SWR short faring - help responding

[kattttakwlwopa]

Hi there everyone,

I recently got stopped by a revenue protection officer about a ticket I hadn't validated properly, I've done this for quite a few journeys so expect a letter in the post about being fined. Unfortunately the address given is my parents address and I'm worried that if they are the ones to get the letter they will make the situation far more stressful than if I just fess up and deal with it myself. Is it likely that they'll send a letter instead of an email and will it be obvious what the letter is about?
I bought my ticket through my Trainline account so don't know if they'll get my email through that instead.
I know I need to respond quickly to the letter so I plan to go home as soon as there is a letter from SWR.

Anybody who has a bit more information would be really helpful just so that I can soothe my anxiety a bit whilst I wait to have to deal with it.

Kinda regards and thanks again for any assistance.

 

[Titfield]

The first contact is usually by letter. The envelope may indicate it is from SWR but will not explicitly indicate its contents.
The letter will state that you have been stopped and why, asking for you to account for the incident. The later paragraphs are blunt so if your parents opened the letter they would grasp what had happened. Follow up communication is usually by email.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

@kattttakwlwopa. Welcome to the forum. Suppose one thing you could do is put a Royal Mail postal redirection in place. It's £41.50 for three months, £61.00 for six months or £87.00 if for one year.

 

[John R]

@kattttakwlwopa. Welcome to the forum. Suppose one thing you could do is put a Royal Mail postal redirection in place. It's £41.50 for three months, £61.00 for six months or £87.00 if for one year.

That assumes that there is another stable address that the OP is happy to have all mail redirected to.

 

[6Gman]

That assumes that there is another stable address that the OP is happy to have all mail redirected to.

And that his parents don't think it odd that they're no longer getting any post!

(I believe redirection is by address, not recipient.)

 

[Mcr Warrior]

And that his parents don't think it odd that they're no longer getting any post!

(I believe redirection is by address, not recipient.)

It's not. Re-direction is on a per person basis so will only apply to those persons listed on the application.

 

[WesternLancer]

The first contact is usually by letter. The envelope may indicate it is from SWR but will not explicitly indicate its contents.
The letter will state that you have been stopped and why, asking for you to account for the incident. The later paragraphs are blunt so if your parents opened the letter they would grasp what had happened. Follow up communication is usually by email.

Yes, letter might have SWR branding on the envelope front I suppose

Very likely to have a return address on the back of the envelope. That may or may not include words like 'prosecutions department' in the address I suppose.

@kattttakwlwopa could ask on another recent SWR thread if a person who received letters recalls what info was on the envelope they were sent .

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Dec 2025 ==

Hi there everyone,

I recently got stopped by a revenue protection officer about a ticket I hadn't validated properly, I've done this for quite a few journeys so expect a letter in the post about being fined. Unfortunately the address given is my parents address and I'm worried that if they are the ones to get the letter they will make the situation far more stressful than if I just fess up and deal with it myself. Is it likely that they'll send a letter instead of an email and will it be obvious what the letter is about?
I bought my ticket through my Trainline account so don't know if they'll get my email through that instead.
I know I need to respond quickly to the letter so I plan to go home as soon as there is a letter from SWR.

Anybody who has a bit more information would be really helpful just so that I can soothe my anxiety a bit whilst I wait to have to deal with it.

Kinda regards and thanks again for any assistance.

This general info might help you know what to expect and what to prepare to do when they contact you:

Firstly, you committed a criminal offence by travelling with an invalid ticket and railway companies are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court if they want to. The good news is they will normally offer an out of court settlement to people who co-operate with them and who haven't come to their attention before.

Next, what happens is the railway company will write to you. The letter will go to the address that you gave them / on any of your ID they checked so you need to be able to access hard copy post at that address as they often send things that way (but also check e-mail and spam). It is extremely important that you reply, and you'll only have a limited time to do so (often 14 days from the date on their communication).

