I routinely commute from Stevenage to Finsbury Park and was making use of the 26-30 Railcard. This expired in November so I bought the Network railcard and I think I assumed that the Trainline app that I use to buy tickets would also update to show the true and accurate prices of tickets for my morning commute. In March, ticket officer asked to see ticket for commute, and then pointed out that I had bought using the 26-30 railcard, not the network rail card. I was written up and recently received the intention to prosecute letter this week.
I realise now where I went wrong, and I believed I was using the correct railcard for the tickets I was buying. I have been using the Network Railcard properly since the incident in March. Is there any amendments to the below that I should be sending to ensure that I receive out of court settlement offer rather than any further action (and does the last sentence set myself up to be paying a higher sum than I should be hoping for?)
Dear Govia ThamesLink Railway Limited Prosecutions Department,
I am writing this in response to your Intention to Prosecute letter I received on 29/05/2026,reference xxxx regarding the incident that took place on 06/03/2026
Firstly, I would like to sincerely apologise for this situation and accept full responsibility for my actions; the error came about as I purchased a Network Railcard upon realising that my 26-30 Railcard had expired, and thought I had changed this to my search criteria in the Trainline app which I used to book my tickets for my routine commute. I accept that I was not thorough enough in checking the full conditions of the tickets I was purchasing, and can only think that this lack of attention to detail came about due to going through a stressful period when buying the new railcard (my wife was made redundant, my new born nephew passed away just six days old, and another family member was in hospital after being assaulted). I respect the importance of abiding by the rail regulations set out by GTR and the severity of not adhering to them on this occasion.
I want to make it clear that this will not happen again, and I hope that the earnestness of this claim is reflected by seeing that since the incident on 06/03/2026, you will find that I have only purchased tickets using the Network Railcard. I’m aware that you must always purchase a valid ticket, of the correct route, before boarding any train, and I am truly disappointed in myself and genuinely sorry for my actions.
I would greatly appreciate any opportunity to resolve this matter without the need for court action, and would be happy to pay the outstanding fare costs plus any administrative fees. I am aware that my lapse in attention to detail may have resulted in other tickets being bought under the same conditions of using the 26-30 Railcard when I should have been using the Network Railcard, and would be happy to pay the outstanding fare costs of any other journeys that meet this criteria also.
Thank you for your consideration
Kind Regards,
Thanks in advance for the help
I realise now where I went wrong, and I believed I was using the correct railcard for the tickets I was buying. I have been using the Network Railcard properly since the incident in March. Is there any amendments to the below that I should be sending to ensure that I receive out of court settlement offer rather than any further action (and does the last sentence set myself up to be paying a higher sum than I should be hoping for?)
Dear Govia ThamesLink Railway Limited Prosecutions Department,
I am writing this in response to your Intention to Prosecute letter I received on 29/05/2026,reference xxxx regarding the incident that took place on 06/03/2026
Firstly, I would like to sincerely apologise for this situation and accept full responsibility for my actions; the error came about as I purchased a Network Railcard upon realising that my 26-30 Railcard had expired, and thought I had changed this to my search criteria in the Trainline app which I used to book my tickets for my routine commute. I accept that I was not thorough enough in checking the full conditions of the tickets I was purchasing, and can only think that this lack of attention to detail came about due to going through a stressful period when buying the new railcard (my wife was made redundant, my new born nephew passed away just six days old, and another family member was in hospital after being assaulted). I respect the importance of abiding by the rail regulations set out by GTR and the severity of not adhering to them on this occasion.
I want to make it clear that this will not happen again, and I hope that the earnestness of this claim is reflected by seeing that since the incident on 06/03/2026, you will find that I have only purchased tickets using the Network Railcard. I’m aware that you must always purchase a valid ticket, of the correct route, before boarding any train, and I am truly disappointed in myself and genuinely sorry for my actions.
I would greatly appreciate any opportunity to resolve this matter without the need for court action, and would be happy to pay the outstanding fare costs plus any administrative fees. I am aware that my lapse in attention to detail may have resulted in other tickets being bought under the same conditions of using the 26-30 Railcard when I should have been using the Network Railcard, and would be happy to pay the outstanding fare costs of any other journeys that meet this criteria also.
Thank you for your consideration
Kind Regards,
Thanks in advance for the help
