South Western Rail - Prosecution Email Received

[hairstories]

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping for some guidance and perspective about a situation I’m currently dealing with involving South Western Railway’s Prosecutions Team.

In June, I was stopped after travelling without a valid ticket between Cobham and Vauxhall, where I had bought a ticket from Clapham Junction to Vauxhall using trainline.
I completely accept that I made a mistake and should have made sure I had the correct ticket before boarding. I’ve learned a very big lesson from this and I’m truly sorry for what happened. A few weeks later, I received an email from SWR with an Excel spreadsheet showing around 80 journeys they’d flagged for review. I’ve carefully gone through every single one and added my explanations. Out of those, 9 were journeys I personally made without a valid ticket. The rest of the flagged journeys were mostly tickets that I bought through Trainline for family members or genuine trips by myself, all of whom had their own valid railcards. I didn’t use my own railcard for anyone else’s travel. Some of my regular journeys, especially between Leatherhead and Epsom, were to attend Jobcentre appointments while I was unemployed. I’ve included those details in my responses to SWR so they can see the context as a separate column in the excel detailing where I was going to and from, and have copies of all railcards to send to them.

• Stations involved: Cobham to Vauxhall (9 journeys personally made)
• Total journeys flagged: Approximately 80
• Railcard: 16–25 Railcard (used only for my own travel)
• Tickets purchased for family: Via Trainline – family members used their own valid railcards
• Encounter with staff: Details were taken and I was issued a prosecution notice
• Desired outcome: To settle the matter out of court if offered

I’ve written the following apology letter to send to them, and I’d be really thankful if anyone could please give me some feedback on how it reads:



Dear South Western Railway Prosecution Team,

I am writing to offer my sincere apology for travelling without a valid ticket from Cobham. I completely understand that this was a breach of the rules, and I take full responsibility for my actions. There is no excuse for failing to buy a valid ticket, and I am deeply sorry for the inconvenience and concern this caused to railway staff and the company.

I appreciate that your investigation has identified a number of journeys, and I have done my best to provide clear and honest explanations for each. Out of around 80 journeys listed, 9 were journeys that I made without a valid ticket. For the others, these were journeys I completed including from my hometown station of Leatherhead, and additionally I had purchased tickets via Trainline for family members who travelled using their own valid railcards. I have noted in Column V of the excel further context of the journeys. Please find attached copies of my railcards that I have held going back to 2023.

Many of my regular trips, especially between Leatherhead and Epsom, were to attend Jobcentre appointments while I was unemployed. Other journeys were for commuting, job interviews, or personal commitments.

I have reflected a great deal on this and have learned an important lesson. I will always make sure I buy the correct ticket in future and comply fully with all travel rules. I assure you this won’t happen again.

I’m very keen to make things right and would be extremely grateful to settle the matter out of court if possible. I’m willing to pay any outstanding fares, administrative costs, or penalties to bring this to a conclusion.

Once again, I sincerely apologise for my mistake and for the time this has taken from your team.

Kind regards,

 

[WesternLancer]

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping for some guidance and perspective about a situation I’m currently dealing with involving South Western Railway’s Prosecutions Team.

In June, I was stopped after travelling without a valid ticket between Cobham and Vauxhall, where I had bought a ticket from Clapham Junction to Vauxhall using trainline.
I completely accept that I made a mistake and should have made sure I had the correct ticket before boarding. I’ve learned a very big lesson from this and I’m truly sorry for what happened. A few weeks later, I received an email from SWR with an Excel spreadsheet showing around 80 journeys they’d flagged for review. I’ve carefully gone through every single one and added my explanations. Out of those, 9 were journeys I personally made without a valid ticket. The rest of the flagged journeys were mostly tickets that I bought through Trainline for family members or genuine trips by myself, all of whom had their own valid railcards. I didn’t use my own railcard for anyone else’s travel. Some of my regular journeys, especially between Leatherhead and Epsom, were to attend Jobcentre appointments while I was unemployed. I’ve included those details in my responses to SWR so they can see the context as a separate column in the excel detailing where I was going to and from, and have copies of all railcards to send to them.

• Stations involved: Cobham to Vauxhall (9 journeys personally made)
• Total journeys flagged: Approximately 80
• Railcard: 16–25 Railcard (used only for my own travel)
• Tickets purchased for family: Via Trainline – family members used their own valid railcards
• Encounter with staff: Details were taken and I was issued a prosecution notice
• Desired outcome: To settle the matter out of court if offered

I’ve written the following apology letter to send to them, and I’d be really thankful if anyone could please give me some feedback on how it reads:



Dear South Western Railway Prosecution Team,

I am writing to offer my sincere apology for travelling without a valid ticket from Cobham. I completely understand that this was a breach of the rules, and I take full responsibility for my actions. There is no excuse for failing to buy a valid ticket, and I am deeply sorry for the inconvenience and concern this caused to railway staff and the company.

I appreciate that your investigation has identified a number of journeys, and I have done my best to provide clear and honest explanations for each. Out of around 80 journeys listed, 9 were journeys that I made without a valid ticket. For the others, these were journeys I completed including from my hometown station of Leatherhead, and additionally I had purchased tickets via Trainline for family members who travelled using their own valid railcards. I have noted in Column V of the excel further context of the journeys. Please find attached copies of my railcards that I have held going back to 2023.

