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Original poster

Train nightmare - can anyone advise?

22 replies

WeirdlyKind · 26/02/2022 12:02

Travelled to York on Wed. Trip down was perfect but the one home was an absolute nightmare!

We missed the grand central train home by literally seconds (due to us being given directions that meant climbing up a load of stairs over the railway bridge - I'm currently on crutches and just can't manage stairs! Had to backtrack to the main entrance and just didn't get there quickly enough)

The tickets weren't valid for the next GC (not entirely sure why - partner was dealing with the booking office while I fed the kids) so had to rebook with trans pennine. That train was late so we ended up missing our connection at Thornaby (again by seconds- we got to the platform just as it left!)

Next train to my town was delayed and would be late, according to the staff so we ended up on the bus, just to get the kids home and out of the cold. (The waiting room was freezing too)

It cost over £100 for the return journey and I'm not sure if I can reclaim any of the money?

The original open return ticket with GC is still valid. That was £45.

The TP ticket was £50 and only got us halfway home. The train we were on also got held for several minutes between York and Thornaby to let an express pass. Without that delay we would have been fine. (I know we could have waited by my littlest was absolutely exhausted - she's only three - and there were no facilities for drinks or food at Thornaby station)

Bus cost £10 ish but I'm genuinely not bothered by that.

Money is tight atm so if I can get anything back it would be a help!

Sorry it's so long! I didn't want to leave anything out.

OP posts:
rwalker · 26/02/2022 12:10

Forget GC your fault you were late train on time nothing you can claim .

Look at TP website give you a sliding scale on compensation due delays ranging form 50% on 1 leg of journey to full refund to delays . Look at what time your train was due and work out how late you were

There not interested in anything other than what time it was due in and what time it arrived .

Okeydoky · 26/02/2022 12:12

Re the TP portion, if you'd carried on with the train, would the missed connection have resulted in you arriving at the end station later than would have been the case? If so by how much?

nearlyspringyay · 26/02/2022 12:17

You were late, it's that simple. You can't claim.

Okeydoky · 26/02/2022 12:19

For the GC as it was an open return I'd contact them via the refund page on their website for untaken journeys and ask about claiming a refund for the unused portion.

LIZS · 26/02/2022 12:35

You should be able to claim a refund on the unused open returns. There is also delay repay on a sliding scale but think minimum delay is 20 or 15 minutes to qualify.

violet232 · 26/02/2022 12:41

Trains are being abit shitty atm. Unrelated but there what seems to be major staff shortages. Northern has been part cancelling or cancelling trains entirely minutes before they’re supposed to set off it’s been abit silly. What should of been a 2 hour trip for me happened to be a 4 1/2 trip instead. Was stranded in the cold at Sheffield for over an hour because they cancelled AGAIN and had to wait for the next one. Got in contact with them and they wouldn’t refund me or give me a partial refund, ignoring the fact that I had to be an additional ticket as my previous one (the one the train man said the new train would accept) was infact not accepted. So yeah, I feel you OP. Dreading my trip back because it’s apparently worse from monday onwards!

Original poster
WeirdlyKind · 26/02/2022 12:42

@nearlyspringyay

You were late, it's that simple. You can't claim.
For the first train yes. But I also have an unused open return that I can't use.

Second train was late getting into the station so we missed the connection. Nothing I could do about that unfortunately.

We'd have been stuck at thornaby for at least two hours waiting for the next train.

I'll drive next time I think!

OP posts:
RichardMarxisinnocent · 26/02/2022 12:43

Surely if it was an open return it should have been valid on the next GC train? Or was it an off peak ticket and the next train was in peak hours?

As others have said you won't be able to claim anything for missing the first GC train because you were late. You might be able to claim for the TP train being late depending on how late it was.

KoalafiedAwesome · 26/02/2022 12:45

You may be better to just sell the unused bit of the ticket on as it's not for specified trains - to be honest, I actually think they will refund you for the unused portion.

