Train cancellation issue

[mrmartin]

Hi, my friend usually gets the 0507 Cardiff to Paddington as it's super off peak. They have a huge history of buying this train in their GWR account, probably 2-3 times a month.

Today it was cancelled. My friend got to the station in time but saw it was cancelled and went to get a coffee - understandable given the very early start - they'd have a taxi receipt to show they were at the station in good time.

They are not as au fait with ticketing so asked the staff who wouldn't let them buy the super off peak and board the 0554 (as far as I know, I'm still confirming). They then bought an anytime single which at £140 is 3 times the amount of the super off peak.

But as a general point what should happen in this circumstance? Obviously I'd recommend they buy the ticket before departure regardless of cancellation. But what are the technical rules on this?

Also, do you think a delay repay would succeed in the event there is no ground to contest this? As it was over 30 minutes 'delayed' it would be a 50% refund, so actually bringing it close to the price of a super off peak single.

Edit to add - I'm wrong in my assumptions of what happened, basically they panicked and bought an advance single on the app as it was saying tickets were running out. People were being let on the 0554 with super off peak tickets.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

@mrmartin. Which specific train service did your friend actually buy their (advance) single for, and how much did they pay?

Presume the ticket was only bought this morning after arrival at the station.

 

[Haywain]

Unfortunately for your friend, it's difficult to argue that you are entitled to use a Super Off Peak ticket if it wasn't held at the departure time of the train that was cancelled. I fear that a Delay Repay claim would not be well received either, when it is a claim against a tickt that was valid on the later train.

 

[mrmartin]

@mrmartin. Which specific train service did your friend actually buy their (advance) single for, and how much did they pay?

Presume the ticket was only bought this morning after arrival at the station.

I'll check, but I think the problem is as follows.

Friend uses Trainline - though I think many TOC platforms have similar behaviour.

They usually buy ticket on the trainline app in the cab on the way to the station to save time - and avoid buying a ticket the day before if plans change, which is rare but can happen.

However, if the train is cancelled there is no option to buy a ticket for that cancelled train, so my friend panicked, saw the next train was 'low availability' - which really means low availability of the £1 cheaper advances - which is total BS - and bought that instead.

Clearly the best option is to just buy a paper super off peak return from the machine (if you can at that time of day - if not the ticket office is closed then?).

So I'm actually not sure what the best option is here.

Unfortunately for your friend, it's difficult to argue that you are entitled to use a Super Off Peak ticket if it wasn't held at the departure time of the train that was cancelled. I fear that a Delay Repay claim would not be well received either, when it is a claim against a tickt that was valid on the later train.

I was hoping GWR might be reasonable and see that given the taxi got there in good time before the 0505 and a huge history of buying super off peak returns for that service they may side with them?

 

[bcarmicle]

I think there is no entitlement to delay repay, but it is worth writing to customer services and pointing out that if GWR had operated the service as timetabled, your friend would have spent less money and not been delayed, and asking for a goodwill gesture.

 

[AlterEgo]

They should have just bought a super off peak at the ticket machine and travelled on the train. They cannot be penalised in such a situation.

 

[mrmartin]

They should have just bought a super off peak at the ticket machine and travelled on the train. They cannot be penalised in such a situation.

Yes I know. Would the ticket machine sell that ticket at that time though or would it be restricted to 'peak' times (ie is the easement for that train in the system)?

I think it's quite obvious to us ticket nerds what should go on, but when I look through the eyes of eg trainline it's very hard to know that is even possible - given they don't allow you to buy tickets for that particular service on the app whatsoever.

 

[AlterEgo]

Yes I know. Would the ticket machine sell that ticket at that time though or would it be restricted to 'peak' times (ie is the easement for that train in the system)?

I think it's quite obvious to us ticket nerds what should go on, but when I look through the eyes of eg trainline it's very hard to know that is even possible - given they don't allow you to buy tickets for that particular service on the app whatsoever.

I don't know if the GWR machines are journey planner ones but a "dumb" machine would be able to do it. Or just select a train online which is within the Super Off Peak times (in the afternoon, for example).

 

[Hadders]

I don't know if the GWR machines are journey planner ones but a "dumb" machine would be able to do it. Or just select a train online which is within the Super Off Peak times (in the afternoon, for example).

Not necessarily. The 'dumb' TVMs at my local station won't sell off-peak tickets until a time at which it is considered valid.

 

[MCR247]

I don't know if the GWR machines are journey planner ones but a "dumb" machine would be able to do it. Or just select a train online which is within the Super Off Peak times (in the afternoon, for example).

A lot will sell them, but with a big warning popping up beforehand saying that the ticket isn’t valid until xx:xx and where to look up more details on restrictions

 

[island]

I don't think there are any entitlements here as no ticket was held at the time the cancellation became known. Would be advisable to buy ahead of time in future (and not on trainline thereby avoiding booking fees).

 

[mrmartin]

I don't think there are any entitlements here as no ticket was held at the time the cancellation became known. Would be advisable to buy ahead of time in future (and not on trainline thereby avoiding booking fees).

There's no booking fees on open returns on trainline.

 

[MrJeeves]

There's no booking fees on open returns on trainline.

There are if your outbound travel isn't the day you book.