SWR Short Fare

[wginfo]

Hello all,

Thanks in advance for any help -

Around the 20th of April I was questioned at Vauxhall for a short fare from Clapham Junction.

It was a simple mistake but I appreciate this does not matter. Over the course of a few years I'd say it's possible I have done this 4/5 times - really just when I forget to buy my ticket (my origin station has no barriers so it can be easy to forget when running late, again not that any explanation/excuse is required or relevant).

I have three questions if possible -

1) I am yet to receive any correspondence - is this a concern? I did receive a TIR paper but cannot for the life of me find it which has me particularly concerned. Perhaps this is just natural self-defence but the revenue protection guy did not explain at all what was going on, leaving me quite confused and just said "they will email you" which of course never happened, as I have later found out it is a letter you receive (is this true? Or could I have missed email correspondence? Another concern)

2) I typically use Trainpal (for all journeys) , not Trainline, although in this instance I was using Trainline (which I have probably used for these panic buy short-fare tickets on more than one occasion) - is this a concern? i.e. will they see this on Trainline and aim for prosecution for serial offending, as Trainpal is the one which shows a far more legitimate purchasing history over the years.

3) I do actually originate from Clapham Junction reasonably often now thanks to friends and loved ones who live in the area - these tickets are fully legitimate and validated, but I am concerned they may flag as part of a wider pattern which simply isn't the case - is this a concern?

Thanks in advance for any help - as with the vast majority of people on this forum I am hoping for out-of-court and settlement - I appreciate the errors I've made and have zero plans to do so again in future, I am concerned that I plan to be abroad for a month or so in August as I will be between jobs then - given the severity of possible outcomes, is it worth cancelling this to avoid missing any correspondence - is it always a letter? (Sorry for the fourth question)

 

[WesternLancer]

Welcome - there are plenty of threads on short fares like this you can look over - but initial points on your post which may be of help to you as below

Hello all,

Thanks in advance for any help -

Around the 20th of April I was questioned at Vauxhall for a short fare from Clapham Junction.

It was a simple mistake but I appreciate this does not matter. Over the course of a few years I'd say it's possible I have done this 4/5 times - really just when I forget to buy my ticket (my origin station has no barriers so it can be easy to forget when running late, again not that any explanation/excuse is required or relevant).

I wouldn't persist with this - even if true few ill believe you - passing barrier lines at London stations and touching in and out with contactless is pretty standard behaviour - 'forgetting' to do this won't wash with their investigation staff

As the phrase goes 'I'll believe you, thousands wouldn't'

I have three questions if possible -

1) I am yet to receive any correspondence - is this a concern?

They do take time to contact people - weeks if not months sometimes. If you have not heard within 4 months then head back here for advice on what it might be best to do (pros and cons of doing anything)

I did receive a TIR paper but cannot for the life of me find it which has me particularly concerned.

It is best if you can find it because the ref number on it is very useful to have, but of not then make a note now of exact details at the time - ie the time, date, place etc that you were stopped and questions - or as much of this as you can note down for your own records

Perhaps this is just natural self-defence but the revenue protection guy did not explain at all what was going on, leaving me quite confused and just said "they will email you"

The QR code on any ticket they scanned holds lots of info - eg the e-mail address a pdf ticket confirmation would go to / the bank details paid for the ticket and e-mail addresses potentially linked to that account.
Check all e-mail addresses related to those things
Check spam too
Check if bank details for your postal address are up to date etc

which of course never happened,

It might still be yet to happen to be fair

as I have later found out it is a letter you receive (is this true? Or could I have missed email correspondence? Another concern)

Not always - they can send hard copy letter or e-mail and it varies by train company - SWR do often e-mail from what we see, but they may post a letter too - you need to keep an eye on post and e-mail for at least 7 months from the date of the incident (they have 6 months to play court papers for persecution, so this is a target deadline they often work too) - after that they can still launch civil court action for the debts but that is less serious for you (civil debt vs criminal prosecution)

The key to avoiding prosecution is to engage with them - so it's vital you receive their correspondence - if you move address in the 7 month period then set up a Ryal Mail postal redirect - you really need to receive paperwork about this (worst case scenario is court summons) - it's a faff to resolve if you get prosecuted without knowing it - this does regularly happen for people who just think the railway staff were buffing - and then months and months later the court bailiffs turn up to obtain a court fine, having tracked them down...

