Passengers whose trains are cancelled will be able to use alternative services run by other operators without paying again, under new rules coming into force this Sunday, 20 September.
The change is designed to end the uncertainty passengers can face when a service is cancelled, with travellers currently sometimes left waiting on platforms while operators agree whether tickets can be accepted on another train.
From Sunday, passengers with a valid ticket for a cancelled service will be able to travel on another participating operator’s train departing within two hours before or after their original service. They can use a direct or reasonable alternative route and will not need to buy a new ticket.
Passengers will simply need to show their original ticket to customer support staff on the alternative service.
The scheme already operates between publicly owned rail operators, but from Sunday it will be expanded to include four major intercity operators: Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry and Great Western Railway.
The participating operators will be:
- 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 will join the scheme at a later date.
Rail Minister Lord Hendy said the changes would put passengers first and make it easier to continue journeys when services are disrupted.
The reforms form part of wider plans to simplify the railway ahead of the creation of Great British Railways, which will bring the network under stronger public control.
The government is also investing £156 million in new ticketing schemes, with pay-as-you-go travel expected to be available at more than 100 additional stations across Greater Manchester, the Midlands and the south-east by 2027.
A new Great British Railways website and app is also being developed, bringing ticket purchases, train times and passenger support together in one place.
Transport Focus Chief Executive Alex Robertson welcomed the changes, saying passengers affected by cancellations should be able to concentrate on completing their journey rather than worrying about whether their ticket will be accepted on another train.