Manchester to Workington via Barrow

[Rail Bus]

Please if anyone can advise I would much appreciate it

Back in December me and a friend purchased advance purchase tickets for Saturday 16th February from Manchester to Barrow.

We booked on the 8.46am dep at Piccadilly arr Barrow 11.04 TPE service. Our intention then was to board the Northern departure to at Barrow at 11.22to Workington

We were very much looking forward to this as neither of us had done the Cumbria coast before and we were going to watch our local football team in action at Workington. When we booked our tickets both TPE and Northern services were running as per timetable.

Our return journey was to depart Workington at 17.21 arr Barrow 19.03 for our booked TPE dep at 19.33 back to Manchester. All great stuff

Only today have we been told (and only by chance) that the trains between Workington and Barrow are in part replaced by buses and that being the case we would miss our booked connection to Manchester!!

We were horrified, being stranded in Barrow! But when we booked these tickets we double checked the connections and that the trains were running.

TPE have been totally unhelpful saying it isnt anything to do with them (are the two services not at least trying to connect with each other). They would not refund our tickets or even let us change them (even to Carlisle with us paying the difference)

What a way to run a rail service, I shall think twice about using either TPE or Northern again, its a scandal. Surely if you book an advance ticket with the intention of catching a advertised connection, if said connection is cancelled you should be allowed to cancel or alter your journey accordingly?

Anyway we have had to at the last minute book an alternative journey back at the additional cost of £32 back via Carlisle

But bitter taste, and what are our rights in this situation? And why couldn't TPE part refund or allow us to change our journey (they run to Carlisle). Also how can Northern cancel trains at such short notice thus not providing advertised connections?

Look forward to you advise

 

[yorkie]

Our return journey was to depart Workington at 17.21 arr Barrow 19.03 for our booked TPE dep at 19.33 back to Manchester. All great stuff

If the trains that you and the Train Companies agreed for you to catch, as per your booking, do not run, you have the right to a full refund from the point of sale. It is unclear to me where you booked the tickets?

Alternatively if you do travel, and are delayed, you may be entitled to compensation, depending on the extent of the delay. You would not be "stranded". In the event of the last train of the day being missed, alternative transport would be provided.

 

[gnolife]

Based on you travelling from Manchester, and saying you're watching your local team play, I'd guess that you'd be an fellow Alty fan

As for your ticket situation, Northern, or TransPennine Express would have been obliged to provide a taxi from Barrow, if you hadn't have booked the other ticket via Carlisle. This right is given in the Conditions of Carriage, specifically number 43, which states

43. Help from Train Companies if you are stranded
If disruption caused by circumstances within the control of a Train Company or a Rail Service Company leaves you stranded before you have reached your destination printed on or stored on your ticket, and the Train Company whose trains you are entitled to use is unable to get you to that destination by other means, any Train Company which is in a position to help will, if it reasonably can, either arrange to get you to that destination, or provide overnight accommodation for you.

 

[VauxhallandI]

Based on you travelling from Manchester, and saying you're watching your local team play, I'd guess that you'd be an fellow Alty fan

As for your ticket situation, Northern, or TransPennine Express would have been obliged to provide a taxi from Barrow, if you hadn't have booked the other ticket via Carlisle. This right is given in the Conditions of Carriage, specifically number 43, which states

We're everywhere.....

Bring on the Alty.

14.15 Kings Cross to Cambridge today weather permitting.

 

[maniacmartin]

Do you already have the tickets for onward travel from Barrow, or were you planning to buy them later?

 

[Rail Bus]

yes I am an Alty fan

No we do not have tickets for onward travel from Barrow

The advance purchase tickets were for Manchester - Barrow return and were booked on the TPE website

When we booked the TPE tickets the Northern connection from/to Workington was running - now it is not, replaced by a bus which does not connect to our booked TPE service

 

[hairyhandedfool]

If you had bought the tickets to Workington as part of the same transaction or on the same ticket you would be entitled to a refund though Condition 26, however as it stands, you are not entitled to anything because the disruption is not on a route for which you hold a ticket. Having already contacted TPE about a refund, I'm not sure there is a way of getting that refund without potential legal implications.

 

[maniacmartin]

If you had bought the tickets to Workington as part of the same transaction or on the same ticket you would be entitled to a refund though Condition 26, however as it stands, you are not entitled to anything because the disruption is not on a route for which you hold a ticket. Having already contacted TPE about a refund, I'm not sure there is a way of getting that refund without potential legal implications.

I agree with HHF's analysis, except that I'm not sure whether it would have to be the same transaction, but I do believe the tickets to Workington would have bought prior to the disruption being announced to claim under condition 26.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Well, strictly speaking I suppose they don't have to be in the same transaction, but if you buy them from different vendors then you would have to apply for the refunds separately and that may get you back to square one, much simpler to do it in one go.