Train Delays guide discussion 16 July 2014 at 4:40PM edited 28 July 2014 at 3:34PM in Public transport & cycling 71 replies 34.8K views

Former_MSE_Rebecca

Hi all,

We've written a new Train Delays guide for the website and we'd love your feedback.

How did you find the info? Was it useful? Do you have any other tips you'd add?

Thanks for your help!

MSE Rebecca

Mobeer

"What if my train is delayed and I miss a connection?"

If you have 2 tickets A -> B and B -> C and are late arriving at B you can claim A -> B but can only claim if B -> C if the train you actually catch is delayed; can't claim for missing the train B -> C.

If you have just one ticket then it's the delay over the entire journey A -> C that counts.


"The trains are running fine, but I've now decided not to travel. What are my options?"
Some companies will automatically refund uncollected tickets; check their web sites.


"How can I keep my ticket to claim a refund if I need to hand it in at my arrival station?"
Got a camera phone? - take a photo for use in online delay repay claims


"What are train companies responsible for?"

Some of the items in the "won't claim" list will be paid for by the train company at their discretion; always claim.



"You'll usually get your refund in National Rail vouchers, not cash"

But some companies will refund their vouchers at the station (e.g. Southern)


"What if I paid for a first class seat, but can't get into first class on a replacement train?"

The advice should also cover if first class is declassified; in that case a refund can be claimed for the difference between first and standard ticket prices.



Southern Rail Delay Repay:
The figures are wrong for Return tickets, correct values are here:
http://www.southernrailway.com/your-journey/customer-services/delay-repay/

richardw

Should this be in public transport forum?

agrinnall

richardw wrote: »

Should this be in public transport forum?

Yes, yet another faux pas by MSE staff to start a thread on completely the wrong board.

guy_bagnall

I had a delay on Eurostar on May 21st London-Paris. Arrival time was 18.53 in Paris and the train stopped on the platform at 19.54. I rang Customer Service and they said no refund as the 'sensor' they use outside the station said the delay was only 55 minutes. The point is it was not possible to get off the train at the sensor, and the real delay was just over the hour, which should trigger compensation. What is the point of having a sensor to record delays if it bears no relation to the ACTUAL delay. The ticket says 18.53 arrival - it should be arrival time that is relevant.

Johnjdc

Hi (old poster, hopefully temporary new account, password issues!)

I am in a state of confusion. Guide is great, but it doesn't seem to solve my problem. I was delayed for exactly an hour on a long journey last week. The main part of the journey was on a Virgin train, but the delay was on a connecting Northern Rail service.

The Northern Rail site tells me I have to claim from the company who sold me the ticket (I have no idea which company that was, it was the machine in the station - may have been a Virgin branded one but I can't say for sure). The Virgin site tells me I should claim from the company on whose train I experienced the delay.

Which is it?!

Mobeer

Nothing in the Northern Rail "Claim for a delay" form says that the company who sold the ticket is significant.

Similarly the National Rail Conditions of Carriage section 42 on "Compensation for Delays" makes no mention of who sold the ticket, only the train company.

Johnjdc

Thanks - I guess that's the answer. To clarify why I was confused... not allowed to post links but...

I got to a PDF claim form on the Northern Rail website which says "Please note that we only process refunds for tickets bought from Northern Rail".

On the National Rail website (72098.aspx) the "Passenger Rights to Refunds & Compensation" section says "To get your refund you should return your ticket to the retailer it was bought from (including online third-party retailers such as The Trainline or RedSpottedHanky),"

tonyhus

I have bought tickets to travel on 8/9/10 July to Cardiff from Bristol.No trains running due to strike,can train line.com still charge me £10 refund charge per journey? I haven't cancelled, first great western have.Where do I stand?

twistedwheelnut

I understand about claiming for a train that is delayed during its journey, but what about late departures...
If you have an open ticket, which could be used on any train, and you do not have a booking on any train, can you still claim if the train arrives late because it departed late?
For example, I arrive at Euston aiming to catch a train to Manchester at 18:00, which should arrive in Manchester at 20.10. When I get to the station, I find that this train's departure is delayed by 45 mins.
There is another train at 18:35 which should arrive in Manchester at 20:45, so I decide to catch this (I've got an open ticket, so no reservation).
If I catch this second train, I will be arriving in Manchester 35 mins later than planned (because I should have been there at 20.10). Can I claim that I was delayed for >30 mins? And if so, how do I prove that I intended to catch the 18:00 train if i don't have a reservation?

If I had been on the train I originally planned to get (the 18:00), which eventually leaves 45 mins late, and gets to Manchester 45 mins late at 20:55, I would have been able to claim a >30 min delay for this journey.
However, the train I actually caught would appear as being 'on-time', but my arrival time at my final destination was delayed, even though the train i travelled on was 'on-time'. As I didn't have a reservation on either train, can I still claim a >30 min delay.
(sorry for the complicated description, but this is something that has happened to me!)
Thanks

Mobeer

twistedwheelnut, you can claim for the 35 minute delay.
Should have departed at 18:00 and arrived at 20:10, actually arrived 20:45, so the delay is clear.

There's no need to prove any intentions, just state them honestly when making the claim.