Can I claim?

[Granpuff]

Travel with a over 60s pass.just turned up for the last service Nd it's cancelled,no staff at station.just ordered Uber which will be about £25.can I claim this back with travelling on a free pass initially?

 

[skyhigh]

Which station? Where are you travelling to?

 

[Watershed]

In principle a free travel pass valid on trains is a ticket issued subject to the the NRCoT, just the same as any other ticket you pay for. That would mean you have the same right to alternative transportation in the event you are stranded due to disruption.

However that doesn't necessarily mean you have a slam-dunk case to recover the cost of your Uber. Did you make any attempt to contact the TOC to ask them to make alternative arrangements?

Was the train you were planning to catch actually advertised as running on the day of travel? Some operators engage in the underhanded practice of "P-coding" (effectively removing planned trains from the timetable the night before) when they know they can't run them due to driver or train shortages or bad weather.

And was there any alternative route or operator you could have taken to get to your destination, even if not normally permitted?

These questions (and others) are the reasons why a simple yes or no answer can't be given based on the information you've provided. However we can help if you can provide some more context, e.g. by answering the questions asked above.

 

[John R]

Which station? Where are you travelling to?

And if unstaffed, was there a Help Point where you can press a button to get assistance?

 

[Granpuff]

Travel was Rainhill to Liverpool Lime Street ,taxi was £26. It is a staffed station but they had locked up and gone (was midnight)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Oct 2025 ==

In principle a free travel pass valid on trains is a ticket issued subject to the the NRCoT, just the same as any other ticket you pay for. That would mean you have the same right to alternative transportation in the event you are stranded due to disruption.

However that doesn't necessarily mean you have a slam-dunk case to recover the cost of your Uber. Did you make any attempt to contact the TOC to ask them to make alternative arrangements?

Was the train you were planning to catch actually advertised as running on the day of travel? Some operators engage in the underhanded practice of "P-coding" (effectively removing planned trains from the timetable the night before) when they know they can't run them due to driver or train shortages or bad weather.

And was there any alternative route or operator you could have taken to get to your destination, even if not normally permitted?

These questions (and others) are the reasons why a simple yes or no answer can't be given based on the information you've provided. However we can help if you can provide some more context, e.g. by answering the questions asked above.

I checked on the national rail app about 19:30 and the previous train was cancelled, but the 00:04 was shown as running.

 

[Watershed]

Travel was Rainhill to Liverpool Lime Street ,taxi was £26. It is a staffed station but they had locked up and gone (was midnight)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Oct 2025 ==


I checked on the national rail app about 19:30 and the previous train was cancelled, but the 00:04 was shown as running.

Did you try to contact Northern, for example using the Help Point at the station, or via phone or social media?

If you didn't, they might try and argue you didn't give them a chance to mitigate the cost of a taxi - they would tend to have preferential rates with taxi providers.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I checked on the national rail app about 19:30 and the previous train was cancelled, but the 00:04 was shown as running.

The 00.04 was terminated at Manchester Oxford Road. RTT link below, and screenshot for thread reference when the link expires.

Realtime Trains | 2244 Wilmslow to Manchester Oxford Road | 24/10/2025

Real-time train running information for 2244 departure from Wilmslow to Manchester Oxford Road on 24/10/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Granpuff]

Did you try to contact Northern, for example using the Help Point at the station, or via phone or social media?

If you didn't, they might try and argue you didn't give them a chance to mitigate the cost of a taxi - they would tend to have preferential rates with taxi providers.

To be honest, no ,It was past midnight on a Friday night and I just wanted to get home.it happened to me not long ago on the same service.i don't know their T&C's but shouldn't station staff stay on to advise passengers on what to do? That train is usually pretty busy,can imagine a few frustrated people along the line.i will suck it up I think .

 

[1955LR]

Slightly different position but I have succesfully claimed for Taxi fares from WM trains when late running meant I missed the last bus to my home village. They have paid but on a without prejudice basis.
I suggest you put in a written claim, the worst that can happen is they say no.

 

[Watershed]

To be honest, no ,It was past midnight on a Friday night and I just wanted to get home.it happened to me not long ago on the same service.

That's understandable, but there is every possibility that they had already arranged a replacement bus or that they could have arranged a taxi for you without you having to pay out of pocket. So I think it is something they may raise if you submit a claim.

i don't know their T&C's but shouldn't station staff stay on to advise passengers on what to do? That train is usually pretty busy,can imagine a few frustrated people along the line.i will suck it up I think .

I have no idea what the terms and conditions of Northern's station staff say, but compulsory overtime is not something I would expect them to have to do.

 

[Fokx]

The 0002 was replaced by a rail replacement service from Oxford Rd to Liverpool. Whilst I can't speak for Rainhill this was shown on the information screens at nearby Lea Green and also on the Northern journey check section of the website

 

[Granpuff]

All that was on the display screen was a rolling screen saying 00:04 cancelled.I imagine it would have been well past 1am when the bus would have arrived so no way I would be hanging round that long

 

[Watershed]

All that was on the display screen was a rolling screen saying 00:04 cancelled.I imagine it would have been well past 1am when the bus would have arrived so no way I would be hanging round that long

That's understandable, but it means you're unlikely to have a claim for a taxi when there were alternatives provided.

There's nothing lost by submitting a claim but you don't really have much recourse if Northern refuse it.