Rights when stranded by strike?

Voyager2002
Voyager2002 Posts: 15,280 Forumite
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in Public transport & cycling
One of those 'what are my rights' questions...

I returned from holiday yesterday, and for the final part of my journey I used a single advance purchase rail ticket from Luton Airport Parkway to Lancaster: this included a reservation to travel on a specific train (operated by Virgin West Coast) from Euston to Preston, while a connecting service operated by Northern should have taken me on to Lancaster. No information about any disruption was offered at Euston, where I showed my ticket for the complete journey to a member of the station staff soon after 6 pm. I departed from Euston on my booked train at 8.30, but when I arrived at Preston I found that no transport to Lancaster was available: the duty manager there rudely told me that I should have known about the strike and that it was nothing to do with Virgin trains.

In the event I took a taxi home, having no other option. Since the taxi fare was rather more than the cost of my air ticket I am keen to reclaim it, either from Virgin (who surely had some responsibility to inform me of the problem and allow me to travel on an earlier train) or perhaps from the TOC that sold me the ticket, East Midland Trains. Any pointers please?
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Comments

  • daveyjp
    daveyjp Posts: 12,515 Forumite
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    As is now fairly typical on the railway, staff will simply say 'nowt to do with me' at every opportunity.

    If you had a booking you had a contract for rail transport between the two stations. If you can't complete the journey by rail you are entitled to onward transport.

    Raise a formal complaint and don't forget you can apply for a delay repay payment.
  • DCFC79
    DCFC79 Posts: 40,598 Forumite
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    edited 25 May 2018 at 5:47PM
    Give them a ring first, they may tell you to write a letter/email but worth a try.
    Surely its who you bought the ticket from would be first port of call. Would expect some form of communication either from the staff or notice boards or the screens showing any delays.
  • Johno100
    Johno100 Posts: 5,259 Forumite
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    Voyager2002 wrote: »
    In the event I took a taxi home, having no other option. Since the taxi fare was rather more than the cost of my air ticket I am keen to reclaim it, either from Virgin (who surely had some responsibility to inform me of the problem and allow me to travel on an earlier train) or perhaps from the TOC that sold me the ticket, East Midland Trains. Any pointers please?

    How about going after the train company that is/was actually subject to the industrial dispute - Northern Rail?

    Here's the FAQ's about the strike.

    https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/strike/tickets

    BTW I assume you arrived into Preston quite late after TransPennine had stopped running?
  • Voyager2002
    Voyager2002 Posts: 15,280 Forumite
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    Johno100 wrote: »
    How about going after the train company that is/was actually subject to the industrial dispute - Northern Rail?

    Here's the FAQ's about the strike.

    https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/strike/tickets

    BTW I assume you arrived into Preston quite late after TransPennine had stopped running?

    Thank you for the FAQs, which do not really address my situation. I had an Advance ticket that was only valid on a specific Virgin train from Euston as far as Preston: the FAQs suggest that had I known I could have taken an earlier Virgin train. Since no information was offered at Euston I waited there until my departure time and once I arrived at Preston (after 11) no transport at all was available to continue to Lancaster.
  • kay0601
    kay0601 Posts: 76 Forumite
    To confirm, are you saying you hadn't bought the ticket for the final part of your journey?
  • Voyager2002
    Voyager2002 Posts: 15,280 Forumite
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    kay0601 wrote: »
    To confirm, are you saying you hadn't bought the ticket for the final part of your journey?

    No.

    I bought an Advance ticket (from the East Midlands website) for a journey from Luton Airport Parkway to Lancaster. This included a reservation for the trip from Euston to Preston on a specific train.
  • Johno100
    Johno100 Posts: 5,259 Forumite
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    Voyager2002 wrote: »
    Thank you for the FAQs, which do not really address my situation. I had an Advance ticket that was only valid on a specific Virgin train from Euston as far as Preston: the FAQs suggest that had I known I could have taken an earlier Virgin train. Since no information was offered at Euston I waited there until my departure time and once I arrived at Preston (after 11) no transport at all was available to continue to Lancaster.

    Then it sounds quite reasonable that you took a taxi home and that you should be reimbursed.

    Who does that, be Northern Rail or East Midlands is what needs to be determined. While I understand your upset with Virgin I doubt they'll be on the hook for this, they did after all get you from Euston to Preston.
  • Voyager2002
    Voyager2002 Posts: 15,280 Forumite
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    Johno100 wrote: »
    Then it sounds quite reasonable that you took a taxi home and that you should be reimbursed.

    Who does that, be Northern Rail or East Midlands is what needs to be determined. While I understand your upset with Virgin I doubt they'll be on the hook for this, they did after all get you from Euston to Preston.

    East Midlands have referred me to Virgin.
  • Johno100
    Johno100 Posts: 5,259 Forumite
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    Voyager2002 wrote: »
    East Midlands have referred me to Virgin.

    And what have Northern Rail said?
  • Voyager2002
    Voyager2002 Posts: 15,280 Forumite
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    Johno100 wrote: »
    And what have Northern Rail said?

    I have not contacted them yet. Their website says that they made arrangements so that people in my position were allowed to take earlier trains than the booked one (so if Virgin had informed me about the problem I could have completed my journey with them rather than waiting at Euston), but they "cannot" cover any other costs.
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