2) I typically use Trainpal (for all journeys) , not Trainline, although in this instance I was using Trainline (which I have probably used for these panic buy short-fare tickets on more than one occasion) - is this a concern? i.e. will they see this on Trainline and aim for prosecution for serial offending, as Trainpal is the one which shows a far more legitimate purchasing history over the years.

They can look at records from whoever you purchase from and can check records using the data they can get from QR codes on tickets, so it's possible and you should expect them to find this and plan accordingly.
But the level of fare evasion does not necessarily mean they won't settle out of court

3) I do actually originate from Clapham Junction reasonably often now thanks to friends and loved ones who live in the area - these tickets are fully legitimate and validated, but I am concerned they may flag as part of a wider pattern which simply isn't the case - is this a concern?

Yes, they may well do so - but from what we see if you can substantiate this with evidence they may beleive it. EG a statement from such a friend that says this (But - be aware that this process is at least in part something that can end up in court - asking someone to lie in a document that could be presented to a court is a really serious matter - far more serious than the actual evasion as it carries a risk of a custodial sentence....)
Of course legit tickets form Clapham Jct will probably have been touched in at the barriers there so they will know you passed by and used a ticket scanner (won't they???....)

But this is the problem with fare evasion - you have to expect that when eventually caught they will start asking all sorts of awkward questions that you would never have had to be asked if you hadn't been so 'forgetful' on some occasions and not bought a ticket

Thanks in advance for any help - as with the vast majority of people on this forum I am hoping for out-of-court and settlement -

This should be your objective and should be achievable

I appreciate the errors I've made and have zero plans to do so again in future, I am concerned that I plan to be abroad for a month or so in August as I will be between jobs then - given the severity of possible outcomes, is it worth cancelling this to avoid missing any correspondence - is it always a letter? (Sorry for the fourth question)

Any chance you could get a trusted friend or relative to check your post at this address, open it and scan and send you anything by e-mail whilst you are abroad?

Another recent thread here that may have info that will in due course be of use to you / allow you to see timescales of SWR communications

SWR, questioned in Waterloo about journeys

Hi all, I am hoping for some advice regarding a letter I received from South Western Railway's Revenue Protection team approximately two weeks ago, which I only became aware of today. On 29 December 2025 I was stopped at London Waterloo by a Revenue Protection officer. I presented a ticket from...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[wginfo]

Welcome - there are plenty of threads on short fares like this you can look over - but initial points on your post which may be of help to you as below



I wouldn't persist with this - even if true few ill believe you - passing barrier lines at London stations and touching in and out with contactless is pretty standard behaviour - 'forgetting' to do this won't wash with their investigation staff

As the phrase goes 'I'll believe you, thousands wouldn't'


They do take time to contact people - weeks if not months sometimes. If you have not heard within 4 months then head back here for advice on what it might be best to do (pros and cons of doing anything)



It is best if you can find it because the ref number on it is very useful to have, but of not then make a note now of exact details at the time - ie the time, date, place etc that you were stopped and questions - or as much of this as you can note down for your own records


The QR code on any ticket they scanned holds lots of info - eg the e-mail address a pdf ticket confirmation would go to / the bank details paid for the ticket and e-mail addresses potentially linked to that account.
Check all e-mail addresses related to those things
Check spam too
Check if bank details for your postal address are up to date etc


It might still be yet to happen to be fair

Not always - they can send hard copy letter or e-mail and it varies by train company - SWR do often e-mail from what we see, but they may post a letter too - you need to keep an eye on post and e-mail for at least 7 months from the date of the incident (they have 6 months to play court papers for persecution, so this is a target deadline they often work too) - after that they can still launch civil court action for the debts but that is less serious for you (civil debt vs criminal prosecution)

The key to avoiding prosecution is to engage with them - so it's vital you receive their correspondence - if you move address in the 7 month period then set up a Ryal Mail postal redirect - you really need to receive paperwork about this (worst case scenario is court summons) - it's a faff to resolve if you get prosecuted without knowing it - this does regularly happen for people who just think the railway staff were buffing - and then months and months later the court bailiffs turn up to obtain a court fine, having tracked them down...




They can look at records from whoever you purchase from and can check records using the data they can get from QR codes on tickets, so it's possible and you should expect them to find this and plan accordingly.
But the level of fare evasion does not necessarily mean they won't settle out of court



Yes, they may well do so - but from what we see if you can substantiate this with evidence they may beleive it. EG a statement from such a friend that says this (But - be aware that this process is at least in part something that can end up in court - asking someone to lie in a document that could be presented to a court is a really serious matter - far more serious than the actual evasion as it carries a risk of a custodial sentence....)
Of course legit tickets form Clapham Jct will probably have been touched in at the barriers there so they will know you passed by and used a ticket scanner (won't they???....)

