Latest news with #GreatBritishRailways
Metro
12-06-2025
- Metro
London commuters furious after being overcharged for tickets due to 'technical g
A train operator has issued a warning after passengers are being overcharged on journeys into London. Passengers travelling on C2C trains were left confused after they were overcharged on contactless journeys between London and Essex. However, the glitch might have gone unnoticed for many using contactless payment, so the train operator issued a warning to alert people to check their bank statements. It said that due to an 'unforeseen technical issue,' some passengers travelling outside the Oyster Zone and Fenchurch Street or Liverpool Street stations are affected. They were overcharged by up to £3 per journey, C2C said. The operator said: 'A technical issue in our fares data means pay as you go with contactless fares are currently being charged at an additional £3 for these journeys. 'All other journeys, including those onwards using the Underground, are unaffected.' The issue, which is still ongoing today, affects journeys that either started or ended at Liverpool Street or Fenchurch Street stations. People were told to buy paper or mobile tickets to avoid being overcharged. TfL told Metro that customers who change at Upminster, Barking, West Ham, Stratford or Limehouse to other services or travel solely within the London zonal system are unaffected. Passengers took to social media to air their frustration, with some people concerned the issue could be more widespread. One passenger said he was overcharged £6 for a Basildon to Fenchurch return ticket. Another one said: 'That sounds really bad, am glad I have an e-ticket.' C2C apologised to customers over 'any inconvenience this technical issue is causing.' A TfL spokesperson said: 'We are aware that, following a pre-planned update to the fares data within the contactless pay as you go system last weekend, some of the data provided by c2c was incorrect. As a result, customers travelling specifically to Fenchurch Street or Liverpool Street (National Rail) on c2c services from outside London may have been overcharged. All other contactless journeys are not affected by this issue. 'We apologise for this issue and are working closely with c2c to urgently correct the data, and are working to issue refunds as soon as possible to affected customers.' You should keep a full record of all contactless journeys where you have been overcharged. More Trending C2C said it will issue refund guidance 'as soon as possible.' 'We are working with TfL to resolve the issue and will be issuing guidance soon on how to claim for a refund,' it said. C2C is the next train operator due to be nationalised under the government's Great British Railways plan. The train firm will be brought back into public ownership in July. You can read more about when it happens and what that means for passengers here. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Northern Powerhouse Rail set for comeback after Rachel Reeves announces £3,500,000,000 upgrade MORE: Man, 28, dies after crash that closed A14 for hours MORE: I tried out every Londoner's worst nightmare and spoke to other commuters
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rail challenger to take on Labour's nationalised trains
Private train operator Lumo is plotting a range of new services across Britain in a direct challenge to Labour's nationalised rail network. FirstGroup, which owns the low-cost rail company, is looking to expand operations after already announcing plans to triple Lumo's passenger count to 10m a year with the addition of five new routes. Graham Sutherland, the chief executive, said FirstGroup is now studying population growth and housebuilding plans to determine where is best to introduce new routes. However, he said the company is particularly keen to restore direct services to London from small towns across the UK, while it is also exploring the possibility of launching trains between poorly connected regional centres. He said: 'Obviously it gets harder the further you get through it, but we feel there are other opportunities still to come out over time. 'Anything we are looking at is commercially sensitive. But the basic criteria is do we think there are under-served areas in terms of rail and do we have an opportunity to drive modal shift and get people out of their cars.' It comes after Labour sent out mixed messages on the continuation of private rail services following the launch of its state-backed railway company, Great British Railways (GBR). Privatised 'open-access' operators, which are not paid by the Government to run services and make their money only from passenger fares, are due to remain in private hands, according to the blueprint for GBR. However, Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, wrote to the industry regulator in January advising it to adopt a more rigorous stance on approving open-access applications. GBR is set to be fully operational by next year. Meanwhile, The Telegraph revealed last month that LNER, which is already government-run, is predicted to lose out on £1bn in ticket sales to private operators offering cheaper fares. Mr Sutherland said open access is no threat to the nationalised railway, claiming instead that competition helps to improve standards and attract new customers. Mr Sutherland added that further routes targeted by Lumo were likely to conform to its existing long-distance model. FirstGroup currently operates open-access services along the east coast main line from Kings Cross to Edinburgh and Hull via Lumo and sister brand Hull Trains, which it plans to extend to Glasgow and Sheffield respectively. A further two new routes are guaranteed, one from London Euston to Stirling, in Scotland, and the other from London Paddington to Carmarthen, in south Wales, after FirstGroup bought access rights from Arriva's Grand Union. FirstGroup has also lodged applications with the Office of Rail and Road to run trains from Euston to Rochdale via Manchester and from Paddington to Hereford and Paignton, Devon. Should the company succeed in expanding to all seven routes, its open-access revenue should jump from £106m to around £300m, Mr Sutherland said. FirstGroup's South Western Railway became the first to be seized by Labour last month and will be followed by its remaining Avanti West Coast and Great Western franchises. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rail challenger to take on Labour's nationalised trains