When you receive the letter post a redacted copy of it in this thread, along with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you. You'll find lots of example letters you can use in this section of the forum but the reply basically needs to mention:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident and will not do this again
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the railway company’s administrative costs in dealing with the matter

The railway will probably offer you an out of court settlement. Expect to have to pay the cost of the fare for the journey you made at the full Anytime rate with no credit given for the invalid ticket you purchased. In addition they will charge an admin fee, typically £150. They will also audit your online ticket purchase history and if this shows you've purchased other tickets that were not valid (eg railcard discounted tickets when you did not have a valid railcard, or tickets for only part of the journey, or tickets bought after boarding the train you travelled on ) they will probably factor the cost of these journeys into the settlement offer. Depending on how many journeys you've made over the period concerned this could end up being expensive.

Settlements usually have to be paid in full within a few days of them being offered so if money is tight you might want to think about how you will raise the sum required at short notice.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

The other point to check is @kattttakwlwopa 's age. If they are under 18, then the letter will be addressed to their parents anyhow.

We can't know the dynamics of the relationship between the OP and their parents. But there may be a case for them mentioning it to their parents at a time of their (the OP's) choosing rather than letting the parents find out from a letter.

 

[kattttakwlwopa]

Hello,

Thank you for all your help so far! I am above the age of 18 but I recently graduated so I just put my parents address on everything as I move every 6 months or so. The redirecting post seems like a good idea however I was wondering if anyone knows how quickly SWR sends out their fines so that I don't unnecessarily pay for redirection if it's already been sent to my parents address? I was only stopped two days ago so I imagine it's unlikely they'll have sent already but just wanted to double check.
I also currently live with a friendly land lady so If it did end up getting sent there after I moved out i would still be able to pop by to pick it up.

Once again many thanks!

 

[WesternLancer]

Hello,

Thank you for all your help so far! I am above the age of 18 but I recently graduated so I just put my parents address on everything as I move every 6 months or so. The redirecting post seems like a good idea however I was wondering if anyone knows how quickly SWR sends out their fines so that I don't unnecessarily pay for redirection if it's already been sent to my parents address? I was only stopped two days ago so I imagine it's unlikely they'll have sent already but just wanted to double check.
I also currently live with a friendly land lady so If it did end up getting sent there after I moved out i would still be able to pop by to pick it up.

Once again many thanks!

Thanks for clarifying

Just FYI they are not going to be sending you a fine that you can just pay (eg like you see on the posters about Penalty Fares which cost £100) - you have presumably not been given a Penalty Fare but have been 'reported for investigation' - have a look at other threads involving SWR to get an idea of the sort of letter they will likely be sending you. This is likely because you are suspected of not validating your ticket deliberately in order to evade paying the fare and they want to investigate this.

This is the start of a pathway to court prosecution potentially, so it's important that you understand what will happen next and how to deal with it. See my post #7, and feel free to ask any questions that may help you understand the process.

It may be seem weeks before they write to you (eg 4 to 6 weeks perhaps, maybe longer due to the Christmas holiday period for staff that deal with this in their back office).

 

[AlterEgo]

SWR will take weeks or possibly months to contact you, and you will not be getting a fine. Instead you will be asked for your comments on the offences as per @WesternLancer's advice upthread.

 

[kattttakwlwopa]

Thank you!
Sorry I keep mixing up the terminology, I've read up a bit and so understand that I'll have to explain my side of the story. How likely is it that they'll agree to settle outside of court?
To be up front and honest I was paying only half the way as I didn't have enough money for travel. Since the incident I had a bit of reassessment of my finance and finally applied for universal credit to help me out for the next couple of months before I enter full time employment so I don't have to rely on dishonest methods to get by. Would this explanation help me at all with getting settled outside of court, or should I expect potentially getting a criminal record? Luckily my line of work doesn't really require DBS checks however and as I understand this would only stay on my criminal record for one year? (Please correct me if I am wrong)
Thank you xx

 

[WesternLancer]

Example of an SWR letter that looks fairly typical on this thread - for content that is.
post #17

SWR Report of Prosecution - Put myself in a difficult situation...

