Ticket acceptance during disruption

[trainophile]

Changes to industry arrangements for cancelled trains

I've heard on the grapevine that there is coming down the track some sort of code of practice (or similar sort of thing) regarding passengers rights when their train is cancelled. I'm lead to believe that it intends to clarify that passengers with a cancelled train can catch either two trains...

www.railforums.co.uk

Will this situation become obsolete when the new terms itemised in the thread about come into play? When might that be?

I've heard on the grapevine that there is coming down the track some sort of code of practice (or similar sort of thing) regarding passengers rights when their train is cancelled.

I'm lead to believe that it intends to clarify that passengers with a cancelled train can catch either two trains before or two trains after there cancelled train

Posts 61 and 62 would appear to imply that connecting services are also permitted one or two trains before or after the cancelled one. Post 61 actually refers to split tickets and different operators, but presumably what's sauce for that particular goose would make even more sense when it's the same operator (I know WMR and LNR aren't strictly the same but they are under the same blanket ownership and operation) and a through ticket.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Posts 61 and 62 would appear to imply that connecting services are also permitted one or two trains before or after the cancelled one. Post 61 actually refers to split tickets and different operators, but presumably what's sauce for that particular goose would make even more sense when it's the same operator (I know WMR and LNR aren't strictly the same but they are under the same blanket ownership and operation) and a through ticket.

WMT is one TOC, it just operates under two brands. All TOC specific tickets for either are valid on both bits. It's just a slightly more obscure version of say EMR InterCity vs EMR Regional.

They were going to be split but that's long since gone by the wayside.

 

[punxsutawny]

The customer could have chosen to pay for a more expensive flexible ticket. Instead they’ve opted for a cheaper, much less flexible one. The ticket they’ve purchased also has a defined compensation method and clearly set out entitlements re. catching later trains.

Yet in this case the customer now seems to be demanding they should be treated as if they’ve paid for a more expensive and more flexible product. That strikes me as cakeism. It’s also true they no amount of moralising changes the potential consequences of travelling without a valid ticket.

The customer is not demanding to change their journey at will! The crux here is that they have been sold an itinerary which no longer is running. If the railway is to sell tickets which are scheduled to arrive at a certain time, with no flexibility, they must either run those services without fail, or allow passengers to board earlier trains in order to make their way to arrangements that the railway has not suitably provided for any more. The passenger is otherwise being punished for what is often the staffing issues of the TOC, which is simply not a reasonable way to operate a travel system.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The customer is not demanding to change their journey at will! The crux here is that they have been sold an itinerary which no longer is running. If the railway is to sell tickets which are scheduled to arrive at a certain time, with no flexibility, they must either run those services without fail, or allow passengers to board earlier trains in order to make their way to arrangements that the railway has not suitably provided for any more. The passenger is otherwise being punished for what is often the staffing issues of the TOC, which is simply not a reasonable way to operate a travel system.

This.

Deutsche Bahn has a far better policy on this - a cancelled train or missed connection turns the ticket into a fully flexible single automatically. No issues then.

It makes sense to let people travel potentially a lot later (e.g. go to the pub while the disruption calms down) - it stops the train or two after the cancellation being severely overcrowded. Crikey, even airlines will let you rebook to any date/time you wish if your flight is cancelled.

 

[signed]

even if it causes totally disproportionate costs to airlines on some passenger's cases

Fair point. But again, rail (and especially bus) should have a much stronger framework toward consumer protection.

I know it won't happen while state railways are a thing, the French Government even decided, for a very long while, that parts of EU282 (or whatever that was known as before 2021) straight up didn't apply to SNCF (with SNCF operating a better delay repay scheme).

With the arrival of private/competition railways, it IS going to be a major issue that will not be resolved due to the major conflict of interest. But that's another thread

 

[TrainHacker]

If your service is cancelled, subject to the route on the ticket, you are entitled to depart at and after booked time. Alternatively, you are entitled to try to arrive at booked time instead. Allowances on top of that may be made, but sometimes the operators are clueless or careless and that doesn't happen.

Are you able to go to a train station (other than your original departure station) to jump on a train that gets you to your arrival station at more or less the same time as the original cancelled train (if advised by train staff)? Would you also have to pay an excess fare on top of the original advance fare as well? Or do you have to wait until the next available train which could be an hour later and claim delay repay?

 

[Starmill]

Are you able to go to a train station (other than your original departure station) to jump on a train that gets you to your arrival station at more or less the same time as the original cancelled train (if advised by train staff)? Would you also have to pay an excess fare on top of the original advance fare as well? Or do you have to wait until the next available train which could be an hour later and claim delay repay?

Your contract states where your journey is from and to, in addition to the departure and arrival times where those are selected in advance. So I'd say changing to a different station if it isn't the one defined by your ticket requires an agreement, in the interest of mitigating delays. Operators should look at allowing that wherever possible to reduce delay and compensation claims, but it's not an entitlement.

 

[Pompey00]

Your contract states where your journey is from and to, in addition to the departure and arrival times where those are selected in advance. So I'd say changing to a different station if it isn't the one defined by your ticket requires an agreement, in the interest of mitigating delays. Operators should look at allowing that wherever possible to reduce delay and compensation claims, but it's not an entitlement.

Sometimes I get people who come from different parts of the line with advanced tickets as the station they are boarding on have no trains due to problems with track, signals or fatalities, where the train starts from further up the line as dont do the whole way

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Aug 2024 ==

Sometimes I get people who come from different parts of the line with advanced tickets as the station they are boarding on have no trains due to problems with track, signals or fatalities, where the train starts from further up the line as they dont do the whole journey

 

[xotGD]

Two before and two after is now effectively the standard.

Is this written down anywhere? I couldn't see anything on the Northern website.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Is this written down anywhere? I couldn't see anything on the Northern website.

See this thread: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/changes-to-industry-arrangements-for-cancelled-trains.272698/