In the UK, what does "previous connecting train service" actually mean?

score:10

Accepted answer

As long as you left the official minimum connection time between trains (you can find this for a given station at http://brtimes.com), the rules still apply, and you should be allowed on the next train. Note that this is NOT the case if you're doing a cross-London transfer and paying for it separately to either of your tickets. Knowing your exact itinerary could really help here. However, a lot of staff don't realise this because it isn't exactly set out clearly in many places and probably isn't part of their training.

Please, do write to Virgin Trains (East Coast or West Coast as necessary) and ask for a refund for any additional tickets you had to purchase. If this doesn't work, escalate it to Transport Focus.

For my source, this has always been the case in the industry and the previous Conditions of Carriage used to make this a little clearer. However, Condition 14.1 makes it clear that using a combination of tickets still constitutes one journey.

Unless shown below, you may use a combination of two or more Tickets to make a journey provided that the train services you use call at the station(s) where you change from one Ticket to another.

(It used to be the case that the rules for catching trains after missed connections were also phrased in terms of journeys but this is no longer the case. However, since the change in rules was largely intended to simplify the wording rather than to change the status quo, I'm quite confident this still applies.)

Upvote:-3

My understanding is that, officially, it is only trains covered by the same ticket that count - so if you have a ticket A-B-C and the train from A-B is late, you'd be accepted onto a later train from B-C, but if you have separate tickets A-B and B-C, you wouldn't.

However, the on-train staff often have a fair bit of discretion, so it probably depends more on what mood they are in and how nice you are to them!

Upvote:4

The answer from @Muzer is very good, but I wanted to add what I've learnt as I progressed my negative experience through the system. Train tickets in the UK are confusing, and some of the train operating companies appear to be misleading customers. The devil really is in the detail! If in doubt, ask!

The National Rail Conditions Of Travel 2016 makes it abundantly clear that if you are using an Advance ticket, and you miss your booked train because a previous connecting train service was delayed then you are entitled to take the next train service with whom you are booked with. Obviously, I have to have been at the station at the start of my journey in good time, and I have to have allowed the Minimum Connetion time for my interchange station. In my case, I was booked on a Virgin Trains service to Crewe with an Advance ticket, and my connecting service Southern train was delayed, so I missed my booked train.

National Rail also produce a Guide To Tickets, which clearly states the position in the section on Advance tickets:

"However, if you miss your service because your connecting train was delayed you will be able to travel on the next service provided by the same train company, or any additional services as authorised by rail staff, without penalty."

National Rail's website, in the section on Advance tickets, clearly states: "If delays occur while travelling, you will be allowed to take the next available train(s) to complete your journey."

Finally, National Rail have a section of FAQs about Advance Tickets for internal users. The guidance is that if the customer is delayed because of a rail industry issue (or partners) then the customer can change to another train of the same company to get them to their destination with the least delay.

Partners: If are are delayed because you have a separate ticket for a bus or tube service, then you will have to buy a new ticket. Through tickets generally will allow you to take the next available train on an Advance ticket, but it's getting even more complex - so always check. The internal document gives allowable examples, such as Brighton - Zone U12 plus an Advance ticket London Euston - Manchester.

Combination tickets:

The National Rail internal FAQs for Advance tickets confirm that combination tickets are allowed. The Conditions Of Travel also confirms this in Section 14, though where the train services must stop where your tickets begins/ends

Off-peak & Super-OffPeak tickets:

Having said all that, it does seem slightly unfair that if I didn't have an Advance ticket, but an Offpeak or a Super-Offpeak ticket then I would have to buy a new ticket. I'd ask station staff for permission to travel on the later train

National Rail Advance Tickets: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/46546.aspx

Minimum Connection Times: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/46562.aspx

National Rail Guide to tickets: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/posters/National_Rail_Guide_To_Tickets.pdf

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