Hi everyone, I must admit that I am not innocent in this matter, and when I thought I would only need to pay a penalty, I told a few lies to make the situation sound simpler. But now that I have a Report of Prosecution in my hand, I am completely stressed out and wondering how much I should...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[IanMac]

As an observer I'm floored by "a ticket I hadn't validated properly". I thought that was something one did on Continental trams, not on SWR.

 

[AlterEgo]

As an observer I'm floored by "a ticket I hadn't validated properly". I thought that was something one did on Continental trams, not on SWR.

Probably refers to being caught short faring having not scanned their eticket at the origin station, meaning they were rumbled.

 

[IanMac]

I was thinking it might mean some misuse of a railcard, possesion of which if properly owned and valid might be said to validate a travel ticket.

 

[kattttakwlwopa]

Probably refers to being caught short faring having not scanned their eticket at the origin station, meaning they were rumbled.

Yes this is what happened, realise now how stupid I was being thinking I could skim a couple of pounds off my tickets

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Dec 2025 ==

To update this question I've decided to temporarily reroute my post to my current address I live at, and once the letter arrives I'll post on this forum to gain some insight on how to respond in the hope of avoiding prosecution.

 

[kattttakwlwopa]

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,

 

[Fawkes Cat]

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,

I've asked for this thread to be merged with your previous one: our moderators will no doubt decide whether this is a good idea or not - it will keep everything in one place, but your issue has moved on now that the railway have written to you!

It's interesting to note that apart from the time when you were caught, the railway haven't said what journeys they would like to talk about. Something similar has happened with another poster who is dealing with another train company, but it's suggestive that the railway aren't keen to show their hand.

Others should be along shortly with other ideas, but my suggestion would be that your reply asks (politely) what journeys they are interested in. It seems to me that the railway are hoping that you will admit to a lot of fare dodging: but it also seems to me that it's reasonable for you to ask which incidents they're interested in. To my mind it's morally right for you to come clean about what you have been doing - but we live in a world where the justice system relies on the authorities making specific accusations which they then have to prove, and I see no reason why a similar standard shouldn't be applied at this pre-court stage.

 

[WesternLancer]

I've asked for this thread to be merged with your previous one: our moderators will no doubt decide whether this is a good idea or not - it will keep everything in one place, but your issue has moved on now that the railway have written to you!

It's interesting to note that apart from the time when you were caught, the railway haven't said what journeys they would like to talk about. Something similar has happened with another poster who is dealing with another train company, but it's suggestive that the railway aren't keen to show their hand.

Others should be along shortly with other ideas, but my suggestion would be that your reply asks (politely) what journeys they are interested in. It seems to me that the railway are hoping that you will admit to a lot of fare dodging: but it also seems to me that it's reasonable for you to ask which incidents they're interested in. To my mind it's morally right for you to come clean about what you have been doing - but we live in a world where the justice system relies on the authorities making specific accusations which they then have to prove, and I see no reason why a similar standard shouldn't be applied at this pre-court stage.

agree - @kattttakwlwopa OP could reply politely and ask eg 'for a list of occasions when SWR think that my tickets may not have been correct so that I can compare them with my own records in the hope that matters can be resolved without court action' - make it clear that you wish to co-operate with them to resolve the issue.

From what we usually see they will then probably / almost certainly send a spreadsheet for you to look over - you will know which instances are dodgy and involve evasion / not the correct fare. When you get that ask again here if you need more advice.

meanwhile this general advice might be of help - clearly you are part way through this process:

Firstly, you committed a criminal offence by travelling with an invalid ticket and railway companies are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court if they want to. The good news is they will normally offer an out of court settlement to people who co-operate with them and who haven't come to their attention before.


