Travel Irregularity Report - SWT - need advice

[JamesArchy01]

Hello

On the day that I unfortunately took the wrong route, I was issued with a TIR receipt, (also can someone please confirm if this is different to an MG11). It says TIR on the top of the receipt.

I’d like to ask how long did it take on average for south west trains to get back to you and issue that initial letter? I’d also like to ask if people in my similar position if they sent an email version ? Or did they only write physically and sent by post?

I’m really worried as i’m due to travel away soon and don’t want to miss any correspondence from them.

I’m thinking of calling SWT to ask for advice, but I read a lot of post here advising not to contact SWT.

Do you think they will email too? and do both ?

Many thanks

 

[SECR 65]

If you are moving house within the UK then you have the possibility that you could set up a Royal Mail postal redirect, but this would come at a cost, and may not be suitable for your situation.

SWR are generally happy to communicate back and forth via email, but often it seems that initial contact is via post.

Other threads to have a look through:

SWR TIR - Railcard "Pending" during inspection

Hello, I am looking for advice regarding a TIR(Discount not entitled (no railcard)) issued to me by South Western Railway yesterday. I was issued a TIR today during the return leg of a short trip(£3.55) on the SWR network ,I purchased a digital 16-25 Railcard about 3 hours before my journey, but...

www.railforums.co.uk

SWR Travel Irregularity Report

Hi All, Looking for both some help and a bit of clarity here. I was on my daily commute and was stopped at Waterloo station, my ticket was checked only to find my railcard had expired in August 2025, I hadn't realised my railcard had expired, and Trainline didn't flag this when booking a...

www.railforums.co.uk

I can't find a recent thread of a TIR from SWR where the letter recieved has been posted.

 

[JamesArchy01]

If you are moving house within the UK then you have the possibility that you could set up a Royal Mail postal redirect, but this would come at a cost, and may not be suitable for your situation.

SWR are generally happy to communicate back and forth via email, but often it seems that initial contact is via post.

Other threads to have a look through:

SWR TIR - Railcard "Pending" during inspection

Hello, I am looking for advice regarding a TIR(Discount not entitled (no railcard)) issued to me by South Western Railway yesterday. I was issued a TIR today during the return leg of a short trip(£3.55) on the SWR network ,I purchased a digital 16-25 Railcard about 3 hours before my journey, but...

www.railforums.co.uk

SWR Travel Irregularity Report

Hi All, Looking for both some help and a bit of clarity here. I was on my daily commute and was stopped at Waterloo station, my ticket was checked only to find my railcard had expired in August 2025, I hadn't realised my railcard had expired, and Trainline didn't flag this when booking a...

www.railforums.co.uk

I can't find a recent thread of a TIR from SWR where the letter recieved has been posted.

Hi,

I’m not moving homes, but traveling abroad for 3 weeks hence I’m worried it will arrive and I will be away

I was hoping an email would be sent as well as a physical letter

 

[SECR 65]

Roughly when are you going abroad? SWR typically give you 21 days to reply. So it would be very unlucky to miss said letter. However not ideal to chance it seeing as they'll probably prosecute if you don't reply. Is there anyone who would be able to check your post once say a week or two into your period abroad? You should be able to reply by email so not having the physical letter shouldn't be an issue. It could be 4-5 months before the letter arrives but may not be that long.


It is possible that you could contact SWR in advance and explain your situation, but I'm not in a position to recomend doing that - we would need the guidance of other members with more experience.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hello

On the day that I unfortunately took the wrong route, I was issued with a TIR receipt, (also can someone please confirm if this is different to an MG11). It says TIR on the top of the receipt.

I’d like to ask how long did it take on average for south west trains to get back to you and issue that initial letter? I’d also like to ask if people in my similar position if they sent an email version ? Or did they only write physically and sent by post?

I’m really worried as i’m due to travel away soon and don’t want to miss any correspondence from them.

I’m thinking of calling SWT to ask for advice, but I read a lot of post here advising not to contact SWT.

Do you think they will email too? and do both ?

Many thanks

If you’ve got a ref number on the papers you were given you could’ve mail them heading leaving the uk for the period asking them to contact by mail.
When it gets near that date you can write something and get it checked here before sending.
We can find correct contact address for you to use

 

[JamesArchy01]

Hi can I get some advice, I took the wrong route a few times (maybe more than 40+) throughout the period, not realising the limitation of my ticket. On the TIR it states “over travelled” I assumed the route was permitted to any route as there was a statement “break travel” is permitted on the app.

