Scottish Local Easements

[Hadders]

I'm having some email ping pong with Serco Caledonian Sleeper over the validity of the local easements on the sleeper service (I want to use the return portion of a London - Kyle of Lochalsh off-peak return ticket on the Fort William southbound sleeper).

They aren't denying that the easement used to exist but can't find anything current.

Are the Scottish Easements mentioned in iKB and if so where so I can point them in the right direction.

 

[D6975]

Oh dear, the Kyle/Mallaig interchangability easement does appear to have vanished, doesn't it.
It's not alone either, the similar Pembroke Dock/Milford Haven one appears to have gone too.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Thats a sad loss if it has, given that the revenue loss would have been tiny as doing these places the responsibilitty on the customer from Malaig to Kyle and there are no railway related product add ons e.g salerail for the Calmac Leg or Plusbus for the trip over sky which unless your clever with planning round the buses may have to be done by bike, hitching or a taxi anyway.

Not aquainted with the Welsh 1 so unable to comment

 

[Merseysider]

Is it something like this you're after?

 

[Hadders]

Is it something like this you're after?

I've already sent them this but I'm looking for something a bit more official rathe than something lifted from an Internet forum. I'm hoping it's in iKB somewhere.

 

[greatkingrat]

There is no mention of the easement in the iKB. I don't think it has ever been in there though. Ultimately it was a ScotRail easement and there is no reason why Serco have to honour it. I suspect there may be revenue-sharing issues that didn't matter when it was all one company.

The West Wales easement however is still listed, all tickets from east of Carmarthen are interchangeable between the Pembroke Dock / Milford Haven / Fishguard Harbour branches.

 

[kkong]

Is it something like this you're after?

That ScotRail Local Routeing Guide page (but obviously not the hand-written addition) was certainly included in the old paper National Fares Manuals.

 

[Hadders]

An update.

Caledonian Sleeper claim the Local Easement aren't valid:

Caledonian Sleeper
Hello Hadders,

Thank you for clarifying the dates of the information you have received.

Having spent further time since my last correspondence investigating, we have been unable to see any information relating to easement other than what was provided in my last email.

The latest information has been identified by both the National Rail Routing Guide, Routing Maps as supplied by ATOC and the internal National Rail Information Guides which provide all easement details for all UK routes.

To this we conclude we cannot permit travel with your London Terminals to/from Kyle of Lochalsh tickets from Fort William, but can accept them from Glasgow, Inverness, Aberdeen and Edinburgh.

If you wish to make a reservation on these services or have further queries, please do not hesitate in getting in touch.

Regards
Guest Ambassador

Abellio Scotrail take a different view:

Abellio Scotrail
Dear Hadders

Thank you for your email dated 5 June 2015.

I can confirm that the ScotRail Local Routeing Guide remains in place and therefore you are entitled to use the return portion of your ticket from London Terminals to Kyle of Lochalsh to travel from Mallaig.

Thank you for contacting Scotrail.

Yours sincerely
Customer Relations Advisor

I have written back to Caledonian Sleeper asking them to reconsider their response.