Next, what happens is the railway company will write to you. The letter will go to the address that you gave them / on any of your ID they checked so you need to be able to access hard copy post at that address as they often send things that way (but also check e-mail and spam). It is extremely important that you reply, and you'll only have a limited time to do so (often 14 days from the date on their communication).

When you receive the letter post a redacted copy of it in this thread, along with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you. You'll find lots of example letters you can use in this section of the forum but the reply basically needs to mention:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident and will not do this again
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the railway company’s administrative costs in dealing with the matter

The railway will probably offer you an out of court settlement. Expect to have to pay the cost of the fare for the journey you made at the full Anytime rate with no credit given for the invalid ticket you purchased. In addition they will charge an admin fee, typically £150. They will also audit your online ticket purchase history and if this shows you've purchased other tickets that were not valid (eg railcard discounted tickets when you did not have a valid railcard, or tickets for only part of the journey, or tickets bought after boarding the train you travelled on ) they will probably factor the cost of these journeys into the settlement offer. Depending on how many journeys you've made over the period concerned this could end up being expensive.

Settlements usually have to be paid in full within a few days of them being offered so if money is tight you might want to think about how you will raise the sum required at short notice.

 

[kattttakwlwopa]

agree - @kattttakwlwopa OP could reply politely and ask eg 'for a list of occasions when SWR think that my tickets may not have been correct so that I can compare them with my own records in the hope that matters can be resolved without court action' - make it clear that you wish to co-operate with them to resolve the issue.

From what we usually see they will then probably / almost certainly send a spreadsheet for you to look over - you will know which instances are dodgy and involve evasion / not the correct fare. When you get that ask again here if you need more advice.

meanwhile this general advice might be of help - clearly you are part way through this process:

Firstly, you committed a criminal offence by travelling with an invalid ticket and railway companies are entitled to prosecute you in the Magistrates Court if they want to. The good news is they will normally offer an out of court settlement to people who co-operate with them and who haven't come to their attention before.


Next, what happens is the railway company will write to you. The letter will go to the address that you gave them / on any of your ID they checked so you need to be able to access hard copy post at that address as they often send things that way (but also check e-mail and spam). It is extremely important that you reply, and you'll only have a limited time to do so (often 14 days from the date on their communication).

When you receive the letter post a redacted copy of it in this thread, along with your draft reply and forum members will proof read it for you. You'll find lots of example letters you can use in this section of the forum but the reply basically needs to mention:

- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident and will not do this again
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the railway company’s administrative costs in dealing with the matter

The railway will probably offer you an out of court settlement. Expect to have to pay the cost of the fare for the journey you made at the full Anytime rate with no credit given for the invalid ticket you purchased. In addition they will charge an admin fee, typically £150. They will also audit your online ticket purchase history and if this shows you've purchased other tickets that were not valid (eg railcard discounted tickets when you did not have a valid railcard, or tickets for only part of the journey, or tickets bought after boarding the train you travelled on ) they will probably factor the cost of these journeys into the settlement offer. Depending on how many journeys you've made over the period concerned this could end up being expensive.

Settlements usually have to be paid in full within a few days of them being offered so if money is tight you might want to think about how you will raise the sum required at short notice.

Hello,

Thank you for the advice so far!
Would it be possible for you to look over my draft to respond to the email. I haven't actually admitted that I have short fared on multiple occasions yet but it's pretty obvious that I have so I'm not sure the best way to word it in this response. Any help would be much appreciated!

'I apologise that I did not present a valid ticket for my journey when I was questioned by a ticket Inspector on the 6th of December. I am ashamed to say that this was not the only occasion when I have travelled without a fully valid ticket and I realise this was a serious error of judgment and I sincerely apologise for not paying the correct fares.


If you are able to send me a list of the travel you believe I have undertaken without a valid ticket I will check this against my own records to assist with the investigation.


I am keen to resolve all of this without the need for court action if possible and would be very grateful if you could consider a request to allow me to settle this out of court by paying for the fares that I owe along with your costs of investigating this matter.


