Major new rules which will save you money if your train is cancelled come into force today
Major new rules have now come into place which will save UK travellers stress - and money - if their train gets cancelled.
The UK Government has announced that from Sunday (20 September) if a train is cancelled, passengers can get on another operator’s service and carry on their journey without paying again.
Customers who hold a valid ticket will be able to travel on another operator's train providing it departs within two hours before or after the original cancelled service using a direct or 'reasonable' alternative route.
This new move will save money for travellers, who would normally need to buy another ticket.
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All of the publicly-owned operators already did this, but others are getting rolled into the scheme as part of the launch of Great British Railways.
The new ticket acceptance has expanded to now include CrossCountry, Great Western Railway, Avanti West Coast and Chiltern Railways.
Passengers will need to show their original ticket to customer support staff on their new service as proof of purchase, with no requirement to download a new ticket.
The Department for Transport said passengers had been left 'paying the price for a system which prioritises shareholders when trains are cancelled'.
Rail minister Lord Hendy said it was a 'simple, common-sense change that puts passengers first' and will help stop people from becoming 'stranded' if their train was cancelled.
Alex Robertson, Chief Executive of Transport Focus said: "When passengers are delayed, they just want to get where they need to be, not worry about whether their ticket will be accepted on another train.
"This is a welcome change that we have long called for and should make it easier for people when services are cancelled.
"The key now is making sure passengers get clear information about their options whenever disruption occurs."
Alex Robertson, Chief Executive of the independent watchdog, Transport Focus, meanwhile explained: "When passengers are delayed, they just want to get where they need to be, not worry about whether their ticket will be accepted on another train.
"This is a welcome change that we have long called for and should make it easier for people when services are cancelled.
"The key now is making sure passengers get clear information about their options whenever disruption occurs."
The full list of operators where you can travel on another viable service if your train is cancelled includes:
- c2c
- Gatwick Express
- Greater Anglia
- Great Northern
- LNER
- London Northwestern Railway
- Northern
- Southeastern
- Southern
- Thameslink
- South Western Railway
- Transpennine Express
- West Midlands Railway
- Avanti West Coast
- Chiltern Railways
- CrossCountry
- Great Western Railway
East Midlands Railway is not currently in the scheme but is expected to join later on so there'll be more journeys where you can travel on if you've been struck by cancellation.
James Holt