Advice please - Train cancelled

[malc-c]

Hi,

We booked tickets in May for my daughter to travel via LNER from Stevenage to Newcastle tomorrow. The tickets advised of one change, requiring her to catch the 09.56 LNER service from Stevenage and get off at Peterborough and then the 10:52 LNER service to Edinburgh, which arrives at Newcastle at 13.03.

She has just received a text message stating that the 09.56 from Stevenage has been cancelled but she can use the ticket on any LNER service before or after. Well there seems only one LNER service runs prior to the train she was booked on, so the alternative should that get cancelled would be to purchase a ticket to go via Thameslink or take up her boyfriends offer to drive her to Peterborough, which she feels more inclined to do, especially as there are more trains between Peterborough and Newcastle should the 10:52 also get cancelled.

If she does get a lift to Peterborough can she reclaim part of the cost back as the first part of the journey was cancelled, or can she claim back her ThamesLink fare if she chose that option. Any advice would be welcome. This is the first long train journey she has been on by herself and she is panicking a tad !

Cheers

 

[MrJeeves]

The rules are that you should take the train one before or one after the one you should have been taking, that complies with the restrictions on your ticket.

Could you share exactly what ticket she has bought? This would let us check the alternative options.

If waiting for the next LNER service would result in a delay of 61 minutes or more, she is entitled to be rerouted (i.e., allowed to take the Thameslink service) at no cost, but getting an operator to allow this is often tricky.

Chances are, you wouldn't have an issue taking Thameslink up to Peterborough, though.

 

[malc-c]

Thanks for the advice. The ticket is an Advance Single SVG - NCL - under route it states Peterboro & LNER and purchased form the LNER website. If she did get the earlier train she would have 58 minutes wait at Peterborough (according to RTT).

The text message stated only LNER services could be used

 

[Hadders]

If the arrival time at Newcastle is critical I’d tell her to catch the 09:26 LNER train from Stevenage. It’s unlikely that Thai service will be cancelled as well.

An earlier departure from Stevenage means longer to interchange at Peterborough and get a coffee, or pop to look round the neighbouring Waitrose.

In the unlikely event that the 09:26 is cancelled as well then the 09:48 Thameslink also gets to Peterborough in sufficient time for the 10:52 from Peterborough. If the Thameslink train is taken then technically permission should be obtained as it’s a different train operator. I’d be shocked if this was an issue to obtain at Stevenage - there will be staff on the platform and they’re normally very pragmatic in my experience, especially if there’s been a cancellation.

If the arrival time is not critical then you could travel on a later train and claim delay repay.

 

[malc-c]

Again, thanks for the advice - I'll let her know what options she has

 

[Watershed]

As the ticket is routed Peterborough & LNER, it's not actually TOC restricted and would be valid on the Thameslink service without any permission being required. Hopefully your daughter managed to make it to Peterborough OK though.

 

[malc-c]

Thanks for the confirmation. She took the offer of a lift and had her boyfriend drive her to Peterborough and is just boarding the train now... I'm guessing as she made her own way there rather than taking an earlier train she wouldn't be entitled to any proportional refund for the cancelled leg of the journey ?

 

[Watershed]

Thanks for the confirmation. She took the offer of a lift and had her boyfriend drive her to Peterborough and is just boarding the train now... I'm guessing as she made her own way there rather than taking an earlier train she wouldn't be entitled to any proportional refund for the cancelled leg of the journey ?

Unfortunately it's not one where it's clear what the entitlement is. I'd submit a complaint to customer services and ask for a pro-rata refund for the part of the journey that they cancelled.

 

[Hadders]

For info the 09:26 LNER and 09:48 Thameslink both ran and were on time.

 

[malc-c]

Yeah, I did say to her that it wasn't the end of the world as there were alternatives, and the text stated she could travel on earlier or later LNER services, but she just panicked as it was her first time doing such a journey on her own. The tickets were only £49 each way, so any prorated "compo" if it were paid would not amount to much. Told her to forget about it as she got to her sisters safe and sound, and should enjoy the week ahead