Hi
I an new member here as well as in UK. I do not use trains for travelling so do not know much about the system of trains here. I have bought a rail card from Trainline Application. I answered the question whichever it asked so it suggested me the railcard suitable for me. So I bought the rail card named Network Rail card. I was travelling from Manchester to Leeds on 11th July 2024. The ticket checker checked my ticket and asked for my rail card. I showed my railcard but He sail that it is valid in London only. I was totally unaware of it. I didn't buy my ticket intestinally. He gave me a receipt that I need to write my answer to transpennine express. And I cannot understand how to write and what to write in my answer because this is the first time when I get the report. So can anyone help me for solve the problem.
Thank you
To
@Dpatel
If you have a look at this website it lists all the Railcards you can buy and which groups they apply to / or areas of the UK you can use them in - you will see that most Railcards (but not all) are aimed at different age groups, but some, like the Network Card, are for use at generally off peak travel times in the London and South East of England area only
This will give you an idea
Get 1/3 off your train tickets with a Railcard. From children to seniors, there is a Railcard to suit everyone. Plus information on regional railcards and other forms of concessionary travel
www.nationalrail.co.uk
A railcard can save you money on certain train fares, but you would need the one that applies to your personal circumstances. I suspect you misunderstood which Railcard to buy and have ended up with one that is no great use to you.
I suspect that you then bought a train ticket but selected a different type of Railcard to obtain the discount - perhaps because you were confused as to why your ticket between Leeds and Manchester would not get a discount with the Railcard you bought, the Network Railcard, so you selected a different Railcard, but that is not one you own. So when the ticket inspector checked your ticket he found your ticket was invalid because you don't have the correct Railcard.
The ticket inspector then reported this for investigation and gave you a 'Travel Irregularity Report'
They will have done this because they will want to investigate how often you have travelled with the wrong Railcard because on all those occasions your ticket will not have been valid and they will want to ask you to pay for new tickets.
What will happen next is that the railway company (Transpennine Express) will write to you and ask you to explain what happened. They will also be investigating any previous on line ticket buying to see if you have made this mistake on other occasions. It is vital that you receive that letter and reply to it quickly (if you are a student in the UK and might be going abroad over the summer holiday period that could be a problem).
So can you please help me how to answer to transpennine express?
This advice often provided by @Hadders should give you a good idea of what to expect and what to do:
As for what happens next the railway company will write to you. The letter will typically take a couple of months to arrive but can be sooner although it shouldn't take longer than six months. The letter will use quite threatening language and say that they have received a report, are considering prosecuting you and asking for your version of events before deciding how to proceed. It is important that you engage with and reply to this letter. You might want to include the following in your reply:
- That you are sorry for what has happened
- What you have learned from the incident
- That you are keen to settle the matter without the need for court action
- Offer to pay the outstanding fare and the train company's administrative costs in dealing with the matter
Railway companies are usually prepared to offer an administrative settlement (commonly known as an out of court settlement) to people who engage with the process and who haven't come to their attention before. We cannot guarantee this and the railway company are within their rights to prosecute you in the magistrates court if they want to even if this was a genuine mistake or misunderstanding on your part
Be aware that the railway company will research your online ticket purchase history and if this shows frequent purchases of tickets with the wrong Railcard then they may well want to ask you about these cases as well.
If you are offered a settlement expect to have to pay the outstanding fares at the full Anytime rate with no credit given for the invalid tickets you did purchase. You will also have to pay an admin fee, typically around £150, to reflect the railway' costs in dealing with this. This might appear to be a fine, but it isn't and you won't have a criminal record as a result of accepting one.
Feel free to post a copy of the letter once it arrives (with personal details redacted) along with your draft reply in this thread and forum members will be happy to proof read it for you.
People here can help you reply effectively, but it will certainly help if you can post a copy of any paperwork you have been given as asked for previously (remove your personal details and any ref numbers before uploading a copy).
Please ask any more questions here if you do not understand any of this.
As I said before, going forward I think it would be better, at least until you have become more familiar with UK train travel and tickets, for you to buy tickets at a railway station ticket office - they can help you choose the right railcard and get the cheapest ticket for your journey. There are basically no tickets for the sort of travel you will want to do that you can buy on line that are any cheaper than you can buy at a ticket office from a member of staff who can help you get the correct ticket.
