CIV Tickets to Ireland

[Steddenm]

About a year or so ago I had a London Terminals to Rosslare Europort CIV via Fishguard Harbour ticket that was purchased at Paddington station.

The train from Paddington to Swansea was about 115 late at Swindon due to a fatality and I spoke to the guard as I would have missed the Swansea to Fishguard Harbour connection and was booked (with a control ticket) on the overnight ferry. He advised me to speak to a named person at Swindon.

I got off the train, spoke to said person who advised me that a taxi had been booked to take me from Swindon through to Fishguard Harbour where I arrived in time for the ferry . Stena Line had apparently been informed by GWR that I was en route.

My question is this: as it was a CIV ticket did GWR have a legal responsibility to make sure I made it to Fishguard Harbour for the ferry or was this done as a gesture of goodwill on their part?

Stena Line also upgraded me to a cabin and Stena Plus on request of GWR, is this normal?

I didn't make a complaint to GWR over the delay to the Paddington to Swindon service but recieved a call from somebody in Swindon control when I was in Ireland asking if I made the ferry and if there was anything they could do for me. I politely declined.

On my return journey I discovered that Stena had again upgraded me to a cabin and Plus but wasn't told the reason why.

I was very grateful to GWR for all their help that day (albeit the Iarnród Éireann service at 0520 to Dublin had been cancelled from the Europort) and had a pleasant journey. The taxi driver even stopped at McDonalds on the way!!

 

[dutchflyer]

AFAIK CIV says nothing about this and there is no obligation at all for any of the participant operators (can be rail, ferry, bus) to have you arrive in time, just trying to do their best is enough. So it seems like ''goodwill''. But as there are EUrope wide rules for delay-payments (just 25% for 60 mins, 50% for >2 hrs), GWR might have to bear the brunt of this as they were the cause and there would not be any ferry in the next 2 hrs.-perhaps the taxi/minicab would even have been slightly cheaper.
You may have spoken to a very service-concerned member of GWR/Stena staff is my presumption.
These are the continental general rules-there may be different visions on them on the isles west of this continent, where they are struggling for a think called brexit since long times.