trains cancelled - compensation

anniebea

My friend and I travelled on 11.22 train from Manchester to Glasgow on 1st March only for the train, operated by trans Pennine Express, to be terminated at Carlisle due to a broken down freight train blocking the line.

After standing for more than an hour and a half at the station with no sign of any replacement bus services we had no option other to get a taxi to Glasgow, and we were lucky to find two other people to share the £200 cost with. We had top price tickets to the Indoor European athletics championships which we would have missed if we hadn’t got a taxi. We also had athletics tickets in our possession for friends we were meeting in Glasgow, who also would have missed the event if we had not taken this action.

We put a claim in for train tickets and taxi fares, but were only credited back the train fare.

This was part of the reponse receieved
"I can appreciate your reasons for arranging alternative transport, but I understand you took this decision without first consulting alternative arrangements with a member of staff.
We do not normally meet such costs where we haven’t been consulted in advance and given the opportunity to resolve the matter with our suppliers, and sometimes dependent on the delay we may not even be in a position to run alternative transport. This is explained in the National Rail Conditions of Carriage, which explains the details of the contract between the customer and train operating company. Therefore, I regret that I must decline your request for reimbursement of your taxi fare on this occasion"


At Carlise most of the staff on the station did a runner when it was clear there was going to be a delay and no onward transport arrangements. I did ask for clarification on timing on the Trans Pennine Express twitter but was told there was no ETA for replacement transport. We did consult with a member of staff on the station concourse who said that buses would be coming but it was school run time and they had no idea when. I think we tried our best to find someone who could provide information .

I have asked TransPennine Express who I should have got this permission from? And where we could find them on the station considering most of the station staff mysteriously disappeared. The member of staff we spoke to did not advise us that we had to get any prior permission, and in fact one Virgin Train person said he could contact his mate who was a taxi driver.

Can anyone enlighten me in such circumstance who is the relavnt person I should have sought permission, in the circumstances we tried our best to follow process and depsite trying we were let down by lack of information from Transpennine Express station and station staff to ask.

Thanks

Anne

Kite2010

Send a letter before action to claim it back under the consumer rights act 2015. I believe it comes under section 49 " rights where a service is not performed with reasonable care and skill".


And if that doesn't work, taking them to court will probably be worthwhile in your case.

antonic

Google for rail forums uk and post in the fares and disputes section and ask the question there.

stragglebod

antonic wrote: »

Google for rail forums uk and post in the fares and disputes section and ask the question there.

This. They have industry experts posting who will give you far better advice than we can.

Voyager2002

What is supposed to happen is that the station staff order your taxi and take care of the payment. Since they failed to do so you really had no option but to make your own arrangements. When something similar happened to me last year I had to involve my MP, and I did eventually get a refund of my taxi fare.