But this is the problem with fare evasion - you have to expect that when eventually caught they will start asking all sorts of awkward questions that you would never have had to be asked if you hadn't been so 'forgetful' on some occasions and not bought a ticket


This should be your objective and should be achievable



Any chance you could get a trusted friend or relative to check your post at this address, open it and scan and send you anything by e-mail whilst you are abroad?

Another recent thread here that may have info that will in due course be of use to you / allow you to see timescales of SWR communications

SWR, questioned in Waterloo about journeys

Hi all, I am hoping for some advice regarding a letter I received from South Western Railway's Revenue Protection team approximately two weeks ago, which I only became aware of today. On 29 December 2025 I was stopped at London Waterloo by a Revenue Protection officer. I presented a ticket from...

www.railforums.co.uk

Thanks for this - very helpful - I'll refer back and pass on any questions

To clarify - no plans to persist with "I simply forgot" - whilst true, I appreciate I failed to ever buy a ticket from the origin station on those occasions, which is entirely my fault and understand your reason is wholly irrelevant.

It is the case that several tickets have been validated from Clapham, as this is occasionally my origin station, it's just whether that will flag as suspicious as well. My assumption is because they're validated at entry barriers there shouldn't be a major problem re. those journeys?

Re. the Trainpal thing, I would be happy for them to see those records! (Not that it makes any difference I'm sure).

Thanks again and I'll post in here once any correspondence comes through - I will trawl through junk emails to make sure in the meantime

 

[WesternLancer]

Thanks for this - very helpful - I'll refer back and pass on any questions

To clarify - no plans to persist with "I simply forgot" - whilst true, I appreciate I failed to ever buy a ticket from the origin station on those occasions, which is entirely my fault and understand your reason is wholly irrelevant.

It is the case that several tickets have been validated from Clapham, as this is occasionally my origin station, it's just whether that will flag as suspicious as well. My assumption is because they're validated at entry barriers there shouldn't be a major problem re. those journeys?

Re. the Trainpal thing, I would be happy for them to see those records! (Not that it makes any difference I'm sure).

Thanks again and I'll post in here once any correspondence comes through - I will trawl through junk emails to make sure in the meantime

Thanks.

Your instinct is correct.
It’s non validated tickets that they might consider suspicious. If validated it proves reasonably well that you did actually join a train at the location you used the barrier line scanners at the station.

Head back here if you have any questions as people will know the answers.

 

[wginfo]

Hello all,

I hope you're doing well. I have not heard back from SWR in what is approaching two months. I have since discovered the incident in question was on April 15th but cannot for the life of me locate the TIR that was issued. I have no idea what has happened to it - which I admit is a terribly stupid error on my part - the day was, in many respects a bit of a blur with both this incident and some personal issues at the time, not that that's relevant.

Anyway, I was wondering if there was any way I could find out the TIR number for my own records without causing myself any further issues? I am confident I provided the correct address however there is an almost identical address but for my own peace of mind I absolutely would not want to miss any correspondence, and I assume that having the TIR number is useful in that regard?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Jun 2026 ==

Hello all,

I hope you're doing well. I have not heard back from SWR in what is approaching two months. I have since discovered the incident in question was on April 15th but cannot for the life of me locate the TIR that was issued. I have no idea what has happened to it - which I admit is a terribly stupid error on my part - the day was, in many respects a bit of a blur with both this incident and some personal issues at the time, not that that's relevant.

Anyway, I was wondering if there was any way I could find out the TIR number for my own records without causing myself any further issues? I am confident I provided the correct address however there is an almost identical address but for my own peace of mind I absolutely would not want to miss any correspondence, and I assume that having the TIR number is useful in that regard?

Apologies I realise that second paragraph was poorly written - pressed send before it was ready


I was wondering if there was any way I could find out the TIR number for my own records without causing myself any further issues? I am confident I provided the correct address but for my own peace of mind I absolutely would not want to miss any correspondence, and I assume that having the TIR number is useful in that regard.

Any help/information would be greatly appreciated and thanks again for advice so far

 

[SECR 65]

Unless I'm missunderstanding you, I can't really see how having the TIR number would help ensure you don't miss correspondance? Either it arrives through your letterbox or not?? Also check your emails as well; SWR are often willing to communicate via email. The only way of obtaining your reference number would be to contact them, but we wouldn't usually advise that. I'm afraid I think all you can really do is wait.

