Must go "as far as possible" with TOC on ticket despite missing last connection

[gray1404]

Sadly it can work the other way. I was once travelling from Milton Keynes Central to Liverpool on a WMT Advance. Problems with WMT meant that my train was cancelled and if I was told by WMT staff that I had to go as far as possible on WMT (i.e. to Crewe) and from there I'd have to ask the station staff to arrange a taxi for me - as it was clear that by the time I'd get to Crewe with WMT there would be no more services to Liverpool with any TOC. I thought this was stupid advice given it was still possible to complete the entire journey by train if I was able to use Virgin Trains. Thankfully a word with VT platform staff resulted in the train manager of the next VT allowing me to travel to Crewe and I was able to get a connection to complete my journey.

I understand that during disruption you have to stick to the routing or TOC of your ticket (and it doesn't become an Any Permitted all of a sudden). However, I do have a limit whereby I will not accept bad advise if it is going to leave me stranded. I am of the view that it is better to complete a journey by train if possible then end up having to be at the mercy of a TOC provided taxi.

As it also happened in the above situation I had a separate ticket for onaward travel with Merseyrail.

Thoughts please.....

If a passenger has a ticket that is restricted to a certain TOC but delays/cancellations/disruption occurs, surely it is bad advise to be told to travel as far as possible with that TOC if that will be you won't make it to your final destination before the last train of the day?

Surely if other TOCs services are still running it is better to make use of those services to get to one's destination rather then knowingly leave a passenger stranded? I have been refused taxi's in the past to my final destination when I have been entitled to one, moreover when using split tickets, and the above strategy puts a passenger in a situation whereby by have to rely on being provided with a taxi? Surely this is best avoided if possible.....

 

[ASharpe]

Is that just some internal rule that some TOCs have made up?

I would have thought this part of the NRCoT would come into effect as soon as you are prevented from completing your journey.

28.2. Where disruption prevents you from completing the journey for which your ticket is valid and is being used, any Train Company will, where it reasonably can, provide you with alternative means of travel to your destination, or if necessary provide overnight accommodation for you.

The older Conditions of Carriage did refer to being stranded and the TOC the ticket is valid on being unable to help you before you could resort to assistance from another TOC, perhaps the advice you were given was based upon those old requirements.

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.

 

[PeterC]

It sounds perfectly reasonable if the only alternative would be a taxi all the way from MK but not in your specific scenario.

Were these staff on the station who would, hopefully, be aware of the VT service or a call centre?