LNER Leeds to Peterborough on the wrong train

[LNER_POS]

Travelled on a later train due to mine being delayed for 2hours.

So last month I traveled on the LNER service from Leeds to Peterborough however the Trainline app was being a bit buggy & my tickets wouldn’t load, not only this but the one notification I did get was that my 13:?? Train had been delayed till 15:?? So I explained my situation to station staff, once to get into the station then again to double check before getting on the train, both times they confirmed I would be ok to travel, when the ticket inspector came I explained again and she gave me a penalty thing & said all I need to do is contact LNER with proof and they’ll cancel the fine however despite going back and forth, they’re adamant I must pay the fine which I have now progressed to the rail ombudsman.

What legal footing do I have?


P.S I’m aware I didn’t have to give up my details and I usually wouldn’t have if I was just train hopping a short distance but I had a ticket and still had quite a ways to go so I figured it’d be all good but I guess not :/

Edit: I traveled on the 14:?? Train, not my further delayed train (but station staff said it was ok)

^^this is copy+pasted from my Reddit post^^

 

[AlterEgo]

Travelled on a later train due to mine being delayed for 2hours.

So last month I traveled on the LNER service from Leeds to Peterborough however the Trainline app was being a bit buggy & my tickets wouldn’t load, not only this but the one notification I did get was that my 13:?? Train had been delayed till 15:?? So I explained my situation to station staff, once to get into the station then again to double check before getting on the train, both times they confirmed I would be ok to travel, when the ticket inspector came I explained again and she gave me a penalty thing & said all I need to do is contact LNER with proof and they’ll cancel the fine however despite going back and forth, they’re adamant I must pay the fine which I have now progressed to the rail ombudsman.

What legal footing do I have?


P.S I’m aware I didn’t have to give up my details and I usually wouldn’t have if I was just train hopping a short distance but I had a ticket and still had quite a ways to go so I figured it’d be all good but I guess not :/

Edit: I traveled on the 14:?? Train, not my further delayed train (but station staff said it was ok)

Which train did you travel on, and which date? And what was your originally booked train?

Could you upload the "fine" paperwork so we can tell exactly what it is - a threat of prosecution, or an Unpaid Fare Notice, and on what grounds it was issued.

 

[Haywain]

P.S I’m aware I didn’t have to give up my details and I usually wouldn’t have if I was just train hopping a short distance but I had a ticket and still had quite a ways to go so I figured it’d be all good but I guess not :/

If you were unable to produce a ticket you were required to provide your details.

 

[Hadders]

Welcome to the forum!

There appear to be two issues here:

1. Your intended train was cancelled and you travelled on a later train. That is generally fine.
2. You were unable to show a valid ticket when asked to do so by the inspector onboard the train.

The revenue inspector was correct in taking your details if you were unable to show a valid ticket. If they took your details because you were travelling on a alter train due to a cancellation then they would be wrong. As far as the law is concerned I don't think you will get out of this. Our experience of the Rail Ombudsman is not good - they just tend to regurgitate the train company's version of events.

Legally you are required to give your name and address if you cannot offer up a ticket so it is a good job you did co-operate as the penalty for not doing so can be worse than having an invalid ticket.

There is the issue of your Trainline app not working correctlty. My view is that tickets displayed in apps are best avoided, it is better to show the PDF sent with the booking confirmation. I don't know if this is an issue with Trainline or your phone but this is probably best persued with Trainline.

I do not normally recommed using Trainline because they charge a booking fee for most transactions. The prices are exactly the same iof you book direct with the train company (despite Trainline's fancy advertising) and train companies are not allowed to charge a booking fee. Thsi forum also operates an online ticket selling site which doesn't charge a booking fee. It will also check to see if it is cheaper to purchase a combination of tickets than a through ticket, it charges a small fee is a saving is identified.

 

[fandroid]

It's not clear what evidence you have presented to LNER in order for them to drop the case. Have you dug out the pdf ticket from the Trainline confirmation email? That's evidence of having had a valid ticket for the originally booked train.
Any saved messages about the delay would help your case too