Advance tickets

From The Times 22/10/20

Train companies have been threatened with legal action amid fears that passengers are being misled over cheap advance tickets.

The rail watchdog has written to operators to raise concerns about the ?accuracy of information? presented to passengers, which could lead to some paying over the odds for travel or buying the wrong tickets.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR^» ) said that companies had a duty to use ?jargon-free language? on websites and to warn passengers that timetables might be subject to change. Failure to do so would represent a breach of licence by operators and could lead to the imposition of multimillion-pound fines, it said.

Full timetables are supposed to be finalised at least 12 weeks before travel to allow passengers to plan journeys in advance and book the cheapest tickets. However, repeated changes to the number of trains running during the pandemic left companies unable to meet the 12-week target. Network Rail has said that it does not expect to publish full advance timetables until the end of next year.

Changing timetables can lead to confused passengers buying more expensive anytime fares, or booking tickets for trains whose departures are changed closer to the date.

In a letter to train companies, the ORR said that some weekend timetables were being confirmed and uploaded to websites only the week before travel. It said that train companies had a duty to explain the position to passengers before they booked.

The letter acknowledged that it ?can be difficult to keep information accurate in rapidly changing situations?. It went on: ?Nevertheless, we remain concerned about the accuracy of information provided to passengers and the possible adverse impact on them. This is particularly important as the industry looks to encourage passengers back to the railway.?

It said that companies had a duty to be ?open about the impact on all passengers of the challenges train operators face? and that passengers should ?not have to look at multiple sources of information? to get the facts they needed.

Where services are altered by engineering works, companies should ?explain in clear jargon-free language what is being done and why, and the impact it will have on passengers?, the regulator added.

Full refunds should be offered when timetables change after purchase. ?Every effort should be made to contact the passenger to let them know,? it said. ?Should the new journey times not be convenient for the passenger they should be invited to apply for a refund. Refunds should be given without having to pay an administration charge, including for advance tickets.?

The ORR said that it would monitor ?compliance with the licence condition? and might take action against companies that flout the rules.

Last year Govia Thameslink Railway was hit with a ?5 million fine over the timetabling chaos in May 2018. The watchdog said that the company failed to properly communicate changes to passengers.

Network Rail, which oversees the timetabling system, has told the ORR that it expects to recover the full 12-week advance timetable by September next year, with the change being implemented from December 2021.

Robert Nisbet, director of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators and Network Rail, said: ?Rail companies worked together to deliver four timetable changes in six months which has helped keep the country connected at a time of national need while reducing delays to their lowest level in years.

?Changing timetables every six weeks, on average, meant it wasn?t possible to confirm train and ticket information within the usual 12-week period, but we?re working hard to publish this further in advance and we encourage people to follow advice from operators and retailers.?

Anthony Smith, chief executive of Transport Focus, the rail passenger watchdog, said: ?Passengers who still need to travel must be confident that the timetable is accurate and takes account of any engineering work. If the timetable is finalised late, people can end up paying more because cheaper Advance fares aren?t yet on sale. Late finalisation is mainly a problem at weekends when most engineering work takes place.

?We are pressing the rail industry to get back to finalising the timetable far enough ahead that people can plan with confidence. In the meantime, we?re saying make it crystal clear which information is accurate and which is not.?