SWR short faring - help responding

[30907]

Good news! After much sleuthing I've found an email proving that I purchased a Railcard for that time period, do you reckon a screenshot of the email with the date on it is good enough evidence or should I try and contact Trainline?

I would use the screenshot but ask if they require further proof.

 

[AlterEgo]

I would use the screenshot but ask if they require further proof.

Don't even ask. Why ask? Just send them the screenshot.

 

[z444z]

Good news! After much sleuthing I've found an email proving that I purchased a Railcard for that time period, do you reckon a screenshot of the email with the date on it is good enough evidence or should I try and contact Trainline?

The email should do.

 

[WesternLancer]

Good news! After much sleuthing I've found an email proving that I purchased a Railcard for that time period, do you reckon a screenshot of the email with the date on it is good enough evidence or should I try and contact Trainline?

good work - I doubt I could prove I had a railcard 4 years ago...

also give them your parents address for the period, mention that you were x years of age then and lived there (again perhaps ask if they need any evidence to support that and if they do you can get something - eg statement from your parents etc)

 

[kattttakwlwopa]

good work - I doubt I could prove I had a railcard 4 years ago...

also give them your parents address for the period, mention that you were x years of age then and lived there (again perhaps ask if they need any evidence to support that and if they do you can get something - eg statement from your parents etc)

There's a couple of random journeys they've highlighted from 3 years ago which I obviously can't remember why they would have been flagged, do you think it's best to email for some extra clarification before I send back the spreadsheet with my answers? And do you think they'll scrutinise the journeys that were from ages ago less than the recent ones?

 

[Fawkes Cat]

There's a couple of random journeys they've highlighted from 3 years ago which I obviously can't remember why they would have been flagged, do you think it's best to email for some extra clarification before I send back the spreadsheet with my answers? And do you think they'll scrutinise the journeys that were from ages ago less than the recent ones?

Give your best possible answer. So for three years ago, think about
- were these the only journeys you made then, or might there have been others that the railway hasn't mentioned?
- would you have had a Railcard at the time?
- is there anything odd about the journeys (do they look like they were short faring for example)?

Once you have tried to think back three years, give your most honest answer. Ultimately, if you can't remember, say that you can't remember.

Essentially the railway wants you to be as honest as possible. So they will know that people don't have total recall. If you try to co-operate they will understand and go with that.

So do your best to be fully honest, and then get your reply off to the railway.

 

[curiousplayer]

Hello everyone,

At the end of last year I got stopped be revenue protection as I had bought a ticket from vauxhall to Waterloo even though my original station had been berrylands. I have done this on many occasions as I had been struggling financially. I obviously know how stupid I was. I've just received an email from SWR about the matter. Would I be able to get advice on how to respond to the email, I've pasted it below.

Dear,

On the 6th December 2025, you presented ticket number ********* at London Waterloo Railway Station to a member of Revenue Protection. Upon questioning, it was established that you had purchased a Vauxhall to London Waterloo ticket with a 16-25 Railcard discount applied. When you claimed that your actual journey was between Vauxhall to London Waterloo. You were issued a Report for Prosecution, number **************

Further investigation of your online account has highlighted other potential inconsistencies in your ticket purchase history. This suggests that you may not be paying the correct fare for journeys made on the UK rail network.

Given the serious nature of this matter, we have taken this step to contact you and initiate a resolution, prior to escalating the matter to our case management team.

Please respond to this letter via email to ******** within 7 days quoting the reference number ************ in the subject field.

Please ensure that ALL details below are completed and returned to ensure our records are correct.

THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PAYMENT

First Name(s)
Surname
Date of Birth
Contact number(s)
Email
Address
Postcode

Thank you for your cooperation. We look forward to your prompt response.

Yours sincerely,

Hello, I am in a similar situation where I got stopped for short faring. Just to confirm it took them 4 months to follow up with you about it?

 

[Hadders]

Hello, I am in a similar situation where I got stopped for short faring. Just to confirm it took them 4 months to follow up with you about it?

If you are in need of assistance please start your own thread and forum members will be happy to assist. We only discuss one case in each thread to avoid confusion.

 

[curiousplayer]

If you are in need of assistance please start your own thread and forum members will be happy to assist. We only discuss one case in each thread to avoid confusion.

Hello, that's fine I will I was just curious to see if that was the case is all, thanks

 

[kattttakwlwopa]

Hello, I am in a similar situation where I got stopped for short faring. Just to confirm it took them 4 months to follow up with you about it?

Yes this is correct

 

[kattttakwlwopa]

Hello about a week ago i got an email from the person Investigating my case.
I had filled out the spreadsheet of my ticket history about a week before.
It read

"Thank you for your cooperation in this matter regarding your rail travel.

We have now completed our enquiries and shared our findings with our Debt Recovery & Prosecutions Team for review. You will be contacted informing you of the decision in relation to your case.

If you have any questions prior to receiving correspondence from the team, please contact me directly. Once you have received your correspondence please reach out to the Debt Recovery & Prosecutions Team if you have any questions."

I was wondering if anyone knew how long it typically takes to hear back from them and whether this indicates that I'll be receiving a fine or prosecution?

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Hello about a week ago i got an email from the person Investigating my case.
I had filled out the spreadsheet of my ticket history about a week before.
It read

"Thank you for your cooperation in this matter regarding your rail travel.

We have now completed our enquiries and shared our findings with our Debt Recovery & Prosecutions Team for review. You will be contacted informing you of the decision in relation to your case.

If you have any questions prior to receiving correspondence from the team, please contact me directly. Once you have received your correspondence please reach out to the Debt Recovery & Prosecutions Team if you have any questions."

I was wondering if anyone knew how long it typically takes to hear back from them and whether this indicates that I'll be receiving a fine or prosecution?

I can't help on the timing of a response, and this is just a holding message from them so you can't use it to say what road they will go down.

 

[kattttakwlwopa]

Hello,

Just got a letter in the post today with the amount they wanted me to pay which I obviously did. The investigator I was emailing who was dealing with my case was very friendly. I even had a journey from 4 years ago where I had travelled from London to Scotland and had paid for both my dad and my own tickets on Trainline, I applied both mine and my dad's separate rail cards however when they were investigating my short faring they actually highlighted this journey. I didn't have access to my dad's Railcard anymore and I explained this but I was worried they would still charge me for the journey as I didn't provide enough evidence. But it turns out they took my explanation into consideration and have only charged me with the most recent short faring fortunately!

Thank you to everyone who helped me on this thread, you made this all a lot less stressful + I hope my case is insightful for anyone else who was silly enough to make the same mistake as me

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Hello,

Just got a letter in the post today with the amount they wanted me to pay which I obviously did. The investigator I was emailing who was dealing with my case was very friendly. I even had a journey from 4 years ago where I had travelled from London to Scotland and had paid for both my dad and my own tickets on Trainline, I applied both mine and my dad's separate rail cards however when they were investigating my short faring they actually highlighted this journey. I didn't have access to my dad's Railcard anymore and I explained this but I was worried they would still charge me for the journey as I didn't provide enough evidence. But it turns out they took my explanation into consideration and have only charged me with the most recent short faring fortunately!

Thank you to everyone who helped me on this thread, you made this all a lot less stressful + I hope my case is insightful for anyone else who was silly enough to make the same mistake as me

That sounds like a result you're happy with, so that's good news. To help us to give good advice to other people, it would be really helpful if you could tell us if SWR charged you an admin fee on top of the train fares - and if so, how much?