Overcarried on Thameslink from West Hampstead to St Albans

[EUC]

I made a journey from Wimbledon to West Hampstead Thameslink this evening, changing at Streatham onto the St Albans City train. The train was an all stations as shown on the platform and the on train electronic displays. However we went non-stop from St Pancras to St Albans City, and many of us were severely overcarried. No announcements, and the electronic display still showed all stations.

I exceeded my maximum journey time, and will obviously be an hour late at my destination. I doubt I can get delay repay as I was already over my daily cap.

What do I do about the exceeded maximum journey time on my Oyster, and how I ensure I am only charged for the daily cap today?

 

[transportphoto]

Give the Oyster Helpline a call.

 

[JulienD]

Wait 2 days as they might automatically refund you for any maximum fares you get, or claim here: https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/refunds-and-replacements/exceeded-maximum-journey-time

 

[Hadders]

If you've exceeded the maximum journey time you'll get two incomplete journey charges. It's possible that they might auto-complete so check your account but if there's still an overcharge after a couple of days then give the Oyster helpline a call and they should sort it out for you.

 

[Horizon22]

It looks like the OP was probably on this train - https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:G84984/2026-01-22#allox_id=0

It seems several services ran fast STP-SAC (St Pancras - St Albans City), in the evening.

 

[Haywain]

I doubt I can get delay repay as I was already over my daily cap.

I don't believe that capping has any bearing on your entitlement to submit a Delay Repay claim, or to be paid compensation based on the relevant fare.

 

[Kite159]

I suspect any claim for delay repay will need to be made directly to customer services rather than via the online system (as I would imagine the online system will simply reject it)

 

[Mattplans]

Recently, I was on a service where I didn't tap out. TfL did auto-complete the journey for me. I think this was to do with where I had started my journey in the morning and tapped previously in the week, so the system is definitely getting smarter.

To test this, earlier this week I started a journey from London Bridge to my home station (where I had not previously used my contactless card that day) to see what would happen if I didn't tap-out. It charged me the maximum fare instead of completing my journey automatically.

So, i'm thinking that if you have tapped into the same station earlier in the day and never make the return tap-out, it's happy to auto-complete (which might be a huge timesaver, if people spend ages crowding the oyster validator at your local station, like they do mine) but this kindness won't extend to the next day (or any day where there isn't the first tap in)

Alternatively, I'm thinking that perhaps the system is now looking at your data and responding to the stations you tap in/out most frequently at. It's easy to assign a 'Home station' on this basis. The issue with this, is that I have only recently started to use contactless payments and don't even pay this way on some days. I don't really think I have the most taps at my 'Home station' - 9the station it autocompleted to0. Or if it does, then it very narrowly wins. If you have the TfL Go app, it will sometimes predict where you are going to end your journey as well and show the fare it's expecting to charge you. I assume that it's in this situation where if you do not tap out, they will autoamtically complete the journey to that "predicted" station.

Moral of the story.... check it didn't auto-complete for you

 

[Haywain]

What do I do about the exceeded maximum journey time on my Oyster, and how I ensure I am only charged for the daily cap today?

As an aside to my earlier comment on Delay Repay, you should get a screenshot or printout of your Oyster history while it shows the touch in and touch out as they actually happened, just in case they are changed by the manual adjustment that should follow?. These are what you will need to submit as your "ticket" for the DR claim, and obviously show the actual times.

 

[EUC]

It looks like the OP was probably on this train - https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:G84984/2026-01-22#allox_id=0

It seems several services ran fast STP-SAC (St Pancras - St Albans City), in the evening.

Yes, that was the one. RTT is incorrect, however: the train didn't stop at Brent Cross West either.
No announcements were made in advance of the non-stop running from STP to SAC, certainly to those of us seated in the rear carriage.

 

[Horizon22]

Yes, that was the one. RTT is incorrect, however: the train didn't stop at Brent Cross West either.
No announcements were made in advance of the non-stop running from STP to SAC, certainly to those of us seated in the rear carriage.