The officer even checked the route and agreed it was an easy mistake to take and misunderstanding of the route is possible. I have googled this route before and I’ve followed the route per google maps. He also googled the route and it matched. Unfortunately I didn’t know the ticket I’ve bought couldnt be realistically used for this route. I’ve obv been using this route for a while and it’s not valid and could be mistaken for repeated fair short cutting.

Out of good gesture the guard only didn’t include that I’ve done this route numerous times and only mentioned that single route taken that day on his report.

Now my main question is, how likely will the person reviewing my case to instantly dig through my travel history and uncover the other tickets bought and taken of the same route. I bought my ticket through the SWT app so there is a record of it. Do they have a fishing expedition mentally? Is that normally a “default” step an agent would take and look at the purchase history ? Or will it only focus on the events on the day?

I’m obv very nervous of this misunderstand and mistake in my part. It could be quite expensive to settle an agreement that I could pay for the new route taken instead of my original ticket. Would swt be open to this negotiation ?

Should I state this in my mention this on my initial response. Or wait for them to come up with a settlement ? I’m worried if I mentioned it, I will incriminate myself if they’re only going to charge me for that incident in that day. But I’m thinking they will dig through my travel history anyways so I’d rather own up to it now.

I want to settle out of court and I feel like this is the best arrangement.

Any advice ?

 

[WesternLancer]

Hi can I get some advice, I took the wrong route a few times (maybe more than 40+) throughout the period, not realising the limitation of my ticket. On the TIR it states “over travelled” I assumed the route was permitted to any route as there was a statement “break travel” is permitted on the app.

The officer even checked the route and agreed it was an easy mistake to take and misunderstanding of the route is possible. I have googled this route before and I’ve followed the route per google maps. He also googled the route and it matched. Unfortunately I didn’t know the ticket I’ve bought couldnt be realistically used for this route. I’ve obv been using this route for a while and it’s not valid and could be mistaken for repeated fair short cutting.

Out of good gesture the guard only didn’t include that I’ve done this route numerous times and only mentioned that single route taken that day on his report.

Now my main question is, how likely will the person reviewing my case to instantly dig through my travel history and uncover the other tickets bought and taken of the same route. I bought my ticket through the SWT app so there is a record of it. Do they have a fishing expedition mentally? Is that normally a “default” step an agent would take and look at the purchase history ? Or will it only focus on the events on the day?

I’m obv very nervous of this misunderstand and mistake in my part. It could be quite expensive to settle an agreement that I could pay for the new route taken instead of my original ticket. Would swt be open to this negotiation ?

Should I state this in my mention this on my initial response. Or wait for them to come up with a settlement ? I’m worried if I mentioned it, I will incriminate myself if they’re only going to charge me for that incident in that day. But I’m thinking they will dig through my travel history anyways so I’d rather own up to it now.

I want to settle out of court and I feel like this is the best arrangement.

Any advice ?

I don’t know how likely. I think you just have to wait and see.

Some staff these days don’t properly understand the routing regulations however (and I very much doubt h doubt google does either)

So I’d suggest starting a thread on the fares advice and ticketing section of the forum to specifically ask fares experts there on the routing validity of your ticket. They may not watch this forum.
By all means cross reference this thread.

That way you can find out from a genuine expert if the route was wrong m, if so how wrong, and at what potential cost.

 

[SECR 65]

I suspect that in the initial letter you recieve, there could well be an indication that they're looking back through ticket history. IMO there's no point telling them out of nowhere. Answer the questions they ask is what I would say. Not much you can really do until the letter arrives.

 

[phoenix743]

If you are moving house within the UK then you have the possibility that you could set up a Royal Mail postal redirect, but this would come at a cost, and may not be suitable for your situation.

SWR are generally happy to communicate back and forth via email, but often it seems that initial contact is via post.

Other threads to have a look through:

SWR TIR - Railcard "Pending" during inspection

Hello, I am looking for advice regarding a TIR(Discount not entitled (no railcard)) issued to me by South Western Railway yesterday. I was issued a TIR today during the return leg of a short trip(£3.55) on the SWR network ,I purchased a digital 16-25 Railcard about 3 hours before my journey, but...

www.railforums.co.uk

SWR Travel Irregularity Report

Hi All, Looking for both some help and a bit of clarity here. I was on my daily commute and was stopped at Waterloo station, my ticket was checked only to find my railcard had expired in August 2025, I hadn't realised my railcard had expired, and Trainline didn't flag this when booking a...

www.railforums.co.uk

I can't find a recent thread of a TIR from SWR where the letter recieved has been posted.

