Network Rail

A NEW train ticket rule has officially rolled out to make life much easier for travellers.

Passengers on Britain’s biggest train operators will now spend much less money when their train is cancelled.

For the first time, passengers left stranded at stations can use an alternative operator’s service to complete their journey free of charge.

The new rule which came into force on Sunday, September 20 hopes to end limbo at stations following cancellations and end the need for costly re-bookings.

Many regular travellers will be aware that this scheme already operates across all 13 publicly-owned operators, such as LNER, Southern, South Western Railway and Greater Anglia.

However, from now, Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry and Great Western Railway will also be involved, offering more stability on a host of key intercity routes across the UK.

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East Midlands Railway will also be joining the scheme at a later date.

The new scheme comes ahead of the establishment of Great British Railways (GBR) – a programme to transfer all rail services to public ownership and to create a “one-stop shop” for train travel.

Valid ticket holders can travel with another train operator on a direct or reasonable alternative route, but the service must depart within two hours before or after the original cancelled train.

To claim the new ticket, passengers will need to show their original ticket to customer support staff as a proof of purchase, and will not be required to download the new one.

When the new scheme was unveiled, Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, said: “This is a simple, common-sense change that puts passengers first.

“No one should be left stranded because of a fragmented railway when their journey is disrupted.

“From this weekend, if your train is cancelled, you can get on another operator’s service and carry on your journey without paying again.  

“We’re fixing the railway from the ground up, making it simpler, fairer and easier to use, as we move towards Great British Railways and put public service back at the heart of our railways.”

A NEW train ticket rule will be rolled out this weekend, allowing passengers to switch to rival operators for free.

The changes look to make disrupted journeys smoother for travellers and mean they won’t be forced to purchase last-minute pricey tickets.

Those left stranded after a train cancellation will be able to travel on services run by different operators at no additional charge, the government has announced.

The changes are set to be introduced on Sunday, September 20, and promise a smoother travel experience for those facing disrupted journeys.

Many travellers will be aware that cross-operator ticket acceptance is already available across all publicly owned operators.

However, as of Sunday, CrossCountry, Great Western Railway, Avanti West Coast and Chiltern Railways will all become part of the scheme too.

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Passengers travelling on any of the services included in the scheme can hop onto the next train if their original route is cancelled, even if it is a different service run by a different operator, without needing to buy a new ticket.

It must be departing two hours before or after your original cancelled service, and the new journey must be a “direct or reasonable alternative route”.

All that is required to complete a journey is showing customer support staff your original ticket to serve as proof of purchase.

Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, said: “This is a simple, common-sense change that puts passengers first.

“No one should be left stranded because of a fragmented railway when their journey is disrupted.

“We’re fixing the railway from the ground up, making it simpler, fairer and easier to use, as we move towards Great British Railways and put public service back at the heart of our railways.”

It is just one of the moves that comes as part of the government’s overhaul of the rail system.

Ahead of the establishment of Great British Railways, travellers can also expect to see pay-as-you-go services rolled out across Greater Manchester, the Midlands and the south-east thanks to a £156million investment by the Government into new ticketing scheme.

A new GBR website and app is also being designed to act as a “one-stop shop” for those heading out on a rail journey.

A MASSIVE £4.3billion ‘superhub’ that will connect passengers to over 100 locations is edging closer to completion.

The huge train station will welcome 250,000 travellers every day and will connect London, the Midlands, the North and Scotland.

Old Oak Common station in West London is part of the new High Speed 2 (HS2) line, which aims to connect London to Birmingham and the West Midlands.

The station has been under construction for the past five years, but an important milestone has been completed in recent days, according to Secret London.

HS2 has now finished construction of six underground platforms at the station.

All of these platforms are 450-metres long and will be used by HS2’s high speed trains.

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A total of 14 platforms will be constructed at the station, six of which will be underground and eight will be built above ground.

Kim Kapur, HS2’s Old Oak Common Area Director, told the outlet said: “The scale of the work – and the station now taking shape – is remarkable.

“However, there is much more to do. This includes construction of the conventional, surface level platforms, completion of tunnels either side of the underground box and installation of the impressive station roof, which will begin next year.

“Old Oak Common will be transformative for the local area, providing a new transport hub, with a new vibrant neighbourhood developing around it.”

A public green space is also being constructed, which will include pocket gardens and a wetlands.

The station is not expected to open until between 2036 and 2039, so passengers have a while to wait before they can enjoy the features.

A SMALL village in Oxfordshire could get a new £29million railway station.

