Travelling by Train on Xmas Eve - Help

parky0607

I am coming home for xmas on xmas eve and the best way to do this 175 mile journey was via rail. I have booked my tickets for the last train as these were substantially cheaper than the journey before, and fit in with my plans. I am going to change 3 times and at each change I get 10 mins to catch the next one. I am travelling with 3 different train companies but purchased the tickets through Virgin.

However, I am really concerned that if one of the trains is delayed I will miss all of the next trains. Does anyone know what would happen if this happened? Would they provide compensation in taxi fare? Or offer a hotel for the night? I have read the Ts & Cs on the ticket, however they are pretty vague. They do specify that if the train is delayed I can be refunded for that part of the journey but does not specify compensation for the entire train journey.

Obviously if this did happen, I wouldn't be too bothered about getting refunded the train ticket, I would be more bothered about getting compensated for the taxi journey home and of course actually getting home.

Coincidentally I do have annual travel insurance with Virgin - would this cover it maybe?

dzug1

You say 'tickets' - do you mean that or is it one ticket for the complete journey? The answer is the same in either case but can be more difficult to enforce if you've split tickets.

If things go badly wrong they should provide alternative transport. Obviously this depends on there being empowered staff at the station where you get stuck though.

Gordon_Hose

Always a risk taking the very last train. I got stranded in Charlton, after seeing a show at the O2, because the train was cancelled due to it being a crime scene! Someone got knifed.

The_ICT_Engineer

The rail companies are duty bound to get you to destination or provide accommodation, If your train is running late, Go and speak to the guard, He can then call ahead to the station where you are changing trains. When on the odd time a late running train results in missing my connection. A taxi has been waiting (Paid direct by the rail company on account) to take me on to my destination, Furthermore I'am dropped at my door.

Empty_pockets

Hate to say it but their may well be disruption. There is considerable work going on this christmas and due to it being silly season, general mischief can cause all sort of train running problems.

Regardless, as you have purchased a ticket, you are guaranteed to make your journey even though it may be disrupted. Just make yourself known to train/station staff.

Altarf

Empty_pockets wrote: »

as you have purchased a ticket, you are guaranteed to make your journey even though it may be disrupted

But they said they had purchased "tickets", not a "ticket". And add to this that they said that at each of the changes there is only 10 minutes to catch the next train.

Now if they have bought one ticket and the booking system has suggested the 10 minutes to change at each of the three stations, then if something goes wrong (which is horribly likely), then the train company should sort something out.

But if they have booked separate train tickets and despite the system suggesting longer times to change, for whatever reason they have chosen shorter times, then I suspect that they are going to have very big problem indeed.

Hintza

OP hope you enjoy Christamas at Crewe ........:eek:

Madness!

spiro

Altarf wrote: »

But they said they had purchased "tickets", not a "ticket". And add to this that they said that at each of the changes there is only 10 minutes to catch the next train.

Now if they have bought one ticket and the booking system has suggested the 10 minutes to change at each of the three stations, then if something goes wrong (which is horribly likely), then the train company should sort something out.

But if they have booked separate train tickets and despite the system suggesting longer times to change, for whatever reason they have chosen shorter times, then I suspect that they are going to have very big problem indeed.

Agree it will depend on the number of tickets they have purchased (1,2 3 or 4). What are the 4 sections of your journey?

AirlieBird

spiro wrote: »

Agree it will depend on the number of tickets they have purchased (1,2 3 or 4). What are the 4 sections of your journey?

Disagree that it will depend on the number of tickets purchased. Multiple tickets are and should be counted as a single journey provided the train stops at each destination on each ticket. What matters is if the OP has allowed a connection time of at least the official minimum at each station (s)he changes at.

Altarf

AirlieBird wrote: »

Disagree that it will depend on the number of tickets purchased.

Multiple tickets are and should be counted as a single journey provided the train stops at each destination on each ticket.

You are correct, but would you want to rely on the railway staff knowing that and agreeing with you, when you have missed the last train on Christmas Eve.

AirlieBird wrote: »

What matters is if the OP has allowed a connection time of at least the official minimum at each station (s)he changes at.

And if they haven't, then I hope they are either taking a sleeping bag to bed down at the station, or a big pile of cash for a taxi.

parky0607

Thanks for the advice, good and bad haha! I purchased my ticket as a single journey through the virgin website (i.e from A to , not as multiple seperate journeys (i.e from A to B, B to C, C to D etc). However the tickets have arrived as 4 individual tickets for each leg of the journey.

The whole journey was automatically compiled and generated by the Virgin website so the 'allowing an official minimum connection time' shouldn't be my fault should it?