Hull Trains delay repay for +connections journey

[AY1975]

Yesterday I was booked to travel from King’s Cross to Sheffield via Doncaster on the 13.48 Hull Trains, then the 15.42 TransPennine from Doncaster to Sheffield.

However, the 13.48 HT was cancelled as its southbound working caught fire at Welwyn North (see the separate thread on this incident at www.railforums.co.uk/threads/fire-on-board-hull-trains-1a93.164256/).

I ended up catching the late running 14.05 King’s Cross-Leeds, on which they did announce that HT tickets would be accepted (but there was no ticket check anyway).

I booked my ticket using the Virgin East Coast site, so should I submit my delay repay claim via the VTEC or HT website? Neither site makes it clear what you should do if you used operator A’s site to book a journey with operator B.

Also, should I give the length of delay as the number of minutes late I arrived at Doncaster or at Sheffield? That would make a difference between being able to claim back half or all or my fare, as I ended up on the 16.42 TransPennine from Doncaster and was exactly 60 minutes late into Sheffield.

There is also a thread on HT not compensating for split tickets at www.railforums.co.uk/threads/hull-trains-not-compensating-on-split-tickets.163300/

This isn’t a split ticket as such, as I had a King’s Cross-Sheffield Advance ticket via Doncaster, but it still creates a grey area as to how much compensation I would be entitled to.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Yesterday I was booked to travel from King’s Cross to Sheffield via Doncaster on the 13.48 Hull Trains, then the 15.42 TransPennine from Doncaster to Sheffield.

However, the 13.48 HT was cancelled as its southbound working caught fire at Welwyn North (see the separate thread on this incident at www.railforums.co.uk/threads/fire-on-board-hull-trains-1a93.164256/).

I ended up catching the late running 14.05 King’s Cross-Leeds, on which they did announce that HT tickets would be accepted (but there was no ticket check anyway).

I booked my ticket using the Virgin East Coast site, so should I submit my delay repay claim via the VTEC or HT website? Neither site makes it clear what you should do if you used operator A’s site to book a journey with operator B.

Also, should I give the length of delay as the number of minutes late I arrived at Doncaster or at Sheffield? That would make a difference between being able to claim back half or all or my fare, as I ended up on the 16.42 TransPennine from Doncaster and was exactly 60 minutes late into Sheffield.

There is also a thread on HT not compensating for split tickets at www.railforums.co.uk/threads/hull-trains-not-compensating-on-split-tickets.163300/

This isn’t a split ticket as such, as I had a King’s Cross-Sheffield Advance ticket via Doncaster, but it still creates a grey area as to how much compensation I would be entitled to.

This isn't much of a grey area. Where it bought your ticket is irrelevant for the purposes of delay compensation - it only matters for things like getting a refund if, as a result of delays/cancellations you decide not to travel or to return to your starting station. You always claim from the operator who initially caused you the delay. For example, if you have a two-train journey where the first is delayed by a few minutes but you still catch your second train - and this second train is then delayed - you would claim off the second train's operator.

In your situation, you should claim off Hull Trains. They were the ones who caused you to be delayed in the first place. The fact that you had a connecting train is again a bit of a red herring - what matters is the delay to your final destination. They are on very shaky legal ground rejecting split ticket delays.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Claim off HT, and the delay is based on your arrival at your final destination, especially in this case when you had a through ticket to Sheffield.

 

[yorkie]

Also, should I give the length of delay as the number of minutes late I arrived at Doncaster or at Sheffield?

Delay Repay is based on your journey, which was to Sheffield.

There is also a thread on HT not compensating for split tickets at www.railforums.co.uk/threads/hull-trains-not-compensating-on-split-tickets.163300/

This isn’t a split ticket as such, as I had a King’s Cross-Sheffield Advance ticket via Doncaster, but it still creates a grey area as to how much compensation I would be entitled to.

The entitlement is based on your journey (so number of tickets held makes no difference); we cannot rule out the possibility of a valid claim being rejected for a spurious reason, but please do let us know how you get on.

 

[_toommm_]

Of course, if they do initially reject your claim (which I see no reason not to with an extremely straightforward ticket), take it up with them again, and if they subsequently refuse, Transport Focus is your friend.

They may not agree with the promise of split ticket delay compo, but they can't argue with a straight Point A to Point B ticket.

Like yorkie said do let us know how you get on (I can imagine they'll have quite the backlog courtesy of the 180s).

 

[robbeech]

I Think I’m right in saying this is a dedicated HT + TPE ticket and not just a HT + connections which is why you could not use one of the 3 Northern services and 1 Cross Country Service between Doncaster and Sheffield that left between you arriving and the TPE Service you caught.
If this is the case then what others have said is correct and you should be due 1hours worth of compensation. If not then it’s likely that HT will suggest you should have caught the 1549 or 1559 or 1603 or 1626 (despite it being overtaken at Rotherham by the service you actually caught).

 

[LA50041]

As the 1405 from King's X arrived Doncaster at 1610, how was the OP expected to catch the 1549, 1559 or 1603 trains?

 

[robbeech]

Using simple time travel.
Of course in reality it would have been better if I’d checked twice and typed once. I was almost certain I read the vtec was only a couple of minutes late. I wouldn’t put it past HT to reject it and say it wasn’t their fault the vtec was late (even though it likely was their smouldering 180 that caused the delay)

This doesn’t alter the outcome that you are entitled to 1 hours compensation.