Using alternative train company - do I have to pay more?

EdGasket

I need to get to Gatwick for a flight however the Southern service is unreliable due to continuing 'guard sickness' (aka industrial action). So instead I can use SW trains and great western HOWEVER I have been told I'd need to buy two tickets for that route which means the cost goes up from £24.80 to £61.20 !!!

So my question is, if I buy a normal ticket to Gatwick for £24.80 but find the Southern service is not running or severely delayed, am I entitled to use the other route at no extra cost?

yorkie2

When are you travelling?

wealdroam

Where are you travelling from?

EdGasket

Portsmouth to Gatwick this Friday. The normal route uses Southern Rail but an alternative route is via Guildford using SW trains and Gt. Western. If I have purchased a normal ticket for £24.80 return but find that Southern services are too disrupted to guarantee me getting to gatwick, can I use the other route at no extra cost? National Rail enquiries told me Id have to buy two seperate tickets to do that costing £61.20 but that doesn't seem right if the usual Southern service is not providing a service; why should I have to pay more for a longer, less convenient journey??

NBLondon

The answer to the most recent question is "Because it's a different supplier".

The answer to the first question is "Only if SouthWestern and GWR agree you can". If you've already got the ticket - it may well say something like "Only Valid on Southern trains" or "Valid on any route". The latter is usually more expensive.

The question you're really needing the answer to is - "If I turn up at the station on Friday and my planned train is cancelled by Southern - can I jump on the alternative service without queuing up again, paying again and possibly missing that train and hence my flight?" and the answer is still "Only if SouthWestern and GWR agree you can".

Which then leads to the question "If Southern cancel my train; then I have to get the alternative route and pay more - can I claim that money back from Southern?" I don't know definitely but my guess is they would only give you back the £24.80 you paid them - after some stalling.

EdGasket

NBLondon, your answer sounds technically correct though I wonder in practice if I just jump on the alternative service and tell the guard that is what I was advised to do due to the problems with Southern, then they would 'let it go'.

Andy_L

http://www.southernrailway.com/your-journey/strike#alternatives3

"Will I be able to use my ticket on other train operators’ services, the tube or London buses?
Thameslink, Southern and Gatwick Express will accept each other’s tickets on the strike days. Any tickets that are normally valid on other routes (such as oyster on the Tube) will of course continue to be valid as usual. Southern tickets will also be accepted as part of any reasonable journey on the following operators:

Southeastern (Southern tickets will not be accepted on high speed services)
South West Trains
London Overground
London Midland
London Underground (this includes journeys between London Victoria, London Blackfriars and London Bridge)
Croydon Tramlink
Great Western Railway"

Edit: that was for previous strikes, no reason why it won't be the same for Friday

EdGasket

Friday is not a strike day though.

I am referring to the ongoing disruption and lack of certainty that I will actually get to
Gatwick using Southern Trains. From the latest information on their web-site which has been like this for a long time now:

"
Southern services continue to be severely affected by train crew availability including a high level of conductor sickness, which is leading to some services being cancelled for part or all of their journey.
It is not practical to replace every cancelled service with a bus replacement and in many cases it will be most appropriate to wait for the next train that is running. This may mean longer delays at stations awaiting the next service. We strongly advise that before you leave for the station you visit the live departure boards page to check your journey.
On a single journey many Southern services will have one of more changes of conductor en-route. This is leading to a large number of services being cancelled for part of their journey. This is on top of the full cancellations to services that are also occuring as a result of the shortages. To help make things more predictable, a small number of train services will be pre-cancelled each day. A list of the services which have been pre-cancelled is available here.
Where Southern discover late notice crew issues, this may result in trains being delayed waiting for an alternative conductor to be arranged. If no alternative can be found, this can lead to a short notice cancellation. This is particularly disruptive to the train service as it requires that passengers must leave the train before it moves clear of the main lines, which takes time. While this is taking place, other train services can quickly become stuck in a queue or have to use alternative lines or platforms, causing further delay to trains."

wealdroam

Andy_L wrote: »

http://www.southernrailway.com/your-journey/strike#alternatives3

"Will I be able to use my ticket on other train operators’ services, the tube or London buses?
Thameslink, Southern and Gatwick Express will accept each other’s tickets on the strike days. Any tickets that are normally valid on other routes (such as oyster on the Tube) will of course continue to be valid as usual. Southern tickets will also be accepted as part of any reasonable journey on the following operators:

Southeastern (Southern tickets will not be accepted on high speed services)
South West Trains
London Overground
London Midland
London Underground (this includes journeys between London Victoria, London Blackfriars and London Bridge)
Croydon Tramlink
Great Western Railway"

Edit: that was for previous strikes, no reason why it won't be the same for Friday

Is there another strike on Friday then?

At the moment Southern trains are totally unreliable, strike or no strike.

If there is no strike on Friday, and I don't believe there is, then I do not think SWT will accept Southern tickets.

EdGasket

I can't remember ever seeing 'southern' on the ticket. It just looks like a normal return ticket from Portsmouth to Gatwick; no company specified.

wealdroam

Buy a return to Reigate via Guildford at £33.90, and a return from Reigate to Gatwick at £7.80.

Or even cheaper:
Portsmouth to Dorking Deepdene Off Peak Return at £28.70, and a Dorking Deepdene to Gatwick Anytime Return at £8.80.