The village itself is small, home to around 700 people – but is right next to Bicester Village and a new attraction currently being built nearby too.

Oxfordshire County Council has the potential for a new station on the Chiltern Main Line in a small village called Ardley.

It’s location is a nine-minute drive away from Bicester Village, a luxury designer outlet shopping centre.

A possible location being considered for the new railway is the site of the previous Ardley station, which closed in 1963.

Plans to build the new station forms part of part of the council’s bid to improve rail connectivity across the region.

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The cost of the station is estimated to be between £24-£29million.

If built it would be added to the existing OxRail 2040 proposals, which includes new stops at Oxford Cowley, Oxford Littlemore, Begbroke and Wantage and Grove.

The location of the potential train station will mean it won’t be far from the proposed Puy du Fou theme park.

It’s set to be built on a site north of Bicester near the M40.

Plans were submitted last year for the 370-acre attraction which is set to have four ‘villages’ based on different periods of time, with 13 different live shows.

Three on-site hotels would be part of the theme park and each themed on different periods of British history.

Being primarily outdoors, the park would be open between April and October.

If approved, the first phases of the park will open in 2029, with nearly 1.5million visitors a year.

The theme park is already popular in both France and Spain – it doesn’t have any rides but lots of historical re-enactments and immersive villages.

RAIL commuters have been warned of disruption to services over the bank holiday weekend.

With strike action set to take place, a number of services will be effected on Sunday and Monday.

Travel chaos is expected at East Midlands Railway (EMR) this weekend as members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) are set to walk out in a dispute over safety.

EMR has confirmed plans for a “significantly reduced” timetable for services to and from London on both days.

It has advised passengers to check details before embarking on their journeys and to only travel if absolutely essential this bank holiday weekend.

This Sunday (August 30) will see even further disruption, with no LNER trains running between London King’s Cross and Peterborough as digital signalling upgrades are carried out by Network Rail.

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EMR services to and from London St Pancras are expected to be extremely busy on Sunday, with the increase in demand coinciding with the reduced services.

Meanwhile, Sheffield station and Nottingham station will be very busy, with queues to board services set to be in place.

The strike action comes as the RMT continues to voice concerns about safety issues on some trains.

EMR said it is holding “constructive discussions” with the RMT, meeting with the union six times as it works towards resolving the issues.

Philippa Cresswell, customer experience director at EMR, said the company recognise “how frustrating this disruption will be for customers”.

“We are very sorry for the impact this will have on August bank holiday plans,” she said.

“We strongly advise customers to only travel to or from London if their journey is essential on Sunday, August 30 and Monday, August 31, and to check their full journey, including first and last trains, before setting out.”

Meanwhile, the RMT said its members have been instructed to refuse to work a Class 810 train if a list of specified faults continue, including lack of air-con, door faults, and non-working toilets.

The union’s general secretary Eddie Dempsey said it would ensure representatives will be permanently involved in discussions with both EMR and manufacturers Hitachi to try to improve the situation.

“RMT is demanding that whilst these faults exist and until these trains are shown to be operating properly, they should be taken out of service,” he said.

“It is now time for EMR management to act on the safety concerns of our members.”

TRAINS to a major UK airport are experiencing major delays or have been cancelled due to a fire near the track.

Anyone travelling to the London Stansted Airport today has been warned of the disruption.

Greater Anglia, which operates the Stansted Express, has been forced to cancel many of its trains this morning.

A fire that broke out between Cambridge Heath and London Fields has damaged signalling equipment causing delays on the tracks.

On X, Greater Anglia issued a travel warning. It explained: “A fire next to the track yesterday, between Cambridge Heath and London Fields, has damaged signalling equipment. 

“Trains are unable to run between London Liverpool Street and Hackney Downs. Network Rail engineers are working on replacing the damaged signalling cables as quickly as possible.”

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The routes affected include:

• London Liverpool Street to and from Stansted Airport
• London Liverpool Street to and from Cambridge North London
• Liverpool Street to and from Hertford East Service

Tickets are being accepted at no extra cost on other lines such as the London Overground Mildmay Line between Stratford and Hackney Central.

They are also being taken between Kings Cross and Cambridge and Moorgate and Hertford North, and between Liverpool Street and Kings Cross with London Underground.

On the Stansted Express website, most trains from London Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport have been cancelled up until midday.

Those scheduled are expected to be delayed.

The majority of services from Tottenham Hale to Stansted Airport have also either been either delayed or cancelled.

Only one route from Stratford to Stansted Airport shows as ‘on time’ before midday with at least four services being cancelled.