Delay repay on journey with two operators & split ticket

[JKF]

Hi,

I made a journey from Clifton Down to Exmouth with my two children last Saturday, using a ticket bought through this site. As a split ticket the journey was divided into two parts, Clifton Down to Taunton and Taunton to Exmouth.

The first train of the journey (09:00 from Clifton Down) was cancelled. I had to call my partner who had just dropped us off at the station to take us down to Temple Meads (BRI) in the car, which cost fuel and was an inconvenience. Based on the schedule, the next train (09:27) wouldn’t give enough time to get across the platform for the connecting service so we had no option but to make our own way there (the helpline at the station said we would get to our destination an hour later getting the next service)

As it happened, the next service (a Cross Country to Plymouth) was 16 minutes late at Temple Meads so the connection could have been made easily, then 14 minutes late at Taunton (where the journey was split) and ten minutes late into Exeter St David’s, which meant that the connection on to Exmouth was missed. Had I caught this connection I would have arrived at 11:21. The next train to Exmouth arrived two minutes late at its destination at 11:51, although I somehow managed to miss that too due to getting confused over the departure time and watched it pull out before realising! Had I caught that we would have arrived 30 mins late. The next train we did get put us there at 12:18.

What would I be able to claim for the delay, and who from? The cancelled first train was annoying, especially as I chose to do the local connection to avoid going in to BRI by car. The second train wasn’t late enough in itself to trigger a payment, either at the split journey point or at Exeter, but was late enough to miss the connection, and had I been on the next one I would have been exactly 30 mins late. We lost an hour on the beach in the end, but did get a nice view of Sir Nigel Gresley departing parallel to us out of Exeter as a minor consolation!

Any advise appreciated. I’ve done delay repay before but always with a single operator which has been straightforward.

 

[Lucy1501]

Split ticketing doesn’t effect delay repay if claiming for the whole journey. A combination of tickets is treat the same as one ticket.

You always claim from the first operator that materially delayed you (e.g. if your first was 15 minutes late but you didn’t miss the connection, you can’t claim., but if you missed a connection and were delayed waiting for the next train, you could claim.).

In this case you would claim from Crosscountry using both of the tickets. They are the operator who delayed you by arriving too late for the Exmouth connection.

 

[JKF]

Split ticketing doesn’t effect delay repay if claiming for the whole journey. A combination of tickets is treat the same as one ticket.

You always claim from the first operator that materially delayed you (e.g. if your first was 15 minutes late but you didn’t miss the connection, you can’t claim., but if you missed a connection and were delayed waiting for the next train, you could claim.).

In this case you would claim from Crosscountry using both of the tickets. They are the operator who delayed you by arriving too late for the Exmouth connection.

Thanks. Does GWR have any culpability for the cancelled train, as that required me to make my own travel arrangements for that part of the journey? Although that part of the fare is only £3 I believe (adult + 2 child singles) so barely worth bothering.

 

[yorkie]

Thanks. Does GWR have any culpability for the cancelled train, as that required me to make my own travel arrangements for that part of the journey? Although that part of the fare is only £3 I believe (adult + 2 child singles) so barely worth bothering.

If you had caught it, and if a delay to that train had caused you to miss the XC, then yes, you would claim from GWR.

If you took alternative transport of your choice, then no; the claim would go to XC.

The claim should be for 30-59 minutes from the XC website, to the value of both tickets held.

I believe they will want one such claim to be submitted per passenger.

https://delayrepay.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/en/login

 

[Watershed]

The split ticketing is a bit of a red herring here as it doesn't change your Delay Repay entitlements. The complicating factors are that you drove to avoid an anticipated delay for the first part of the journey to Temple Meads, and that you missed a train at Exeter through no fault of the railway.

Because the XC service was late, the cancellation of the GWR service did not (and would not have) caused you to miss your connection at Bristol, so GWR aren't liable for Delay Repay here - XC are.

I would therefore claim Delay Repay from XC on the basis of your intended Clifton Down to Exmouth journey, entering the trains you originally intended to take, and specify that the delay was 30-59 minutes. Give details of both tickets held. If this is denied or undercalculated then you can appeal to XC.