TIR is the new name for a MG11, I believe it no longer says report for Prosecution at the top

 

[Haywain]

TIR is the new name for a MG11,

TIRs (Travel Irregularity Report) have been around for a very long time, as have MG11s. No one has created a new name, but not all staff are in a position to take a witness statement which requires an MG11.

 

[AlterEgo]

Hi can I get some advice, I took the wrong route a few times (maybe more than 40+) throughout the period, not realising the limitation of my ticket. On the TIR it states “over travelled” I assumed the route was permitted to any route as there was a statement “break travel” is permitted on the app.

Which route have you been travelling and what ticket did you have?

Now my main question is, how likely will the person reviewing my case to instantly dig through my travel history and uncover the other tickets bought and taken of the same route. I bought my ticket through the SWT app so there is a record of it. Do they have a fishing expedition mentally? Is that normally a “default” step an agent would take and look at the purchase history ? Or will it only focus on the events on the day?

They will normally look at all your purchases.

 

[30907]

Hi can I get some advice, I took the wrong route a few times (maybe more than 40+) throughout the period, not realising the limitation of my ticket. On the TIR it states “over travelled” I assumed the route was permitted to any route as there was a statement “break travel” is permitted on the app.

I appreciate you may not wish to divulge the exact route, but if you can get an itinerary to cover your journey using the ticket concerned, staff must accept it.
However, "break of journey" doesn’t (generally) cover you for doubling back (which is implied by "overtravelled") nor for travel off-route.

Now my main question is, how likely will the person reviewing my case to instantly dig through my travel history and uncover the other tickets bought and taken of the same route.

They will do, but how will they prove you misused them?

At the moment I would reckon to engage with them about the actual incident only.

 

[AlterEgo]

It's really important we find out the route and ticket. The OP might well be innocent of any and all charges.

 

[JamesArchy01]

I appreciate you may not wish to divulge the exact route, but if you can get an itinerary to cover your journey using the ticket concerned, staff must accept it.
However, "break of journey" doesn’t (generally) cover you for doubling back (which is implied by "overtravelled") nor for travel off-route.


They will do, but how will they prove you misused them?

At the moment I would reckon to engage with them about the actual incident only.

It's really important we find out the route and ticket. The OP might well be innocent of any and all charges.

Unfortunately I think I am at fault as I’ve misinterpreted the ticket, it clearly states not valid for the particular route I have decided to take. I wrongly assumed to use the “passenger can break the travel” clause as a reason to use this particular route. But I was told clearly by the inspector it is not valid, hence I’ve been issued a TIR. It’s a mixture of difficult to understand the route and my failings as a passenger to read the exact rules of the travel route on the ticket.

 

[Kilopylae]

Unfortunately I think I am at fault as I’ve misinterpreted the ticket, it clearly states not valid for the particular route I have decided to take.

To clarify, this a ticket with a note printed on it which will sound similar to "Not valid via Reading" or "Not valid via London Terminals"?

 

[Hadders]

Forum members need to know details of the exact ticket held and the stations you travelled between to be able to offer the best advice.

Somestimes routes which, on face value, appear to be invalid are in fact valid or sometimes only liable to an excess fare rather than a penalty.

 

[JamesArchy01]

To clarify, this a ticket with a note printed on it which will sound similar to "Not valid via Reading" or "Not valid via London Terminals"?

Somewhere along those lines, I wanted to purchase an 'any route' option but the system would'nt show one, i wish SWT can overall its system to allow for an any allowed route option.

 

[walkingsophie]

We need the specific ticket and route you took in order to advise you whether your ticket was valid, liable to an excess fare, or invalid. With what you have described so far it seems likely to be one of the latter two but we need to know the ticket to figure out which one it is.

 

[AlterEgo]

Somewhere along those lines, I wanted to purchase an 'any route' option but the system would'nt show one, i wish SWT can overall its system to allow for an any allowed route option.

Tell us the route you travelled, and the ticket. It is possible you have a defence you are not aware of and which experts here can advise you of, and how to advance it. There is nothing to be gained by concealing this.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

We need the specific ticket and route you took in order to advise you whether your ticket was valid, liable to an excess fare, or invalid. With what you have described so far it seems likely to be one of the latter two but we need to know the ticket to figure out which one it is.

It's perhaps worth pointing out that on the one hand the railways can read this forum (as can MI5, the CIA and the Illuminati) but on the other hand we have never seen them successfully use information gleaned from here against any poster.