Two months is not long enough to be concerned yet. I appreciate you came back here to seek reassurence and ask questions, which is absolutely all good and what we're here for, but only after 4-5 months would one start to consider contacting the railway in most cases.

 

[wginfo]

Unless I'm missunderstanding you, I can't really see how having the TIR number would help ensure you don't miss correspondance? Either it arrives through your letterbox or not?? Also check your emails as well; SWR are often willing to communicate via email. The only way of obtaining your reference number would be to contact them, but we wouldn't usually advise that. I'm afraid I think all you can really do is wait.

Two months is not long enough to be concerned yet. I appreciate you came back here to seek reassurence and ask questions, which is absolutely all good and what we're here for, but only after 4-5 months would one start to consider contacting the railway in most cases.

Thank you for this and appreciate the response - from just uninformed Google searching my understanding was that having the number allows you to put it in on SWRs site and check the status of your notice? (Attached) - I wondered if this was just for penalty fares but it does say prosecution on it as well

 

[SECR 65]

Thank you for this and appreciate the response - from just uninformed Google searching my understanding was that having the number allows you to put it in on SWRs site and check the status of your notice? (Attached) - I wondered if this was just for penalty fares but it does say prosecution on it as well

Ah - interesting - I haven't heard of this page before.

I suspect (but may well be incorrect) that this page is just for paying penalty fares or paying out of court settlements. So I doubt that it will have any useful information at the moment. I'm not certain though.

 

[wginfo]

Hello all,

Thanks so far for your help and responses etc it has genuinely been greatly appreciated - more than 3 months on I am still yet to hear from SWR and am set to be away for 6 weeks starting 1st August in between jobs - I've seen on other threads that people set up mail redirects or at least have it suggested to them - would this be wise in this case? My partner would be around to pick the mail up from her address.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hello all,

Thanks so far for your help and responses etc it has genuinely been greatly appreciated - more than 3 months on I am still yet to hear from SWR and am set to be away for 6 weeks starting 1st August in between jobs - I've seen on other threads that people set up mail redirects or at least have it suggested to them - would this be wise in this case? My partner would be around to pick the mail up from her address.

It would be wise to set up a Royal Mail address if you are away for that length of time - best of the redirection is to another UK address I think (as an overseas redirect is both considerably more expensive IIRC and also maybe rather slow) - see Royal Mail website
Alternative is a trusted friend or neighbour who can call at your address to check for post eg twice a week, open it (it may not be branded from train company on the envelope) and scan and e-mail you any important post that needs an urgent response - like this would.

Royal Mail redirects are pretty reliable in my experience but not 100% guaranteed - they sometimes make mistakes and items slip through - so someone checking your address occasionally over the 6 weeks even with a redirect in place is no bad thing if it is feasible.

 

[SECR 65]

When you say "her address", is your partner able to monitor post at the address you gave the inspector? I don't think you would need a re-direct if this is the case, but it is up to you.

 

[WesternLancer]

When you say "her address", is your partner able to monitor post at the address you gave the inspector? I don't think you would need a re-direct if this is the case, but it is up to you.

I took it to mean she could pick it up if it was redirected to her. But no doubt the OP will clarify. But if the partner can monitor the post at the OPs address I agree, little point in paying for a redirect

 

[wginfo]

I took it to mean she could pick it up if it was redirected to her. But no doubt the OP will clarify. But if the partner can monitor the post at the OPs address I agree, little point in paying for a redirect

Thank you both - yes we currently live at separate addresses a reasonable distance from eachother so my plan would be to redirect it to her current address.

Thanks again for the advice and I'll look into setting one up asap to begin that date - in the meantime I hope something comes through the post beforehand and can begin the necessary processes.

Out of interest - do you have any idea the rough percentage of post vs. email with SWR?

 

[WesternLancer]

Thank you both - yes we currently live at separate addresses a reasonable distance from eachother so my plan would be to redirect it to her current address.

Thanks again for the advice and I'll look into setting one up asap to begin that date - in the meantime I hope something comes through the post beforehand and can begin the necessary processes.

Out of interest - do you have any idea the rough percentage of post vs. email with SWR?

I think you have to assume it starts with hard copy post - but then SWR seem happy to continue the correspondence / dialogue by e-mail - so it's the 1st letter that is so vital to receive.

Note that Royal Mail need a short period of notice to set the redirections up IIRC, I think partly to prevent fraudulent redirections - so see what their website says about that and plan it in to your timeline to be away