumed it would be unenforceable. Good to know about the industry guidance, though.

You can make a standalone reservation for your alternative route between Birmingham and Worcester by going to the TPE or TicketyBoo website/app and registering for an account, then going to My Account -> Make a seat/bike reservation. This works regardless of operator and isn't tied to your ticket in any way. To be honest I have never bothered contacting any operator's or retailer's customer services for reservations since becoming aware that this functionality exsts.

Thank you so much — that is really useful to know. Apparently I should've done that in the first place rather than contacting customer services.