Diversions and split tickets

[Hartington]

I live near Castle Cary. The standard route for London bound trains is up the Berks and Hants. Occasionally engineering works will send trains on a planned diversion via Swindon.

I've always assumed that when the train is advertised as being diverted via Swindon I have to arrange any split ticketing to take that into account.

What happens if an ad-hoc diversion happens? I was coming back from London and the train suffered a failure at Hungerford. They got us going again but, in the meantime, the following train had been diverted via Swindon. My train was terminated at Westbury and we all piled on to the following train that was supposed to come down the Berks and Hants but actually went via Swindon.

If I had been on the train that diverted via Swindon but had been holding tickets split at say, Newbury, what, if anything would have happened?

 

[bb21]

I would expect any valid ticket(s) for the intended service to be accepted for travel on the alternative service.

 

[Hartington]

"Expect" or "know"?

 

[185143]

If it helps, I was on the TPE 47 for the tour de france from Liverpool to Scarborough that diverted to avoid Leeds due to being delayed because of an earlier fatality. The diversion was only announced after departure, I had split tickets at Leeds. There were RPIs onboard, and I asked what happens with the tickets and I was told it was fine as we were told we were calling at Leeds when I boarded.

 

[Crossover]

If the train was booked a certain route then took an alternative at short notice, I wouldn't expect any issues

 

[yorkie]

What happens if an ad-hoc diversion happens? I was coming back from London and the train suffered a failure at Hungerford. They got us going again but, in the meantime, the following train had been diverted via Swindon.

Nothing happens, other than you may be eligible for delay compensation if the diversion causes you to be delayed by sufficient time for delay compensation to apply.

I can assure you the rail industry is the opposite to the taxi industry; the passenger is compensated for a qualifying delay due to a diversion, not charged extra

 

[neilmc]

Nothing happens, other than you may be eligible for delay compensation if the diversion causes you to be delayed by sufficient time for delay compensation to apply.

I can assure you the rail industry is the opposite to the taxi industry; the passenger is compensated for a qualifying delay due to a diversion, not charged extra

Just don't let on if the diversion gives you some interesting rare mileage as a bonus!

 

[Hartington]

Thank you one and all.

 

[thedbdiboy]

I would expect any valid ticket(s) for the intended service to be accepted for travel on the alternative service.

True, but in the case of a split ticket, the tickets you hold imply that you want a different journey. If I am going from London to Reading I can go from either Paddington or Waterloo. However if I hold a ticket from London to Slough and one from Slough to Reading, there are actually two separate obligations - the first is indeed to get you to Slough, and the second is then to get you from Slough to Reading. It could therefore be argued that using a Waterloo to Reading service in such a case is irrelevant because the tickets you hold represent an undertaking to get you to Slough, and then from Slough to Reading.

In most cases the question is academic and tickets would be accepted on alternative routes but is is worth remembering that split tickets are just that, a set of separate journey entitlements that can be used in a number of different ways, but they are not exactly the same as a through ticket.

 

[maniacmartin]

True, but in the case of a split ticket, the tickets you hold imply that you want a different journey. If I am going from London to Reading I can go from either Paddington or Waterloo. However if I hold a ticket from London to Slough and one from Slough to Reading, there are actually two separate obligations - the first is indeed to get you to Slough, and the second is then to get you from Slough to Reading. It could therefore be argued that using a Waterloo to Reading service in such a case is irrelevant because the tickets you hold represent an undertaking to get you to Slough, and then from Slough to Reading.

The obligations are mentioned in the NRCoC, and it has a whole section (19) on using a combination of tickets for one journey, so these obligations aren't totally separate, although I agree they are also not totally equivalent to the through ticket