Many of my regular trips, especially between Leatherhead and Epsom, were to attend Jobcentre appointments while I was unemployed. Other journeys were for commuting, job interviews, or personal commitments.

I have reflected a great deal on this and have learned an important lesson. I will always make sure I buy the correct ticket in future and comply fully with all travel rules. I assure you this won’t happen again.

I’m very keen to make things right and would be extremely grateful to settle the matter out of court if possible. I’m willing to pay any outstanding fares, administrative costs, or penalties to bring this to a conclusion.

Once again, I sincerely apologise for my mistake and for the time this has taken from your team.

Kind regards,

Welcome.

I suppose the key issue is that they have listed a lot of trips but you are saying a significant proportion of those were for other people in your family. Is there anyway you can substantiate that? Any way they could, if asked, provide any evidence to support it? Would they be prepared to state on oath in a court if it came to that, that they had made those train journeys?

If so you should perhaps add a sentence that at least says that in cases where trips were by other family members you would be prepared to try and seek supporting statements if SWR requires that.

 

[hairstories]

Thanks for the feedback, I can try to piece together the bank transfers for when they sent me the money for the tickets but yes they would state on oath if it came to that. Thank you I will add a line for this

 

[WesternLancer]

Thanks for the feedback, I can try to piece together the bank transfers for when they sent me the money for the tickets but yes they would state on oath if it came to that. Thank you I will add a line for this

Ok. If you have that confidence and the bank transfer evidence you don’t need to show it now with this reply imho. But a mention that you’d try to provide it if asked may be helpful to say.

In the draft I’m not sure ‘inconvenience and concern’ is the ideal wording. Evading the fares is not paying what you should pay. So maybe leave that bit out or just say you regret making this serious error of judgment and the impact on others that it has. Or some such wording.

 

[GadgetMan]

Thanks for the feedback, I can try to piece together the bank transfers for when they sent me the money for the tickets but yes they would state on oath if it came to that. Thank you I will add a line for this

Except, the bank transfers could be family helping you out to cover train fare due to your unemployment or financial struggles.

Why would family members not just purchase their own tickets, it's hardly rocket science using modern phones/apps.

I may be well off the mark, but SWR are likely to think the same.

 

[WesternLancer]

Except, the bank transfers could be family helping you out to cover train fare due to your unemployment or financial struggles.

Why would family members not just purchase their own tickets, it's hardly rocket science using modern phones/apps.

I may be well off the mark, but SWR are likely to think the same.

Thats an important point to make. But that doesn’t actually matter if it’s the truth. SWR can opt to believe it or not. Just as the op can opt to accept a settlement offer at the price asked. Though the cards are largely in SWRs hands once you’ve been caught as they can usually successfully prosecute for that occasion.

Sadly it’s a by product of being caught doing something like this that there is a risk other actions will not be believed as being honest. That’s part of the price of being dishonest I suppose.

But not a reason not to be truthful even if there is a risk you are not believed. In my opinion of course.

I don’t think it rules out an out of court settlement.

 

[Haywain]

yes they would state on oath if it came to that. Thank you I will add a line for this

I wouldn’t go quite that far at this stage; just say that they would be happy to confirm that the purchases were for them.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Oct 2025 ==

Why would family members not just purchase their own tickets, it's hardly rocket science using modern phones/apps.

I buy tickets for members of my family from time to time, not because they can’t but because they trust me to get the best price based on my having a lot more experience. I don’t think buying for family members should be considered unreasonable.

 

[Titfield]

Buying tickets for family members is not unreasonable but should be able to be substantiated.

The OP has noted that they had their own railcards. If proof of those railcards could be provided that would assist in substantiating the OPs account.

Are the journeys for the family members different (route / time of travel / days of travel) to those the OP usually takes, are the railcards they hold different (senior citizen, 2together, network card etc)?

 

[MarlowDonkey]

Buying tickets for family members is not unreasonable but should be able to be substantiated.

It has been suggested that when buying tickets for family members with a mixture of railcards or none at all, that separate accounts are used for each individual. This would serve the purpose of preventing the wrong railcard being applied and also against malevolent data investigations.

 

[hairstories]

Thank you all for your feedback. I have sent my adjusted response with the excel and copies of my family's railcards over to the team.

 

[WesternLancer]

Thank you all for your feedback. I have sent my adjusted response with the excel and copies of my family's railcards over to the team.

Good luck - I'm sure people will give you advice as things develop when you get a response.

If you've not noted before IIRC, SWR do not accept payments in installments so you need to make sure you have funds available to pay any settlement offer in full and promptly should that be forthcoming. Just in case it helps you to know this sooner rather than later.

 

[MotCO]

It may be too late, but can you confirm that, apart from the 9 journeys you accept you didn't have a correct ticket for, no other journey you undertook was short-fared, i.e. you did not pay for the full journey? Also that you had an in-date Railcard for those journeys where you claimed a discounted fare?

 

[hairstories]

It may be too late, but can you confirm that, apart from the 9 journeys you accept you didn't have a correct ticket for, no other journey you undertook was short-fared, i.e. you did not pay for the full journey? Also that you had an in-date Railcard for those journeys where you claimed a discounted fare?

Hello, sorry I have sent my email across to SWR but yes I can confirm all of this and have provided copies of my valid railcards going back to 2022.