Tyne & Wear Metro refusing to accept National Rail tickets between Newcastle and Heworth/Sunderland

[DanNCL]

Would appear that Tyne & Wear Metro have started refusing to accept National Rail tickets on the route between Newcastle and Heworth/Sunderland where Metro and National Rail tickets are supposed to be mutually accepted. A friend has used a National Rail ticket (the ticket in question is a Tyne & Tees Day Ranger) on Metro between Newcastle Central and Heworth, as allowed by the mutual acceptance of tickets between Metro and Northern on that route, and has been stopped at the gateline at Heworth Metro and forced to buy a new ticket. The gateline staff at Heworth did not tell him which ticket he supposedly needed to buy, and as he is not familiar with Metro ended up buying a more expensive ticket than needed from the TVM. Of course he shouldn't have needed to buy a new ticket at all, as Metro are supposed to accept National Rail tickets between Newcastle and Heworth. What is the best plan of action in this case, and what rights does he have to a refund on the additional ticket that Metro wrongly made him purchase? I know that the standard National Rail T&Cs don't apply on Metro, so I'm not sure what rights (if any) he has in this case.

Many thanks.

 

[DanNCL]

The policy, as Nexus themselves quoted to me when I enquired directly to them a few years ago, is that all National Rail tickets (apart from fixed train advances) that are valid on Northern for that journey are also valid on Metro for that same journey, so would include a rover, although you wouldn't think that from what Metro say on their own website as you mention.

 

[yorkie]

There is full inter-availability between National Rail and Nexus ticketing between Sunderland & Newcastle (including intermediately at Heworth).

This applies to any operator (including LNER) and any valid product along the route.

 

[scrapy]

If

There is full inter-availability between National Rail and Nexus ticketing between Sunderland & Newcastle (including intermediately at Heworth).

This applies to any operator (including LNER) and any valid product along the route.

If this is the case then this information should be available publicly. It's a poor show that it is not mentioned on the National Rail rovers and rangers page for valid products or the Metro website. It would be just as easy to put 'we accept all national rail products' as 'we accept all singles and returns' by just specifying singles and returns it suggests other products are excluded. I certainly wouldn't have taken the chance if I was a passenger with a ranger and would have probably purchased a new ticket. It wouldn't surprise me if the metro staff who said a new ticket was required got their information from a version of the website also.

 

[yorkie]

Yes it should be made more obvious

Though I would expect staff inspecting tickets to know the rules.

 

[DanNCL]

There is full inter-availability between National Rail and Nexus ticketing between Sunderland & Newcastle (including intermediately at Heworth).

This applies to any operator (including LNER) and any valid product along the route.

If

If this is the case then this information should be available publicly. It's a poor show that it is not mentioned on the National Rail rovers and rangers page for valid products or the Metro website. It would be just as easy to put 'we accept all national rail products' as 'we accept all singles and returns' by just specifying singles and returns it suggests other products are excluded. I certainly wouldn't have taken the chance if I was a passenger with a ranger and would have probably purchased a new ticket. It wouldn't surprise me if the metro staff who said a new ticket was required got their information from a version of the website also.

Yes it should be made more obvious

Though I would expect staff inspecting tickets to know the rules.

Thank you for the replies. What should I advise my friend to do about this?

I personally don't think it's an unreasonable assumption to make that a day ticket would be valid by what the Nexus website says, especially as Metro don't sell return tickets and make you buy a Day Saver if you want to make a return tirp.

I would also hope staff checking tickets would know the rules, although unfortunately it doesn't surprise me with Nexus, they're an incompetent organisation at the best of times.

 

[alistairlees]

Thank you for the replies. What should I advise my friend to do about this?

I personally don't think it's an unreasonable assumption to make that a day ticket would be valid by what the Nexus website says, especially as Metro don't sell return tickets and make you buy a Day Saver if you want to make a return tirp.

I would also hope staff checking tickets would know the rules, although unfortunately it doesn't surprise me with Nexus, they're an incompetent organisation at the best of times.

I suggest he writes to Nexus in the first place. Just a polite factual letter explaining the situation and asking for a reimbursement of the cost of the ticket he was asked to buy. If that is unsuccessful, then additional steps can be considered.

 

[robbeech]

Though I would expect staff inspecting tickets to know the rules.

I think we’ve been using the railway long enough to know that is increasingly unlikely to be the case.

 

[185143]

I successfully used a Northern (staff) family and friends day ticket on the Metro a couple of years ago. Tweeted them on the way up to Sunderland asking if it was valid and was told something along the lines of "yes that's fine, buzz the help point if you have any issues". I had no problems whatsoever, though it was just a simple Sunderland-Newcastle single journey.

There is full inter-availability between National Rail and Nexus ticketing between Sunderland & Newcastle (including intermediately at Heworth).

This applies to any operator (including LNER) and any valid product along the route.

Would that mean a Northern F&F ticket is valid on LNER on that stretch then?

 

[40068]

DanNCL, get your friend to email Nexus at: [email protected]

Attach a scan of the ticket and explain what happened and that he would like a refund. Also give name and address as any refunds are normally via cheques.

 

[gray1404]

I'd also attach a copy of the National Rail ticket that was refused as proof that he had already paid for his journey.

 

[DanNCL]

I suggest he writes to Nexus in the first place. Just a polite factual letter explaining the situation and asking for a reimbursement of the cost of the ticket he was asked to buy. If that is unsuccessful, then additional steps can be considered.

DanNCL, get your friend to email Nexus at: [email protected]

Attach a scan of the ticket and explain what happened and that he would like a refund. Also give name and address as any refunds are normally via cheques.

I'd also attach a copy of the National Rail ticket that was refused as proof that he had already paid for his journey.

Thank you, I will advise him to do this, once I know the outcome I will update the thread.

 

[yorkie]

I understand that Metro are dealing with the matter internally and so I expect a satisfactory outcome to be reached.

Do keep us updated