reply politely with both points so they know you accept the new railcard was not valid on the date of travel but are supplying what they are asking for
yes, that's the sort of thing.
see my edit to post 34
As the last couple of paragraphs say, only get back to them if you have anything that you need to add to what you have already said.
Yes, certainly agree with this. Obviously the OP should keep a close eye on their post and e-mail over the holiday period but it may be that this is essentially saying nothing is going to happen immediately.
No it’s not in your interest to contact them to remind them about your case
They have specifically asked you not to! I get that it's stressful but following up won't do anything, and there is a chance, very difficult to quantify but definitely not zero, that they'll miss the 6 month deadline for prosecution which would be a good thing for you, so don't try to rush them!
No, they say they are about to lay papers before the court. That is the deadline for them and the relevance of the 6 months - that they start proceedings, not that they are concluded. The 21 days are for you to plead guilty or not guilty to the offence.
We cannot offer recommendations but there are several firms that can help if you're willing to pay:
manaksolicitors.co.uk
reeds.co.uk
www.olliers.com
You probably need a specialist in rail fares evasion type work. I doubt they need to be in north west England to take on the case for you. But if you ring those listed for quotes they would advise if they can handle it remotely.
