Fuming with Trains/Trainline.com

[Sam0207]

Annual visit via train (I don't drive) to deliver xmas presents to DD,DGS and Son IL. Usual journey involves my town-London Euston-Birmingham-their small town. PITA but that just how it is.

Selected days to travel very carefully this year as rail strikes (fully support the strikers btw). Tickets booked via Trainline. Disabled Traveller Assistance booked for each journey.
Outbound journey on the Thurs (non strike day) - get to London only to find Euston in chaos, no trains going to Birmingham AT ALL. Yes, I checked before I travelled, was showing some cancellations but most trains running. Eventually got to family after a changing 7 different times on trains/tubes. With suitcases of presents FFS. Almost 9 hours travel. With no Disabled Assistance because of the change of route. One train I was sat on the floor, the disabled area was full of luggage.

Got up this morning, ready to come home, checked my local train into Birmingham only to find no trains running on that line due to "industrial action" (there are no train strikes today). And my connecting train from Birmingham to Euston was also cancelled (along with all Avanti services on that route - again).

No email from Trainline to advise of cancellations.
I've had to travel to Worcester via taxi (at the cost of £25), pay for another (more expensive) ticket into Paddington, and from there I'll take a tube into Kings Cross for my last leg home (which is still running).

To my AIBU.......
I'm sat on a freezing train logging onto The Trainline to get a refund for the multiple journeys cancelled over two days of travel. And they want to charge me £10 for each ticket as an "admin" fee! For cancelled journeys FFS. £40 cancellation charge for trains that didn't appear. Can't do delay repay as trains cancelled not delayed so Avanti says refund via trainline
Would it be unreasonable to email them claiming a full refund and asking them to refund the cost of my taxi/more expensive fare?

None of the cancellations were on strike days, I support the strikers and wouldn't have crossed a picket line to travel on those days.

I'm fuming, tired, skint and have yet to do 2/3 of my extra long journey home.

It's an absolute mess. One thing I would try if it happens again is to talk to staff at the new station and get them to let you use the non-valid ticket. They can do this as the train companies do have a duty to get you home. And then keep the ticket and claim for the delay too. Although you can get fobbed off, and there's been some nonsense about not paying delay repay if they cancel the train before 10pm the previous day. It's all very sneaky when we just want to get to our destination on time.

This does highlight an issue with the strikes - anyone who has a choice will stop considering the train as an option and once people get into that mindset, it's not going to change back if the strikes stop.

True, they are so expensive and unreliable now that it will be a cold day in hell before I'd even consider taking a train unless absolutely necessary.

I would rather drive up/down/across the country as even with traffic we can go a different route if we need to

It’s awful. Complain to the train company about the disabled assistance, that is completely unacceptable.

Sorry to hear this. Hope you can get refunded for your text. Definitely never use train line. I always use the actual train provider website or app

They want to charge you an admin fee for the train THEY cancelled?! WTAF?!
I think it's time your kids started visiting you, you're a fucking warrior to do that journey. I'd be half dead.

No. The trainline is a third party ticket seller. They didn't cancel any trains.

I generally support the strikes but this close to Christmas it does seem selfish.

I would be reluctant to use a train at all at the moment to be fair

Also I always use trainline to book my Train journeys … I didn’t realise there was another way other than paying for tickets at the station?🤔

You can book through National rail enquiries and all of the train companies sell tickets on their websites as well

They do come down, it's just usually easier for me to travel up and stay for a few days. Plus I get to spend lots of time with my Grandson and daughter.
This journey was the annual "we don't trust that the courier will deliver the presents". I go up with their gifts and bring ours back.

When they first moved up there I was doing the round trip in a day (5am start, 1am home) as my daughter struggled to settle up there but I couldn't leave my ASD teenage son overnight (lone parent). That was hell.

Thanks for the advice, I think I probably was just frustrated, damp and in pain earlier. The trains I did manage to catch were crammed with people and luggage. I'll have another look at a refund tomorrow.

On the plus side, Paddington Station has a Lush store so I treated myself :-)

Because I'm disabled, not bedbound! And they don't "allow" me to do things, I'm an adult and I can make adult choices about whether I can manage the journey. I'm quite capable of travelling, I just need a bit of assistance getting luggage on and off trains/up stairs.

If travelling was going to be physically too difficult of course my family would come to me.

I can't help but wonder why your family allow you to do such a journey when you're disabled

God forbid a disabled person wanting to leave the house and do normal things, albeit with assistance. Fuck me.

I know right, maybe I should contain my outdoor excursions to standing at a station with a tray of matches? Or order a hospital bed for my living room and never leave it.

Actually, I think I'd rather get on a train (with a bit of help) to go and see my family, who make me feel loved and welcome. Plus I get to see my scrumptious grandson who still gives me cuddles and snuggles even though he's almost 12!

Bit of an over reaction. I haven't remotely insinuated someone disabled shouldn't leave the house because they're disabled.

It's not something I would be encouraging my mum to do knowing she has similar struggles but each to their own eh.

even though the travelling time is longer, a coach will be much more reliable than trains at the moment and it’s very easy to book assistance with them. Drivers will load luggage and you are guaranteed a seat.

the rail strikes are very frustrating though. A journey that would have been 15-20 minutes on the train through Birmingham on Thursday took us over 2 hours and 3 buses. It wasn’t a strike day but most trains were cancelled for a good 2 hours!

There was 2 months with no strikes and Avanti was still a complete mess. My kids were forever getting near stranded and having to go to relatives or friends to stay over en route. It's completely unsustainable. I have heard that Avanti is close to losing its contract on renewal.

This isn't all about the strikes. It's about capitalism, a shoestring service that is way too fragmented.

My apologies, its been a trying day.
My daughter has no need to encourage me to do the journey, I offer and I love going up there and being part of the family.
I'm not elderly (50) or infirm. I have Fibro which affects my hands, even more in the damp, hense the need for assistance (that I actually got from other travellers).
Avanti are looking like they will lose the contract. Today, it was the Avanti line that was cancelled out of Birmingham rather than the fast trains, this is usual for them and they've been banned from selling tickets more than a week in advance - which made no difference today as I couldn't get to Birminham for my London train (which was cancelled anyway) as there were no local trains running.
Coach would be a great idea, if I didn't have awful, vomit inducing travel sickness!