Long story short, does anybody know if there’s much point in attempting to pursue claims for additional expenses incurred due to the rail strike?
Scenario: Basically I arrived at the airport around 10pm. I’d already bought an open return so was fully expecting to get a train from the airport, checked schedules and shouldn’t have been a problem. On my return to the U.K., I discovered there was no rail transport, not just to my final destination, but to anywhere. Effectively no public transport from the airport, so had to get a minicab (£140) home.
A quick google tells me i’ll get my train ticket refunded (£30), but in the situation this feels like inadequate response. Apparently a rule stopping rail companies reimbursing such costs was lifted in 2018, but I couldn’t find any information about it since then or if there is any precedent for actually getting a refund. Any advice much appreciated.
4 comments
Were there no buses?
You won’t get anything out of the rail companies, no.
You may get something from your travel insurance company, but I wouldn’t bank on it.
Does remind me though of when I was coming back from Switzerland on a long distance train. The train I was booked on was replaced with a different train. It left the same platform, at the same time, and took the same amount of time to get me to my destination, but it was a different physical train. SBB were so apologetic for it being a different train and even gave me a free coffee.
Come back to the UK, train arrives 25 minutes late, miss a connection, no refund or anything.
As others have said you won’t get anything from the rail company. However, it may still be worth talking to them (politely) as you never know, as a gesture of goodwill they may issue you with a complimentary ticket or two. But there’s basically a zero percent chance that they’ll give you cash beyond the ticket refund.
Pursue a claim against who? The railway isn’t legally obliged to provide you with a service.