RTT is still showing N/R for Brent Cross, so is correct, possibly a relic of it being a relatively new station.

Have looked back and it appears the service amendment was made (for CIS / journey planners) when the train was at Herne Hill. The driver was no doubt told too, however if there was a driver change between there and St Pancras (unlikely) it may have been missed in handover.

As well as contacting TfL, I'd also contact GTR about the lack of comms, especially if as you say several of you were impacted.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Jan 2026 ==

Recently, I was on a service where I didn't tap out. TfL did auto-complete the journey for me. I think this was to do with where I had started my journey in the morning and tapped previously in the week, so the system is definitely getting smarter.

To test this, earlier this week I started a journey from London Bridge to my home station (where I had not previously used my contactless card that day) to see what would happen if I didn't tap-out. It charged me the maximum fare instead of completing my journey automatically.

So, i'm thinking that if you have tapped into the same station earlier in the day and never make the return tap-out, it's happy to auto-complete (which might be a huge timesaver, if people spend ages crowding the oyster validator at your local station, like they do mine) but this kindness won't extend to the next day (or any day where there isn't the first tap in)

Alternatively, I'm thinking that perhaps the system is now looking at your data and responding to the stations you tap in/out most frequently at. It's easy to assign a 'Home station' on this basis. The issue with this, is that I have only recently started to use contactless payments and don't even pay this way on some days. I don't really think I have the most taps at my 'Home station' - 9the station it autocompleted to0. Or if it does, then it very narrowly wins. If you have the TfL Go app, it will sometimes predict where you are going to end your journey as well and show the fare it's expecting to charge you. I assume that it's in this situation where if you do not tap out, they will autoamtically complete the journey to that "predicted" station.

Moral of the story.... check it didn't auto-complete for you

Auto-complete is good for regular journeys between the same origin<>destination. It used to work only if was broadly at the same time each day also, but may have got better in this regard too.

 

[EUC]

Have looked back and it appears the service amendment was made (for CIS / journey planners) when the train was at Herne Hill. The driver was no doubt told too, however if there was a driver change between there and St Pancras (unlikely) it may have been missed in handover.

If the decision was made when we were at HNH then it strikes me there were plenty of chances to inform the passengers between there and STP. The fact that it didn't happen at all is frankly bizarre. My hearing is fine, and I don't use earphones, and all I saw was the continuous list of destination stations on the electronic display.
Had the display said "Check station departure board", or something, then it would have been easy enough to consult the NRE train details on line. We would then have seen the cancelled station stops.

 

[Mike395]

A quick note I have split the emerging discussion on the reliability/volume of 700/707 manual announcements to this thread.

 

[Skimpot flyer]

Just can’t help wondering what would have happened if there’d been a revenue check on the way back to West Hampstead? Particularly if it occurred on departure from St Albans.

 

[Mattplans]

Don't worry. GTR RPIs are known for being reasonable and exercising discretion in these sort of situations. (sarcasm)

 

[30907]

Just can’t help wondering what would have happened if there’d been a revenue check on the way back to West Hampstead? Particularly if it occurred on departure from St Albans.

They would have interrogated the Oyster and discovered that the OP had missed their station and was on their way back by noting the time of touch-in?

 

[Starmill]

If I were in this situation I would definitely consider not applying for Delay Repay. Instead just submit the complaint formally to customer services and ask for your whole daily charge at the cap, after it has been corrected for you by TfL, as reasonable compensation for the failed service. I would explain further as part of the complaint that you had to spend time dealing with the phone call to TfL as a result of the let down. It's an unusual situation which should have been handled differently - and I suspect GTR will totally agree with you that they absolutely should have handled it in a different way. This isn't all that common an event and shows a much bigger problem with their internal procedures than just a delay would imply. I'm not suggesting it's absolutely the end of the world, far from it, just that it's actually a slightly bigger situation than the usual delay repay process is really designed for. Normally if someone has a really bad experience, the starting point is, reasonably, all of the fare they paid, rather than the Delay Repay calculation element of the fare. That's not to say you'll definitely get that, but it is a sensible starting point to me. If you applied for Delay Repay, you may then be stuck to it and not get anything other than that entitlement.

