Delay Repay - Can I Claim?

organic_wanabe

Today (Thursday 25th) I was due to travel at 18.00 from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh with LNER. Yesterday (Wednesday 24th) I received an email from LNER, sent at 19.10, regarding likely travel problems on the 25th due to the excessive heat and urging passengers to use their tickets to travel on another day. I really wanted to arrive in Edinburgh today (25th) for a wedding tomorrow (26th). I kept checking the LNER website and the delays seemed to be only 35 minutes to allow for the trains to go slow between London and Peterborough.

However, when I arrived at Kings Cross around 17.15 the situation had changed and I found that most trains had been cancelled on the East Coast Main Line. This was due to damaged overhead electric lines and LNER was apologising to travellers for the rail chaos. People on twitter were complaining about being stuck for hours in trains at Peterborough without air-conditioning.

At 18.00 my train was still on the board but staff said that it would be cancelled like the others. LNER updates advised against all travel. At 18.35 with no further information forthcoming I decided that there was no point waiting around in the hot, busy station with dozens of trains cancelled. I decided that I would try to get an early train tomorrow (26th) in the hope of managing to get to the wedding reception although it means I will miss the actual ceremony .

Later in my flat I looked at the Arrivals at Edinburgh Waverley which stated:
18.00 LKX dep 18.49
18.45 P’borough Cancelled
19.08 Newark Cancelled
19.28 Doncaster Cancelled
19.49 York dep 22.27
20.20 Darlington dep 23.00
20.37 Durham exp 23.20
20.48 Newcastle exp 23.32
21.34 Berwick upon Tweed exp 00.15
22.19 Edinburgh Waverley exp 00.55

Does this mean train left Kings Cross 48 minutes late or, since it shows cancelled at the first 3 stations, did it only start it's journey at York? Whatever it certainly seems to be arriving at Edinburgh 2 hours and 35 minutes later than scheduled.

My question is will I qualify for Delay Repay.? I booked a specific train 3 months in advance and had hoped to arrive today (25th) at 22.19. If that train did indeed depart from Kings Cross and arrives in Edinburgh at 00.55 tomorrow (26th) then I would have been due a full refund. However, it looked as though I had no option but to delay my travel until tomorrow due to the severe disruption. Even an early train, providing the timetable is back to normal, will get me to Edinburgh 13-14 hours later than I had planned for and I am going to miss a wedding.

Thankfully I have arranged to fly back - strikes permitting!

daveyjp

What does East Coast website say?

NBLondon

LNER website says:

Advice following disruption on Thursday 25 July
Yesterday we experienced major disruption to our trains due to damage to the overhead electric wires and high rail temperatures between Peterborough and London King's Cross. We are sorry for any inconvience that this may have caused. Your tickets dated Thursday 25 July are valid for travel today, Saturday 27 July or Sunday 28 July. Please travel as close to the time stated on your ticket as possible. If you were delayed for 30 minutes or more, you will be entitled to compensation. Find out how to claim here.

So it suggests that the OP could claim for their planned/abandoned journey as they obviously won't take the same train today.

jbkmum

organic_wanabe wrote: »

Today (Thursday 25th) I was due to travel at 18.00 from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh with LNER. Yesterday (Wednesday 24th) I received an email from LNER, sent at 19.10, regarding likely travel problems on the 25th due to the excessive heat and urging passengers to use their tickets to travel on another day. I really wanted to arrive in Edinburgh today (25th) for a wedding tomorrow (26th). I kept checking the LNER website and the delays seemed to be only 35 minutes to allow for the trains to go slow between London and Peterborough.

However, when I arrived at Kings Cross around 17.15 the situation had changed and I found that most trains had been cancelled on the East Coast Main Line. This was due to damaged overhead electric lines and LNER was apologising to travellers for the rail chaos. People on twitter were complaining about being stuck for hours in trains at Peterborough without air-conditioning.

At 18.00 my train was still on the board but staff said that it would be cancelled like the others. LNER updates advised against all travel. At 18.35 with no further information forthcoming I decided that there was no point waiting around in the hot, busy station with dozens of trains cancelled. I decided that I would try to get an early train tomorrow (26th) in the hope of managing to get to the wedding reception although it means I will miss the actual ceremony .

Later in my flat I looked at the Arrivals at Edinburgh Waverley which stated:
18.00 LKX dep 18.49
18.45 P’borough Cancelled
19.08 Newark Cancelled
19.28 Doncaster Cancelled
19.49 York dep 22.27
20.20 Darlington dep 23.00
20.37 Durham exp 23.20
20.48 Newcastle exp 23.32
21.34 Berwick upon Tweed exp 00.15
22.19 Edinburgh Waverley exp 00.55

Does this mean train left Kings Cross 48 minutes late or, since it shows cancelled at the first 3 stations, did it only start it's journey at York? Whatever it certainly seems to be arriving at Edinburgh 2 hours and 35 minutes later than scheduled.

My question is will I qualify for Delay Repay.? I booked a specific train 3 months in advance and had hoped to arrive today (25th) at 22.19. If that train did indeed depart from Kings Cross and arrives in Edinburgh at 00.55 tomorrow (26th) then I would have been due a full refund. However, it looked as though I had no option but to delay my travel until tomorrow due to the severe disruption. Even an early train, providing the timetable is back to normal, will get me to Edinburgh 13-14 hours later than I had planned for and I am going to miss a wedding.

Thankfully I have arranged to fly back - strikes permitting!

PM you to help with your question

badgeraudio

It looks like the train did run, and got in 139 mins late.....

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/Y75880/2019/07/25

Shelldean

The three stations that are cancelled, just means the train was supple to stop there, but because of delays didn't stop on that particular journey.

Often happens round here, delayed train stops at West Croydon, should stop at three more station's but goes straight through to Sutton. To try and make time up.

jbuchanangb

You followed the advice given. If your ticket was accepted on the train you used on 26th then claim for delay-repay based on the fact you travelled on that train.

The 1800 service was probably worked by a diesel train, and was therefore able to run even when there were problems with the overhead wires. You weren't to know that though.

A few months ago my daughter had a ticket for the 1820 service, but caught the already delayed 1800 service, passing trains that had departed an hour earlier, but were stuck due to absence of electricity, and following a diversion along a non-electrified line.

You should get 100% fare back.

organic_wanabe

Thanks for all the replies. I will post again, in due course, to update on whether my Delay Repay claim is successful.

jbkmum

Can't see a reason why your claim won't be successful having checked out the train times on the database.

organic_wanabe

Thanks for all the input. Just to report that my Delay Repay Claim was successful and I received a full refund on 14th August 2019,