If I were to buy a ticket today with a fixed itinerary (IE an advance ticket) and then the timetable were to be changed (eg the upcoming temporary timetable on the WoE line), where would I stand with Delay repay?
Presumably the advance ticket would be accepted on the nearest appropriate service but if that led to a delay would I be able to claim?
It's complicated. The rail industry's position is that delay compensation is based on whatever timetable is shown on NRE at 10pm the night before. Not all TOCs base their calculations on this - but the industry purports, in the NRCoT and the various Passenger Charters, to have the right to do so.
I have severe doubts as to the enforceability of this limitation, given the context of a consumer contract (unfair terms are not binding, and this seems to fall into several of the example categories of unfair terms).
What is absolutely clear is that the entitlement to the delay compensation available under the EU Rail Passengers' Rights and Obligations Regulation 1371/2007 ("PRO") is not affected by this definition. But unfortunately the percentage of compensation available under the PRO is much less generous than that offered under the NRCoT and most Charters. And there is a minimum delay of 60 minutes before you qualify.
There have been several threads where this issue has been discussed. You might like to Google "timetable of the day site:Railforums.co.uk" to have a read through a few of them.
Also, where would I stand with subsequent advance tickets for onward travel (bought as a split ticket arrangement)?
Thanks
Here it's much simpler. If one of your originally booked trains is cancelled or retimed such as to cause you to miss a connection, you're automatically entitled to take the next train that complies with any route or company restrictions on your ticket(s), even if Advance tickets are involved.
If sticking to these restrictions would strand you, or would cause a delay of more than an hour (e.g. as in
this case, where the Grand Central only restriction would ordinarily mean waiting several hours for the next GC train), then once again PRO becomes relevant. You are entitled to require the TOC at fault to re-route you to your destination at the earliest opportunity.
That means that any split points, or company/route restrictions that your ticket(s) may have are no longer relevant. The TOC in question either needs to arrange ticket acceptance, or endorse your ticket, or provide you with a free excess or new ticket. If they refuse to do so, then you should make your own arrangements (mitigating the cost where possible, i.e. if an Advance is still available then buy that) and recover the cost from the TOC in question.