This has been a very sobering experience for me and I realise how stupid my actions were. I have learnt from the incident and made sure to always pay the correct fares ever since and I'm more than happy to cooperate with you to resolve this issue. Once again I apologise and hope to hear from you soon.

Yours sincerely'

 

[WesternLancer]

Hello,

Thank you for the advice so far!
Would it be possible for you to look over my draft to respond to the email. I haven't actually admitted that I have short fared on multiple occasions yet but it's pretty obvious that I have so I'm not sure the best way to word it in this response. Any help would be much appreciated!

'I apologise that I did not present a valid ticket for my journey when I was questioned by a ticket Inspector on the 6th of December. I am ashamed to say that this was not the only occasion when I have travelled without a fully valid ticket and I realise this was a serious error of judgment and I sincerely apologise for not paying the correct fares.


If you are able to send me a list of the travel you believe I have undertaken without a valid ticket I will check this against my own records to assist with the investigation.


I am keen to resolve all of this without the need for court action if possible and would be very grateful if you could consider a request to allow me to settle this out of court by paying for the fares that I owe along with your costs of investigating this matter.


This has been a very sobering experience for me and I realise how stupid my actions were. I have learnt from the incident and made sure to always pay the correct fares ever since and I'm more than happy to cooperate with you to resolve this issue. Once again I apologise and hope to hear from you soon.

Yours sincerely'

No need to send it until Monday I suspect as I doubt they will be working over Easter hols so time to get it polished up.
Looks like a fairly good first draft. Maybe if a bit shorter it might help as readers of these no doubt have plenty to get through.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Apr 2026 ==

Hello,

Thank you for the advice so far!
Would it be possible for you to look over my draft to respond to the email. I haven't actually admitted that I have short fared on multiple occasions yet but it's pretty obvious that I have so I'm not sure the best way to word it in this response. Any help would be much appreciated!

'I apologise that I did not present a valid ticket for my journey when I was questioned by a ticket Inspector on the 6th of December. I am ashamed to say that this was not the only occasion when I have travelled without a fully valid ticket and I realise this was a serious error of judgment and I sincerely apologise for not paying the correct fares.


If you are able to send me a list of the travel you believe I have undertaken without a valid ticket I will check this against my own records to assist with the investigation.


I am keen to resolve all of this without the need for court action if possible and would be very grateful if you could consider a request to allow me to settle this out of court by paying for the fares that I owe along with your costs of investigating this matter.


This has been a very sobering experience for me and I realise how stupid my actions were. I have learnt from the incident and made sure to always pay the correct fares ever since and I'm more than happy to cooperate with you to resolve this issue. Once again I apologise and hope to hear from you soon.

Yours sincerely'

Hopefully if you have not sent it already these amends are of help - tho I basically think your draft was pretty much fine - if you have sent it now. Hope the amends are clear - main bit is just moving the para orders as I thought it was clearer to get your 'ask to settle' in early - but it's not a big deal:

--------------------------

Dear Sir / Madam (or Dear <name, if the message has come from a named individual>)

Your Ref: <insert the SWR case ref number that is presumably stated on what they have sent you>

I apologise that I did not present a valid ticket for my journey when I was questioned by a ticket Inspector on the 6th of December. I am ashamed to say that this was not the only occasion when I have travelled without a fully valid ticket and I realise this was a serious error of judgment and I sincerely apologise for not paying the correct fares.

I am keen to resolve all of this without the need for court action if possible and would be very grateful if you could consider a request to allow me to settle this out of court by paying for the fares that I owe along with your costs of investigating this matter.

If you are able to send me a list of the travel you believe I have undertaken without a valid ticket I will check this against my own records to assist with the investigation.

I am keen to resolve all of this without the need for court action if possible and would be very grateful if you could consider a request to allow me to settle this out of court by paying for the fares that I owe along with your costs of investigating this matter.