Were GTR to refuse to offer you some money back, which I think is quite unlikely to be honest, you could absolutely take this to the Rail Ombudsman, I think it's a claim they'd be well up for dealing with as GTR would need to provide some evidence to them, which is very unlikely to show them in a positive light. So at that point they're very likely to capitulate and offer you a £20 "gesture of goodwill". Alternatively, GTR customer service might apologise for the inconvenience at the first line and offer you a free return journey or something similar. That could perhaps be worth more to you than some or all of your pay as you go fare back depending on your circumstances.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 26 Jan 2026 ==

As an aside to my earlier comment on Delay Repay, you should get a screenshot or printout of your Oyster history while it shows the touch in and touch out as they actually happened, just in case they are changed by the manual adjustment that should follow?. These are what you will need to submit as your "ticket" for the DR claim, and obviously show the actual times.

Agreed. If the OP prefers the delay repay route, which may well in fact be more convenient to them, then this is the best approach.

 

[Chrius56000]

. . .As I see it, once I've checked the train is booked to call at the station where I need to alight from it, and it IS the booked train specified in the original booking I made or an "anytime", season or "rover" ticket, if it goes sailing past as "fast" or "semi–fast" for reasons known only to themselves, I consider I have complied with the obligation placed on me to travel in the correct train and class of accommodation paid for, and I would certainly be kicking up a stink with the T.O.C. concerned if I received an MG11, penalty fare, got reported or some other sanction(s!) in trying to get back to my original destination!

. . .In B.R. days:when I was younger, an enquiry would have been made (or if station staff had actually seen the train didn't call), and the hapless passenger would have been given permission to get the next train back to his original destination free of a penalty!

. . .I do admit that when I used B.R. regularly before the "Automated ATOS" announcements of today tho', any extra or omitted stops were always announced over the station P.A. before the train came in!

. . .This nonsense was NOT the O.P.'s fault and he/she should robustly defend any sanction taken by the T.O.C. concerned, and yes, I do think the whole fare should be refunded as a compensatory measure – the OP said the on–train display showed the normal station calls including the one he/she wished to alight at, therefore the O.P. complied with the obligation placed on them!

 

[AlterEgo]

. . .This nonsense was NOT the O.P.'s fault and he/she should robustly defend any sanction taken by the T.O.C. concerned

What sanction? Nobody has mentioned any sanctions.

 

[Starmill]

. . .As I see it, once I've checked the train is booked to call at the station where I need to alight from it, and it IS the booked train specified in the original booking I made or an "anytime", season or "rover" ticket, if it goes sailing past as "fast" or "semi–fast" for reasons known only to themselves, I consider I have complied with the obligation placed on me to travel in the correct train and class of accommodation paid for, and I would certainly be kicking up a stink with the T.O.C. concerned if I received an MG11, penalty fare, got reported or some other sanction(s!) in trying to get back to my original destination!

. . .In B.R. days:when I was younger, an enquiry would have been made (or if station staff had actually seen the train didn't call), and the hapless passenger would have been given permission to get the next train back to his original destination free of a penalty!

. . .I do admit that when I used B.R. regularly before the "Automated ATOS" announcements of today tho', any extra or omitted stops were always announced over the station P.A. before the train came in!

. . .This nonsense was NOT the O.P.'s fault and he/she should robustly defend any sanction taken by the T.O.C. concerned, and yes, I do think the whole fare should be refunded as a compensatory measure – the OP said the on–train display showed the normal station calls including the one he/she wished to alight at, therefore the O.P. complied with the obligation placed on them!

Thankfully, it appears there's no allegation of wrongdoing against the passenger here, so no need to worry about that.