So in practical terms, while we suggest that you don't tell the whole internet that you are John Smith of 1 The Street, Any town, there's almost certainly nothing wrong with telling us that you're using a London to Edinburgh ticket but stopping in Manchester (or whatever it is you are doing - which is what we need to know to help you best).

 

[Kilopylae]

London to Edinburgh ticket but stopping in Manchester

SWR's RPIs on quite a day trip!

 

[Swedenorer]

Unfortunately I think I am at fault as I’ve misinterpreted the ticket, it clearly states not valid for the particular route I have decided to take. I wrongly assumed to use the “passenger can break the travel” clause as a reason to use this particular route. But I was told clearly by the inspector it is not valid

If this really is the case and it said 'not valid via' the way you went or specified 'via xx' and you didn't pass through xx then you are in the wrong. But if it carried neither kind of rubric but simply said any permitted then please tell us the exact ticket and fare paid. Or simply test it yourself by trying to buy the fare using the route you have been taking as the via points.

 

[Tetchytyke]

But I was told clearly by the inspector it is not valid

Just because the inspector said it wasn’t valid doesn’t mean that it wasn’t actually valid.

There is nothing to be gained by concealing the ticket you used and the route you took.

 

[AlterEgo]

Just because the inspector said it wasn’t valid doesn’t mean that it wasn’t actually valid.

There is nothing to be gained by concealing the ticket you used and the route you took.

Indeed, a poster on here, posting in this thread used a perfectly valid ticket and was threatened with prosecution by an inspector who wrongly believed their ticket wasn't valid.

 

[furlong]

Unfortunately I think I am at fault as I’ve misinterpreted the ticket, it clearly states not valid for the particular route I have decided to take.

Routes are really not that simple! If a ticket states 'not via X' that does NOT always mean it is not valid to travel via X using that ticket as the system has plenty of special cases and exceptions!

If this really is the case and it said 'not valid via' the way you went or specified 'via xx' and you didn't pass through xx then you are in the wrong.

The OP has not revealed sufficient information yet to be able to state that!

Never forget the famous 'NOT LONDON' ticket that was ONLY valid if travelling via London! As was stated definitively by the railway at the time:

The routes 'London' and 'not London' are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

 

[JamesArchy01]

As id like to resolve the matter as quickly as possible, I’m thinking of engaging a lawyer to contact SWT and issue an out of court settlement agreement to speed up and hope to close the case as it has began to affect my mental health considerably and I can’t wait for a few more weeks or even months for that first letter to arrive.

I’d like some advice if this is at all possible and if people can share their experience who have gone through a similar route in the past?

Also id like to ask what are the potential benefits of going through this route, would it help your case for a more favourable outcome?


Thanks

 

[Fawkes Cat]

As id like to resolve the matter as quickly as possible, I’m thinking of engaging a lawyer to contact SWT and issue an out of court settlement agreement to speed up and hope to close the case as it has began to affect my mental health considerably and I can’t wait for a few more weeks or even months for that first letter to arrive.

I’d like some advice if this is at all possible and if people can share their experience who have gone through a similar route in the past?

Also id like to ask what are the potential benefits of going through this route, would it help your case for a more favourable outcome?


Thanks

We have seen cases where solicitors have been able to resolve matters quickly, but naturally this comes at a cost: the solicitors will want paying regardless of their success. On the basis of what people tell us, £800 or so is a typical cost.

It also makes sense to use a solicitor who knows about railways: with thanks to most recently @WesternLancer (and other members in the past) we know of the following firms:

Manak Solicitors

Fare Evasion Solicitors | Kent & London | Manak Solicitors

Manak Solicitors: Skilled legal defence for fare evasion cases. Rely on our experienced team to protect your rights, challenge penalties, and guide you through the process.

manaksolicitors.co.uk


Makwanas


Fare Evasion Solicitors London | High Success Rate | TFL Solicitors

www.makwanas.co.uk

Gray Hooper Holt LLP Solicitors

Solicitors offering a wide range of legal services

www.grayhooperholt.co.uk

Fare Evasion - Penman Sedgwick

penmansedgwick.com

 

[iamraymond]

Would it actually speed up the process though? If they were seen to be prioritising cases involving a solicitor vs those that don't, is that not pushing towards two-tier justice?

 

[JamesArchy01]

I did some research and came across a blog from a lawyers website and it mentioned the lawyer can reach out early to the rail company prior to the first letter to arrive and offer an out of court settlement. It is also advice this the earlier you engage the lawyer the better so someone “professional” can assist and advice you on your next steps

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Would it actually speed up the process though?

That's the feedback we get - or at least, that's how I read it.