This has been a very sobering experience for me and I now realise the seriousness of the issue realise how stupid my actions were. I have learnt from the incident and made sure to always pay the correct fares ever since. and I'm I am more than happy to cooperate with you to resolve this issue. Once again I apologise and hope to hear from you soon.

Yours sincerely

 

[kattttakwlwopa]

No need to send it until Monday I suspect as I doubt they will be working over Easter hols so time to get it polished up.
Looks like a fairly good first draft. Maybe if a bit shorter it might help as readers of these no doubt have plenty to get through.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Apr 2026 ==



Hopefully if you have not sent it already these amends are of help - tho I basically think your draft was pretty much fine - if you have sent it now. Hope the amends are clear - main bit is just moving the para orders as I thought it was clearer to get your 'ask to settle' in early - but it's not a big deal:

--------------------------

Dear Sir / Madam (or Dear <name, if the message has come from a named individual>)

Your Ref: <insert the SWR case ref number that is presumably stated on what they have sent you>

I apologise that I did not present a valid ticket for my journey when I was questioned by a ticket Inspector on the 6th of December. I am ashamed to say that this was not the only occasion when I have travelled without a fully valid ticket and I realise this was a serious error of judgment and I sincerely apologise for not paying the correct fares.

I am keen to resolve all of this without the need for court action if possible and would be very grateful if you could consider a request to allow me to settle this out of court by paying for the fares that I owe along with your costs of investigating this matter.

If you are able to send me a list of the travel you believe I have undertaken without a valid ticket I will check this against my own records to assist with the investigation.

I am keen to resolve all of this without the need for court action if possible and would be very grateful if you could consider a request to allow me to settle this out of court by paying for the fares that I owe along with your costs of investigating this matter.

This has been a very sobering experience for me and I now realise the seriousness of the issue realise how stupid my actions were. I have learnt from the incident and made sure to always pay the correct fares ever since. and I'm I am more than happy to cooperate with you to resolve this issue. Once again I apologise and hope to hear from you soon.

Yours sincerely

Hello thank you for your help, I sent it already with a couple bits swapped around. The person dealing with it seems to be on holiday so will probably be another week until I need some more assistance

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Apr 2026 ==

Hi there everyone,

I recently got stopped by a revenue protection officer about a ticket I hadn't validated properly, I've done this for quite a few journeys so expect a letter in the post about being fined. Unfortunately the address given is my parents address and I'm worried that if they are the ones to get the letter they will make the situation far more stressful than if I just fess up and deal with it myself. Is it likely that they'll send a letter instead of an email and will it be obvious what the letter is about?
I bought my ticket through my Trainline account so don't know if they'll get my email through that instead.
I know I need to respond quickly to the letter so I plan to go home as soon as there is a letter from SWR.

Anybody who has a bit more information would be really helpful just so that I can soothe my anxiety a bit whilst I wait to have to deal with it.

Kinda regards and thanks again for any assistance.

I thought I'd update my original question in case somebody in the future has the same predicament. I decided to redirect my post, I had to do it for 6 months as it took them about 4 months to contact. However the letter that was sent to me asked for me to respond in 7 days but the redirection took 8 days to get to me! Fortunately in my case SWR also sent an email so I responded to that before the 7 days but if they hadn't I would have been in quite a sticky situation so I probably wouldn't recommend post redirection.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hello thank you for your help, I sent it already with a couple bits swapped around. The person dealing with it seems to be on holiday so will probably be another week until I need some more assistance

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Apr 2026 ==


I thought I'd update my original question in case somebody in the future has the same predicament. I decided to redirect my post, I had to do it for 6 months as it took them about 4 months to contact. However the letter that was sent to me asked for me to respond in 7 days but the redirection took 8 days to get to me! Fortunately in my case SWR also sent an email so I responded to that before the 7 days but if they hadn't I would have been in quite a sticky situation so I probably wouldn't recommend post redirection.

Helpful info. I think we tend to see a little bit of leeway in practice on the deadlines they state for responses. If anything else the Royal Mail speed of delivery is generally accepted as being slower now that royal
Mail have ceased daily delivery of second class post.

