Elizabeth Line Engineering works - Closed stations and ticket acceptance?

[2R84]

Today I find myself travelling on the return portion of a National rail open return ticket to Hanwell station.

Due to engineering works, Hanwell (and West Ealing which would also leave me within walking distance of my destination) stations are both closed.

If I put the journey into a NR journey planned today I get no journeys available. I assume I wouldn’t be sold a ticket to Hanwell from a ticket office today?

There doesn’t seem to be any published replacement bus service or ticket acceptance in place? Local buses will get me to my destination but leave me out of pocket.

Is this really the case or am I missing something?

 

[ThameslinkUser]

HANWELL STATION: Sunday 14 January, the station is closed. Please use local London Buses services.

(my bolding) it's not explicitly clear as to whether this is ticket acceptance, however it is also not explicitly denying ticket accapetance, which could work in your favour as I think showing a bus driver the TfL website saying this plus an orange NR ticket would probably be enough to allow travel

Tube, Overground, Elizabeth line, DLR & Tram status updates - Transport for London

tfl.gov.uk

 

[JonathanH]

With Oyster and Contactless, users directed to local buses are just expected to pay the additional fare. With paper tickets, any advice of ticket acceptance on other means should be presented as authority to travel.

Given the majority of users at Hanwell would be anticipated to be travelling on Oyster or Contactless, it is fairly straightforward to just tell people to use local buses, or alternative routes.

I assume I wouldn’t be sold a ticket to Hanwell from a ticket office today?

You wouldn't be sold one with an itinerary, but a ticket machine which isn't based on a journey planner interface will sell you a ticket to Hanwell.

However, if the railway wasn't advertising a service to Hanwell when the ticket was sold, it is fairly difficult to argue that it has to provide any alternative service to that station.