SWR Waterloo - Exeter reduced service and the PRO: are SWR acting correctly?

[yorkie]

WofE timetable changes

www.southwesternrailway.com

• From Monday 10 August, trains between Yeovil Junction and Exeter will be reduced to one every two hours
• An amended timetable is being introduced to keep customers moving safely while speed restrictions are in place following prolonged extreme hot, dry weather that has affected track across the route
• Customers are still able to travel between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids, but are advised to allow extra time to complete their journeys

SOUTH Western Railway (SWR) and Network Rail Wessex (NR Wessex) will introduce a temporary timetable on the West of England line between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids from Monday 10 August.
Following record-breaking temperatures and prolonged low rainfall, clay embankments supporting the railway between Salisbury and Exeter are drying out, affecting the stability of the track.
To keep customers safe, trains will run at reduced speeds between Tisbury in Wiltshire and Honiton in Devon, a 60-mile stretch of largely single-track railway which is particularly vulnerable to drought-like conditions.
With only six passing loops where trains can pass each other on the single-track, fewer services can run while these speed restrictions are in place. The temporary timetable limits further disruption and delays while providing a safe and reliable service for customers.
From Monday 10 August, until further notice:

• Services between London Waterloo and Salisbury will continue to run every 30 minutes
• One train per hour will run between London Waterloo and Yeovil Junction
• Every other hour, the London Waterloo service will extend to run to and from Exeter St Davids
• Most journeys from London Waterloo to Yeovil Junction will take three minutes longer than usual, with journeys from Yeovil Junction to London Waterloo taking 13 minutes longer than usual
• Most journeys from London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids will take up to 24 minutes longer than usual, with journeys from Exeter St Davids to London Waterloo taking 27 minutes longer than usual

I am aware that some customers have upcoming bookings that are affected (I am unsure when this will end, but it's certainly affected until at least the 23rd of October: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se...26-10-23/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt ) and, given they already pre-booked under the original timetable, I believe they are entitled to be re-routed by SWR at no additional cost, under the Passenger Rights & Obligations (PRO) terms.

Guidance on regulation No 1371/2007 on rail passengers' rights and obligations

www.gov.uk

Reimbursement and re-routing​

Article 16 of the regulation means that where there is a reasonable expectation that a delay will lead to arrival at the final destination 60 minutes or more late, passengers may either choose to have a:

• refund of the fare when the journey will no longer serve the passenger’s originally planned purpose. The refund will include the return journey where appropriate

or

• continuation or re-routing under comparable transport conditions to the final destination at the earliest opportunity

or

• continuation or re-routeing under comparable transport conditions to the final destination at a later date at the passenger’s convenience

However, it has been brought to my attention that SWR are instructing passengers to purchase new tickets, when a delay of 1+ hours could be avoided.

For example, a customer who booked on the 16:20 Waterloo - Exeter (due 19:43) cannot be told their only later option is the 17:23 (due 21:06; a delay of 83 mins); my understanding is that SWR are required to re-route the passenger (either through formal ticket acceptance or the issuing of a new or excess fare issued at zero cost) for a suitable alternative, such as:

1636 Paddington - Exeter (if the passenger can get to Paddington in time for that), arriving 19:03 (avoiding any delay)
1703 Paddington - Exeter (which is easily possible from Waterloo departing after 1620), arriving 19:05 (also avoiding any delay)
Or, failing that, such as if the 1703 was particularly busy, then:
1737 Paddington - Exeter, arriving 20:05, reducing the delay to only 18 mins instead of 83 mins.

Does anyone have any experience of this issue, or any good contacts at SWR, and can others confirm my understanding is correct?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[MrJeeves]

I believe they are entitled to be re-routed by SWR at no additional cost, under the Passenger Rights & Obligations (PRO) terms.

They'd be entitled to use GWR anyway under the DfT cross-acceptance policy, which includes planned cancellations.

 

[yorksrob]

Does anyone know how long these are planned to go on for ?

 

[embers25]

They'd be entitled to use GWR anyway under the DfT cross-acceptance policy, which includes planned cancellations.

According to their website https://www.southwesternrailway.com...ble-ticket-acceptance-and-refund-arrangements only cancelled trains are eligible for rerouting on GWR and not retimed trains. So if you are booked on the 1620 you could reroute to GWR, but not if you were originally booked on the 1723 that is now retimed. Also, you shouldn't use XC between 1500 and 1800 between Reading and Basingstoke.

In the other direction, I'd imagine this causes confusion in the morning as the 0823 was retimed to 0740 and I'd imagine someone with a ticket for old the 0725 might imagine the 0740 was their train retmed and someone with a ticket for the 0823 would quite reasonably assume it was cancelled and not retimed!

 

[MrJeeves]

According to their website https://www.southwesternrailway.com...ble-ticket-acceptance-and-refund-arrangements only cancelled trains are eligible for rerouting on GWR and not retimed trains.

There is no difference for a customer turning up at a station and seeing their booked train (defined by its station+scheduled departure time) no longer exists.

 

[embers25]

There is no difference for a customer turning up at a station and seeing their booked train (defined by its station+scheduled departure time) no longer exists.

Agreed. This is the whole issue with re-timings and the confusion they bring and the fact the new guidance doesn't explicit state that a significant re-timing to an earlier departure time is effectively a cancellation of sorts, but there is no automatic right for it to be treated as such...as SWR say. When the train is just re-timed I'm sure some ticket issuers wouldn't even notify passengers if it just delayed their arrival...certainly Uber didn't notify me when the timetable first came in and I had to argue with them to get a refund even.

 

[Cornish Pasty]

Does anyone know how long these are planned to go on for ?

Hourly service resumes from 26/10 afaik