• Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Virgin West Coast 1st Advance with 2 together

Status
Not open for further replies.

nuneatonmark

Member
Joined
5 Aug 2014
Messages
491
Booked out and return 1st class advances on VWC using a 2 together card. One of us can no longer go on the outbound leg but will come back. Do we really have to cancel the whole outward journey if only 1 person travels? VWC don't lose out i.e. they are getting paid for 2 people anyway, so I would hope this would be ok but suspecting that it won't be ok. Thanks in advance for you advice, as always.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

ForTheLoveOf

Established Member
Joined
7 Oct 2017
Messages
6,416
Legally, it doesn't matter whether or not Virgin are losing out. The tickets are not valid without a Railcard, and the Railcard is not valid if there are not two passengers travelling together.

The train companies in this country doesn't really care much for common sense or providing good customer service. Those are the rules and your only option is to rebook if you want to be legally in the clear.

Of course, you could hope that the train manager is reasonable and accepts you travelling alone if you produce both tickets and the Railcard, or that you are able to find a ticket office that will excess away the Railcard restriction (very unlikely!). But if you cannot do this then the only alternative is to risk being charged an additional fare.

I think this is one area (out of many) which the TOCs should take a long, hard look at when they ask themselves why the rail network has a rubbish reputation. It's ludicrous not to have a policy of simply letting you travel, as long as you produce both tickets, but that is the way it is.
 

yorkie

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Administrator
Joined
6 Jun 2005
Messages
78,447
Location
Yorkshire
Booked out and return 1st class advances on VWC using a 2 together card. One of us can no longer go on the outbound leg but will come back. Do we really have to cancel the whole outward journey if only 1 person travels? VWC don't lose out i.e. they are getting paid for 2 people anyway, so I would hope this would be ok but suspecting that it won't be ok. Thanks in advance for you advice, as always.
Some ticket offices may be able to excess away the discount on the remaining ticket; I've only ever known success when trying this with LNER.

But I also know some train companies have a policy of not doing this.

Good luck; you may have to shop around to get it!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top