But good that they e mailed you.

 

[kattttakwlwopa]

Hello,
I've received an email back with a spreadsheet highlighting the journeys they are investigating. The issue is they've highlighted the short faring I did a few months ago which I can explain to them but then there's a huge gap and then they've highlighted a bunch of journeys from 2022 that I know I wasn't short faring, at least not intentionally in any way, but I can't access my bookings on Trainline that far back to check and I don't want to give any false information to them. I can't think of why they'd highlight those journeys except for the fact they're for a different city than the address I have provided them now as I was 18 and living at my parents when I made those journeys. Any help would be much appreciated.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Apr 2026 ==

Hello,
I've received an email back with a spreadsheet highlighting the journeys they are investigating. The issue is they've highlighted the short faring I did a few months ago which I can explain to them but then there's a huge gap and then they've highlighted a bunch of journeys from 2022 that I know I wasn't short faring, at least not intentionally in any way, but I can't access my bookings on Trainline that far back to check and I don't want to give any false information to them. I can't think of why they'd highlight those journeys except for the fact they're for a different city than the address I have provided them now as I was 18 and living at my parents when I made those journeys. Any help would be much appreciated.

I have realised that it is probably related to a Railcard, I'm sure I would have purchased a Railcard at this time but I don't know how to go about accessing this information as I don't know whereabouts I purchased it from as it was 4 years ago.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Hello @kattttakwlwopa your reply to SWR's latest correspondence will need to include a signed statement from your parent(s) that you lived at your parents' address in 2022 (and write what that address is).
Do you have any 2022 bank statements / mobile phone bills / council tax statements with you named living at your parents' residence? That will serve as corroborating evidence for their statement.

In your above post, you state: "...they've highlighted a bunch of journeys from 2022 that I know I wasn't short faring, at least not intentionally in any way..."
It can't be both - you either were short-faring, or you weren't short-faring. Which is it?

 

[z444z]

Hello @kattttakwlwopa your reply to SWR's latest correspondence will need to include a signed statement from your parent(s) that you lived at your parents' address in 2022 (and write what that address is).
Do you have any 2022 bank statements / mobile phone bills / council tax statements with you named living at your parents' residence? That will serve as corroborating evidence for their statement.

I don’t think this is needed at this stage. “Please note during x period I lived with my parents near x. Let me know if you require any further information about this.” Done.

OP if you’re unsure why journeys have been flagged, just ask. If you suspect it’s because they think you didn’t have the railcard that was used you can tell them that you did (if this is true) and supply any evidence of this that you can, but even if this is none, if they think you’re being truthful they may remove them from the calculation, it’s worth a go. But imo if you genuinely aren’t sure why a journey has been flagged you should ask instead of throwing tons of evidence at the problem that they haven’t asked for.

 

[kattttakwlwopa]

Hello @kattttakwlwopa your reply to SWR's latest correspondence will need to include a signed statement from your parent(s) that you lived at your parents' address in 2022 (and write what that address is).
Do you have any 2022 bank statements / mobile phone bills / council tax statements with you named living at your parents' residence? That will serve as corroborating evidence for their statement.

In your above post, you state: "...they've highlighted a bunch of journeys from 2022 that I know I wasn't short faring, at least not intentionally in any way..."
It can't be both - you either were short-faring, or you weren't short-faring. Which is it?

Hello, thanks for getting back. I wasn't short faring but I was worried that maybe if I wasn't scanning out properly it would have looked like it as the gates would often be open at the stations.
I've looked through my records and realised that they have probably highlighted it because I need to prove I had a Railcard. I'm certain I would have bought one but I don't know how to go about finding it. I probably purchased it on Trainline but again I'm not sure as it was 4 years ago.

 

[AlterEgo]

If you bought it online you'll have an email. Search your inbox for "railcard".

 

[kattttakwlwopa]

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?