Cancellations and alternative services

[Zoner]

I've had a ticket from London to Aviemore booked for later in January 2024. LNER emailed this morning to say they are cancelling the train but I can move to another service free of charge. Upon trying to change my ticket it seems that "free of charge" means they will generously waive the admin fee they would normally charge for swapping things around. I still need to pay full price for the new ticket (minus money already paid). The only tickets now available are the ordinary walk-up fare, which may not have been the case if I'd been able to book the alternate service months ago.

Am I stuck with this? I had a cheap advance ticket and, having cancelled my train, they are telling me the options are (a) pay double for a less convenient service, (b) don't travel and get a refund.

 

[Watershed]

LNER are completely wrong to be misleading you over your rights in this way. First of all, you're automatically entitled to take the train before or after without needing to change your ticket - which in the case of an LNER Advance for this route, would usually be the day before or after. Alternatively, since there is no same-day LNER alternative all the way, if you still wanted to travel on the booked day, ScotRail would be obliged to accept your ticket as you would otherwise be stranded.

Alternatively you can choose to have LNER reissue your ticket for another date of your convenience, free of charge, under Article 16 of the Passenger Rights and Obligations Regulation. This is also effectively copied into the National Rail Conditions of Travel by virtue of condition 28.3 - although I wouldn't put it beyond LNER to try and argue that your train has been cancelled rather than delayed and so this clause doesn't apply (even though you would be delayed by 24 hours by waiting for the next LNER train that you can take under your ticket).

Regardless of which option you go for, LNER are bang out of order in pushing people towards any option that involves paying extra. Really the ORR should be investigating and putting a stop to this - it seems quite likely that LNER are in breach of their licence obligations through their actions - but sadly they seem to think that having a broader range of station facilities is a more important task to focus on

 

[Zoner]

Thanks, I will need to look in to it a bit more. I was on the direct KGX to Aviemore train but LNER seem to have removed that service from the timetable completely, not just cancelled it on the days I am due to travel. Getting a later train does not help me, I would need to be on the service before, which is now a journey with 2 changes at Edinburgh and Stirling.
The rail company websites seem to be quite consistent in just saying that you can have a refund if they cancel your booked train, but they do not share much information about what you can do if you still need to travel. Such information as there is seems to assume you're on a route with a regular service.

Unfortunately looking at the T&C's for advance tickets (https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/tick...tickets/advance-tickets-terms-and-conditions/) I cannot see that they help me. Refunds are available, and you can travel on the 'next available train' if 'delays occur while travelling' but I cannot find anything in black and white that entitles me to take the previous train.

 

[Haywain]

I was on the direct KGX to Aviemore train but LNER seem to have removed that service from the timetable completely, not just cancelled it on the days I am due to travel. Getting a later train does not help me, I would need to be on the service before, which is now a journey with 2 changes at Edinburgh and Stirling.
The rail company websites seem to be quite consistent in just saying that you can have a refund if they cancel your booked train, but they do not share much information about what you can do if you still need to travel. Such information as there is seems to assume you're on a route with a regular service.

Where a train is cancelled, and you hold an Advance ticket, you are permitted to travel on the train before or after your previously booked service. It is also worth checking the detail of what has happened to your booked service as the automated emails sometimes hide the fact that the train is still running for much of its booked route, although in your case I suspect it will have been cancelled north of Edinburgh.

 

[Wallsendmag]

I've had a ticket from London to Aviemore booked for later in January 2024. LNER emailed this morning to say they are cancelling the train but I can move to another service free of charge. Upon trying to change my ticket it seems that "free of charge" means they will generously waive the admin fee they would normally charge for swapping things around. I still need to pay full price for the new ticket (minus money already paid). The only tickets now available are the ordinary walk-up fare, which may not have been the case if I'd been able to book the alternate service months ago.

Am I stuck with this? I had a cheap advance ticket and, having cancelled my train, they are telling me the options are (a) pay double for a less convenient service, (b) don't travel and get a refund.

Can you share the email with us obviously redacting any personal info

 

[Mike99]

I had a look on Real Time Trains, the 12:00 departure from London Kings Cross operates through to Aviemore and onwards to Inverness up to Friday 26th January. From Monday 29th it operates to Edinburgh arr 16.24 and terminates. A rail replacement coach operates north from Edinburgh arrives Aviemore 21.24. However, there is a scotrail service at 17.25 from Edinburgh operating through to Inverness arrives at Aviemore at 20.20. Maybe something to ask LNER to see if your ticket would be valid on Scot Rail service. Otherwise might have to use the replacement coach

 

[Zoner]

Can you share the email with us obviously redacting any personal info

We’re sorry to let you know that due to a timetable change your selected train journey London Kings Cross to Aviemore on 29/01/2024: departing London Kings Cross at 12:00, arriving Aviemore at 19:26; has been cancelled.

Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience this may cause to your travel plans.

Your options
· Re-book an alternative train journey, between the same two stations, free of charge up to 48 hours either side of your original journey. You can do this from your account here https://www.lner.co.uk/my-account/my-bookings/booking-details/?TransactionNumber=.
· If you’d prefer to get a refund, you can do this here: https://www.lner.co.uk/my-account/my-bookings/booking-details/?TransactionNumber=
· If you had requested Passenger Assist, please get in touch with us to rearrange this, once you’ve chosen your new journey. Get in touch with our team to rebook: 03457 225 225 or full contact details can be found here.

Thank you for your understanding.

 

[TUC]

I had a look on Real Time Trains, the 12:00 departure from London Kings Cross operates through to Aviemore and onwards to Inverness up to Friday 26th January. From Monday 29th it operates to Edinburgh arr 16.24 and terminates. A rail replacement coach operates north from Edinburgh arrives Aviemore 21.24. However, there is a scotrail service at 17.25 from Edinburgh operating through to Inverness arrives at Aviemore at 20.20. Maybe something to ask LNER to see if your ticket would be valid on Scot Rail service. Otherwise might have to use the replacement coach

It does seem odd that LNER did not handle the matter by leaving the ticket in place, but advising it was now a REB between Edinburgh and Aviemore. I wonder if this is a case of the email to you being automatically generated by part of the journey showing on systems as technically having been cancelled?

 

[Haywain]

It does seem odd that LNER did not handle the matter by leaving the ticket in place,

The ticket wasn't cancelled.

I wonder if this is a case of the email to you being automatically generated by part of the journey showing on systems as technically having been cancelled?

Definitely an automatically generated email, based on the train having been part cancelled. It's a good system but far from perfect.

 

[TUC]

The ticket wasn't cancelled.

Clumsy wording on my part. However, if what was being offered was, rather than a straightforward recognition of validity on an alternative service, a requirement to pay an excess, it is difficult to regard the ticket in its current form/price as being treated by LNER as still valid.

 

[Wallsendmag]

You can have a free change to another ticket of the same type , unfortunately I don’t believe the timetable is available yet.

 

[Zoner]

Thanks for the replies so far. I have written to LNER expressing my surprise that their system is asking me to pay twice as much for a far less convenient journey and asking whether this might be a mistake. I will let you all know what they come back with.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Thanks for the replies so far. I have written to LNER expressing my surprise that their system is asking me to pay twice as much for a far less convenient journey and asking whether this might be a mistake. I will let you all know what they come back with.

I'd have a wild guess at this You can have a free change to another ticket of the same type , unfortunately I don’t believe the timetable is available yet.