Train keeps getting cancelled

[KateyCuckoo]

I dont really travel on public transport so dont know the answer to this but wonder if anyone can help.

The last 3 times DS has come home from uni for the weekend, he's had problems with the journey. He's year 2 and had no issues at all last year.

Journey 1 - line closed for repairs (fine) but rbe replacement bus never arrived so station staff had to call him a taxi (which they paid for) He very nearly missed the connecting train.

Journey 2 - someone fell ill on train in front so ds's train was cancelled. He had to re route through London and buy another ticket. Took 1.5ht extra on top of 3 Journey already and cost more money.

Journey 3 (tonight) - train cancelled no explanation- He has a saver ticket with his student railcard and its only valid for that exact service so again he need to buy another, more expensive, ticket.

Is this usual or just unlucky?

Things go wrong with train travel everyday

I think he's just had bad luck

Tip for the future. If a train is cancelled then he should be able to just use the next service available.

And he should get a refund for the cancelled train

If his train was cancelled he will be able to use the same ticket on the next service or usually any reasonable alternative route

If they are booked on one train and something happens for example train breaks down, or someone taken ill on the train then they are usually allowed to travel at no extra cost on the next available train, yes engineering work happens a lot on a weekend and unfortunately people do get taken ill sometimes unfortunately I do see it a lot working on the railway, some companies are worse than others for cancelling services at short notice

Trains have been pretty patchy recently, but just luck of the draw.
For info, if the service is cancelled, the ticket is valid on the next available service. No need to buy another. You are usually entitled to compensation as well.

If the train is more than 15 mins late or cancelled you get a full refund and you can get on any trAin no need to pay again. Weekends are when they do maintenance so it's always dodgy.

Exactly this, he didn't need another ticket either time. You can travel on next reasonable route. If he is unsure speak to the train staff.

However I do get the frustration, it seems he has been quite unlucky and you don't want him to be put off visiting home.

When Our train was cancelled last year we were told we could use our specific saver tickets on any train/route. So he didn't need to buy a new ticket today

As for the other instances, it sounds like bad luck really. When we've looked at train tickets before if it was going to be replacement buses it told us, if it is planned can plan to come a different weekend?

The maintenance he doesn't mind and if he knows then he can plan around.

He's current cancellation is the second leg of the journey so he's stuck at Clapham Junction currently just waiting...

He tried to use his paid for ticket for the re repute on journey 2 a few weeks ago but was told no, buy a new ticket. (Waterloo)

I commute daily and that would only happen if has a severely restricted ticket, I avoid those. Some say not valid via LONDON, or Thameslink only, avoid those and buy the ones that say "any permitted"

Weekend services seem more unreliable than peak commuter because they are less frequent.

But he shouldn’t have bought a new ticket when service was cancelled. You just explain if a ticket inspector appears that previous was cancelled and therefore travelling on next available service.

And I’d also avoid travelling on rail-replacement buses. Use a different route or change the travel dates.

That's completely wrong the staff at Waterloo should not have said this clearly they need more training on ticket acceptance, I would complain to south western railway and see about a refund

I will get him to look in to a refund. Thank you, we weren't sure what the rules were.

He's a student so buys the cheapest ticket. He doesn't mind being restricted to particular trains/longer route if necessary but they should hold their end of the bargain and run the service!

This isn’t 100% accurate - some train companies only give compensation if the delay is 30m or more, and it’s not always a full refund - it might only be 25% or 50% of the fare depending how long the delay was.

My understanding is that if you buy a ticket for a specific train which then gets cancelled, you are allowed to use it on the next available train. I think it might be the next available train operated by the same train company - not sure.

The problem for journey 2 was that someone was ill on the train in front so affecting all following trains. He had to find a new route which took him via Waterloo. Incident to Waterloo was fine, they accepted his ticket. Waterloo to home would not though, DS said they wouldn't even listen to his explanation just kept waving him away. I suspect because he's a teenager they thought he was having them on which isn't fair at all.

Yes the train service is crap. I don't think DS did a journey to/from Uni without claiming a partial refund on his tickets and having to reroute/catch different trains.
Where we live we rely on a 2 hourly connecting train to a mainline junction station. We always make sure one of us is around with a car as a backup to drive to the main station as the local connecting train is cancelled so often (driver shortage usually).
Yesterday DS was coming back from London. His train was showing as on time but the following train was already showing as cancelled due to driver shortage. He got on his train at Euston only for it then to leave an hour late as they seemingly didn't have a driver for this train either. Consequently he was 2 hours later getting home.

You don't get a full refund after 15 minutes.

I commute by train - some weeks I claim for multiple journeys.