Megatrain and NRCOC

[bb21]

Quick question. Short (legit) connection. Last megatrain service of the day but more services by same operator (EMT, SWT, Virgin, etc) still available. Missed connection due to late running of previous rail service. Travel on later departures, yes? no?

The closest thing I can find on megatrain website in their small print is the following:

20. Rail travel is undertaken under the National Rail Conditions of Carriage as amended by these terms. A copy can be obtained from staffed train stations or from www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/.

What does the bold part mean?

Is travel on megatrain service bound in full by the NRCOC?

Any ideas?

 

[rail-britain]

What does the bold part mean?

This means the terms of NRCOC apply, plus the terms of megatrain

 

[OwlMan]

Quick question. Short (legit) connection. Last megatrain service of the day but more services by same operator (EMT, SWT, Virgin, etc) still available. Missed connection due to late running of previous rail service. Travel on later departures, yes? no?

The closest thing I can find on megatrain website in their small print is the following:



What does the bold part mean?

Is travel on megatrain service bound in full by the NRCOC?

Any ideas?

I would say your answer is No. Megatrain tickets do not have the T&Cs as advance tickets - their condition 4 states
Bookings are only valid on the journey(s) and places stated

There is no clause about being delayed on a previous train.

Peter

 

[Smethwickian]

I'm thinking your Megatrain booking would be an entirely separate one, and an entirely separate contract, from whatever other tickets you hold for making the connecting journey.

It's your responsibility to turn up for the train booked on your Megatrain ticket, whether you are getting to that station by another train, by car, on foot or pogo stick.

Yes, you might have allowed for the recommended connection time, but that's only an issue when you have a ticket covering your entire journey under the same conditions of carriage.

That's my interpretation as a passenger, anyhow, not in any legal or staff capacity - and in the spirit of typical small print, no further liability accepted!

 

[bb21]

There is no clause about being delayed on a previous train.

That's where confusion arises for me.

I'm thinking your Megatrain booking would be an entirely separate one, and an entirely separate contract, from whatever other tickets you hold for making the connecting journey.

It's your responsibility to turn up for the train booked on your Megatrain ticket, whether you are getting to that station by another train, by car, on foot or pogo stick.

Yes, you might have allowed for the recommended connection time, but that's only an issue when you have a ticket covering your entire journey under the same conditions of carriage.

That's my interpretation as a passenger, anyhow, not in any legal or staff capacity - and in the spirit of typical small print, no further liability accepted!

No, not that can of worms again. hock:

 

[LexyBoy]

Yes, you might have allowed for the recommended connection time, but that's only an issue when you have a ticket covering your entire journey under the same conditions of carriage.

*takes cover*

To save yorkie's keyboard being thrown out of the window, may I point out this epic thread and this post. If you want more, Google is your friend...

 

[bb21]

That actually made me chuckle

To save myself the pain of searching, I normally shield behind those quotes from yorkie

 

[northwichcat]

Megabus/train bookings give you a booking reference which you print out and present to the relevant inspectors. You are not issued a National Rail ticket.

There is a clause in the T&Cs for megabus/train terms about changing your tickets for an admin fee but it doesn't explain the process for doing so.

 

[MikeWh]

What do megatrain say will happen if the train in question is cancelled?

 

[LexyBoy]

If the train you are booked on is cancelled, you may travel only on the next train provided by the carrier, or you may have a full refund of the fare (and the booking fee). If you decide not to travel for any other reason, you may apply for a refund, (subject to an administration charge of £10.00 per booking) by writing to:

megatrain.com
1 Smeaton Road
Gourdie Industrial Estate
Dundee
DD2 4UT

Compensation for delays is not offered.

Pretty much as for the NRCoC, although directly contradicting the compensation for delays part...

edit: PS - are they trying to keep megatrain secret? Googling anything to do with them only brings up forums &c – makes the whole thing look rather dodgy!

 

[yorkie]

The question is:

Can you combine a Megatrain ticket, with another rail ticket, for one journey? If not, why not?

My suggestion would be to simply ask that question, and no others.

If the answer to that is yes then I'd be inclined to say that you are covered. If the answer is no, and this can be justified, then you are not covered.

The above quotes all hinge on whether or not you can combine two or more tickets, where one of them is a Megatrain ticket, for one journey.

 

[bb21]

So I guess it all comes down to what the concept of "megatrain" is. Is it an actual "service", or is it merely a "type of ticket"?

I can only see it being the latter though, as the service is provided by the relevant TOCs. This differs from "megabus" as the company providing the service is actually megabus itself. I struggle to see how a "megatrain" booking is different from a "BVA" booking, for example.

Of course some people will argue that a "megatrain" booking is covered by different terms. Then I also have another question: Does the NRCOC apply to the actual service, or the ticket?

 

[yorkie]

I think there are a lot of grey areas. Some aspects perhaps need 'testing' and given that I was informed by SWT staff that SWT lost a case of someone finishing short and being issued a Penalty Fare, and that it was their belief that this related to the Megatrain case (it couldn't really be anything else as a PF is not appropriate for finishing short under the Conditions of Carriage), it appears that SWT argued that Megatrain's small print over-ruled the Conditions of Carriage and Penalty Fare legislation and SWT apparently lost. Therefore I do wonder if they have the appetite for further losses, and I suspect not. It is my belief, therefore, that if someone really put them to the test you would probably be "let off" or "shown discretion" in many cases. (This is not to be taken as advice for any particular situation).

 

[rail-britain]

Pretty much as for the NRCoC, although directly contradicting the compensation for delays part...

Megatrain tickets are defined in the same was as NRCoC Advance purchase tickets
Their terms of sale are over and above those of the NRCoC and so no compensation for delay is required to be made
Customer has a simple choice, travel or no travel
Refer to term 20

are they trying to keep megatrain secret?

Yes, preference is megabus

 

[mickey]

A possible addition is to say that some travel insurance policies (including those free with bank accounts, etc.) cover domestic trips too, though usually with some conditions, e.g. a minimum number of pre-booked nights away. These should cover 'missed departure due to failure of public transport operators' if minimum connection times have been followed, though an excess may apply.

 

[WestCoast]

are they trying to keep megatrain secret?

Virgin Trains never mention them anywhere - at least SWT and EMT have made vague references on websites to megatrain.