Day trip - rights on return leg when inbound leg delayed?

[tornado]

Currently on a delayed train to Birmingham (Avanti line problems). Only need to be there 2 hours for a meeting. Luckily can reschedule the meeting to later this afternoon. But this means I will miss my booked return train. What are my rights to get on a later train?

Both my tickets are advance singles.

 

[trainophile]

Is your return ticket also Avanti? I'd tweet them (if you have a Twitter/X account) and ask for permission to get a later service.

If it's not Avanti you could tweet the relevant operator explaining the situation and ask what they suggest.

However it's probably all resolved by now?

 

[Mainline421]

Currently on a delayed train to Birmingham (Avanti line problems). Only need to be there 2 hours for a meeting. Luckily can reschedule the meeting to later this afternoon. But this means I will miss my booked return train. What are my rights to get on a later train?

Both my tickets are advance singles.

Sadly this is an example of why advances aren't fit for purpose as the primary ticket type. Next time buy an off-peak or anytime, all you can do this time is excess the return part to an off-peak, then claim delay repay on the outbound ticket.

 

[RAPC]

Avanti staff have made my return advance flexible under similar circumstances in the past.

Delays from Preston to London, meant I had to rearrange meetings. At Euston, the ticket office sorted it to catch any train back, when I originally had an advance on the 15:30.

 

[tornado]

Actually in the end I managed a super-quick meeting, and caught my original booked return train.

I did tweet Avanti earlier in the day, and they said no I wouldn't be able to make my return advance flexible. Seems like I would have better luck with physical staff in the ticket office next time.

Does seem unfair that if the TOC mess up your plans, you (might) still end up paying out of your own pocket!

 

[trainophile]

Typical Avanti sadly. Glad you managed to avoid extra expense or unpleasantness!

 

[tornado]

Sadly this is an example of why advances aren't fit for purpose as the primary ticket type. Next time buy an off-peak or anytime, all you can do this time is excess the return part to an off-peak, then claim delay repay on the outbound ticket.

I used 2 split tickets for the advance return, so I'm guessing if I excessed to an off-peak that'd be £20 deducted from their combined face value?

 

[zero]

I was on the WCML today and from about 10am onwards staff at most stations were telling people that they could travel at any time and on any TOC/route in vaguely the right sort of direction.

From morning to afternoon I took several Avantis and TPEs that were curtailed to between Preston and Glasgow and nobody was checking tickets.

My friend had an advance for the 1926 from Wigan to Glasgow. He turned up around 4pm and they said to get on the first train from Wallgate to Manchester then try to go north, he got to Glasgow around 9pm. His ticket was checked and no comment was made about being on the wrong train.

 

[redreni]

I was on the WCML today and from about 10am onwards staff at most stations were telling people that they could travel at any time and on any TOC/route in vaguely the right sort of direction.

From morning to afternoon I took several Avantis and TPEs that were curtailed to between Preston and Glasgow and nobody was checking tickets.

My friend had an advance for the 1926 from Wigan to Glasgow. He turned up around 4pm and they said to get on the first train from Wallgate to Manchester then try to go north, he got to Glasgow around 9pm. His ticket was checked and no comment was made about being on the wrong train.

It's easier, it seems, to surgically remove all the common sense and empathy from a social media team, than it is to do the same for an entire functioning railway and its frontline staff.

 

[Gloster]

It's easier, it seems, to surgically remove all the common sense and empathy from a social media team, than it is to do the same for an entire functioning railway and its frontline staff.

But they have done the one and they are well advanced with the second.

 

[317 forever]

Sadly this is an example of why advances aren't fit for purpose as the primary ticket type. Next time buy an off-peak or anytime, all you can do this time is excess the return part to an off-peak, then claim delay repay on the outbound ticket.

I agree. They force us to "reduce" our day trip if our outbound train is delayed, even if they pay us back through Delay Repay for our "lost" hour or however long.