Thoosa · 26/02/2022 12:52

I use crutches. (Although I use wheelchair for train journeys, partly because of special assistance issues.) I would make a complaint concentrated on the poor access advice you were given, which is what caused you to initially miss your booked train. Make it jointly to whoever runs the station and the train line. Disabled access is supposed to be better than that, and you are disabled, albeit temporarily.

Okeydoky · 26/02/2022 12:53

If you would have been delayed by two hours you can reclaim the full amount of the TP ticket

ClariceQuiff · 26/02/2022 12:57

@Thoosa

I use crutches. (Although I use wheelchair for train journeys, partly because of special assistance issues.) I would make a complaint concentrated on the poor access advice you were given, which is what caused you to initially miss your booked train. Make it jointly to whoever runs the station and the train line. Disabled access is supposed to be better than that, and you are disabled, albeit temporarily.
I agree with this. Even if you don't get a refund it might prompt them to give more training on access issues so this doesn't happen to others.
Original poster
WeirdlyKind · 26/02/2022 13:04

@RichardMarxisinnocent

Surely if it was an open return it should have been valid on the next GC train? Or was it an off peak ticket and the next train was in peak hours?

As others have said you won't be able to claim anything for missing the first GC train because you were late. You might be able to claim for the TP train being late depending on how late it was.

I'm not looking to claim for the GC train - I'm trying to figure out if I can get a refund. Partner isn't in at the moment so I'm not 100% sure but I do believe we had off peak tickets so couldn't travel on the next train, which was peak.

The TP train left five minutes late but we also got held on the journey to let an express pass, so probably 10 minutes? Not much, but just enough to make us miss the connection!

OP posts:
ANameChangeAgain · 26/02/2022 13:05

I think the first part about missing your train is a bit irrelevant and throwing people. The type of ticket you had meant you had to wait for the next available for your ticket type, which was fair enough. The fact that this train was late and causes you to miss your connection is the relevant bit, but it depends on how late it was, and whether you had plenty of time to get from one platform to the next if the train was on time. You made the choice to not wait for the last train, but again it depends whether it would be considered a reasonable amount of time to have to wait for the last train.

NuffSaidSam · 26/02/2022 13:11

This same thing happened to me at York station. They change the platform sometimes very last minute and it's a real trek over the bridge to get to the other platform. If you're disabled, have young kids, elderly or just have a big suitcase, you're not going to make it on time and they don't hold the train.

I would complain to the station, I'm not sure it will make any difference in terms of refunds, but they should be made aware of the problem as much as possible.

Noname1999 · 26/02/2022 13:16

Try to get a refund on the return and claim delay repay on the second. I was delayed recently by 1 /2 hours due to having to take another route because of a faulty train and I got 100% back. It was processed in a day as well.

Original poster
WeirdlyKind · 26/02/2022 13:20

This might sound stupid, but how do I make a claim? Thank you!

OP posts:
TravellingFrom · 26/02/2022 13:21

I know exactly the trip you’ve been doing.

You can’t claim anything about the GC train. You missed it. You should have allowed more time, esp if you are in crutches.

The train delay and missing the connexion, I don’t think you will do anywhere because they still got you back home, even though by bus rather than train. Pretty standard fromTranspennine in my experience. On that same line, I’ve ended up in Darlington instead and then a taxi because iff some delays (fwiw they are ALWAYS late at the end of the day, let alone at the weekend)

TravellingFrom · 26/02/2022 13:23

GC I would ring them and ask for a refund.
If it’s an open ticket, they have refunded me recently. No need to ‘make a claim’ there.

LIZS · 26/02/2022 13:26

Look at the relevant website of where you bought the tickets.

DinnoWoman · 26/02/2022 13:38

Yeah you can claim back the portion of the ticket you haven't used. Also delay repay. I'd complain to network rail as well if you got incorrect information at York station. They have lifts there, no need to struggle with stairs.

If only there was just one organisation that was responsible for train travel in this really very small country instead of each frigging train, station and bit of track all being owned by different private companies.

Might be worth emailing national rail enquiries to ask what to do about all the different elements here. Don't phone them though or you'll be longer than you would walking to York and back again, even on crutches.

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