Ministers have announced that rail passengers whose trains are canceled will have the immediate right to use other operators to complete their journey at no extra charge.
The “common sense change” will come into force from Sunday, September 20, and will end confusion in Britain, where many pre-booked tickets are not valid on other companies’ trains.
While passengers are often allowed to travel with different operators during major disruptions, travelers may be asked to wait for formal agreement that another firm’s tickets can be accepted, or sometimes buy an expensive new ticket and apply for a refund on the first one.
The Department for Transport said passengers were still “paying the price for a system that gives priority to shareholders when trains are cancelled”.
From 20 September, customers with a valid ticket will be able to travel on another operator’s train up to two hours before or after the original canceled flight on a reasonable alternative route.
Rail Minister Lord Hendy said: “This is a simple and smart change that puts passengers first. No one should be left stranded by a fractured railway when their journey is disrupted. From this weekend, if your train is cancelled, you can use another operator and continue your journey without having to pay again.”
He said the government was making the railway “simpler, fairer and easier to use as we move closer to Great British Railways and put public services back at the heart of our railways”.
Automatic ticketing between operators has already been introduced across all companies returned to public ownership, but will now include CrossCountry, GWR, Avanti West Coast and Chiltern Railways serving important intercity routes.
The remaining passenger trains are scheduled to come into public ownership next year under the Great British Railways banner, with the exception of a few open access services which will remain separate.
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East Midlands Railway, which has faced problems bringing faulty dual-mode Hitachi trains into service, will also not be included immediately due to ongoing mass cancellations and a lack of space.
Alex Robertson, chief executive of independent transport watchdog Transport Focus, said it was “a long-awaited change that we have long called for”, adding: “The key now is to make sure passengers are given clear information about their options if disruption occurs.”