Private train operator Lumo is plotting a range of new services across Britain in a direct challenge to Labour's nationalised rail network. FirstGroup, which owns the low-cost rail company, is looking to expand operations after already announcing plans to triple Lumo's passenger count to 10m a year with the addition of five new routes. Graham Sutherland, the chief executive, said FirstGroup is now studying population growth and housebuilding plans to determine where is best to introduce new routes. However, he said the company is particularly keen to restore direct services to London from small towns across the UK, while it is also exploring the possibility of launching trains between poorly connected regional centres. He said: 'Obviously it gets harder the further you get through it, but we feel there are other opportunities still to come out over time. 'Anything we are looking at is commercially sensitive. But the basic criteria is do we think there are under-served areas in terms of rail and do we have an opportunity to drive modal shift and get people out of their cars.' It comes after Labour sent out mixed messages on the continuation of private rail services following the launch of its state-backed railway company, Great British Railways (GBR). Privatised 'open-access' operators, which are not paid by the Government to run services and make their money only from passenger fares, are due to remain in private hands, according to the blueprint for GBR. However, Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, wrote to the industry regulator in January advising it to adopt a more rigorous stance on approving open-access applications. GBR is set to be fully operational by next year. Meanwhile, The Telegraph revealed last month that LNER, which is already government-run, is predicted to lose out on £1bn in ticket sales to private operators offering cheaper fares. Mr Sutherland said open access is no threat to the nationalised railway, claiming instead that competition helps to improve standards and attract new customers. Mr Sutherland added that further routes targeted by Lumo were likely to conform to its existing long-distance model. FirstGroup currently operates open-access services along the east coast main line from Kings Cross to Edinburgh and Hull via Lumo and sister brand Hull Trains, which it plans to extend to Glasgow and Sheffield respectively. A further two new routes are guaranteed, one from London Euston to Stirling, in Scotland, and the other from London Paddington to Carmarthen, in south Wales, after FirstGroup bought access rights from Arriva's Grand Union. FirstGroup has also lodged applications with the Office of Rail and Road to run trains from Euston to Rochdale via Manchester and from Paddington to Hereford and Paignton, Devon. Should the company succeed in expanding to all seven routes, its open-access revenue should jump from £106m to around £300m, Mr Sutherland said. FirstGroup's South Western Railway became the first to be seized by Labour last month and will be followed by its remaining Avanti West Coast and Great Western franchises. 擷取數據時發生錯誤 登入存取你的投資組合 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤 擷取數據時發生錯誤
BBC News
06-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Northern rail services to trial digital ticketing in Yorkshire
The government is to trial digital ticketing for rail services in parts of Yorkshire from the trials will see GPS technology track train journeys to ensure passengers pay the best fare for their journey, the Department for Transport (DfT) users can sign up for the scheme in advance, with initial trials taking place on Northern services between Harrogate and Leeds, Sheffield and Barnsley, and Sheffield and will begin between September and November and run for nine months.. The government said digital ticketing was part of its plan to overhaul the railways ahead of the creation of Great British Railways, which will be the state-owned company operating the UK's rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said: "Contactless ticketing is making journeys easier to navigate for millions of passengers, and now our digital trials are actively recruiting volunteers to help expand this technology across Yorkshire." 'Shaping the future' Unlike the previous roll-out of pay-as-you-go, which uses contactless payment at barriers, these trials will use GPS technology to track people's location throughout their train to 1,000 passengers will be able to take part on each route of the trials, meaning 3,000 passengers across Yorkshire in can sign up via Northern's Hornby from Northern said the trial marked a step forward in simplifying rail travel."By trialling pay-as-you-go technology on some of our routes, we're helping to shape a future where hopping on a train is as easy as checking in and out," he said.A trial will also be taking place in the East Midlands, operated by East Midlands Railway (EMR), running between Leicester, Derby and ticketing has been trialled at 53 stations across the south-east of England, with more than two million entries and exits DfT is also working with operators in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands to further expand the scheme. Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds or catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Leader Live
04-06-2025
- Business
- Leader Live
Rail firms taking ‘disproportionate action' against passengers over ticket rules
The regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), published a report that found travellers face 'inconsistent treatment and outcomes' for similar ticketing issues across the railway. It was commissioned by then-transport secretary Louise Haigh in November last year to review how the industry handles revenue protection and fare evasion, after cases where passengers were being prosecuted over small amounts of money were highlighted in the media. The ORR noted one case where a passenger was threatened with prosecution for accidentally selecting a 16-25 railcard discount when they held a 26-30 railcard, which provides the same discount. The case was eventually dropped after their MP became involved. The ORR found there are 'a range of circumstances' in which passengers may innocently travel without a valid ticket, such as forgetting their railcard or simply making a mistake. But the regulator warned the same reasons can be used by passengers who 'deliberately choose' to underpay or avoid their fare, and it can to difficult for rail staff to determine their intent and decide how to handle the situation. The report stated: 'Making this more challenging is the railway's complex fares and ticketing framework. 'This has grown more complicated over time.' The inquiry found that rail staff described how 'fare evasion is becoming normalised among certain passenger groups', and it is becoming 'increasingly more challenging to tackle'. The ORR noted that under railway byelaws, it is an offence not to be able to present a valid ticket for a journey, regardless of the passenger's intent, which means 'disproportionate action can end up being taken against some passengers'. The inquiry made a series of recommendations to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander and the Department for Transport, such as ensuring passengers have 'clearer information' about tickets, and creating consistency in how passengers are treated when ticket issues arise, particularly in relation to prosecutions. ORR director of strategy, policy and reform Stephanie Tobyn said: 'Effective revenue protection is essential for a sustainable railway, but it must be fair and proportionate for passengers. 'Our recommendations aim to protect both industry revenue and support passenger confidence. 'Our evidence shows a system that has evolved over time where the legal framework and enforcement processes are increasingly complex and appear weighted towards industry, leaving some passengers who make innocent errors vulnerable to disproportionate outcomes. 'But meanwhile, fare evasion remains a significant problem, and rigorous action should be taken against those who intentionally seek to defraud the railway.' Rail minister Lord Hendy said: 'This report shows that decades of failed privatisation have created a mess of deep-rooted issues across our railways, which have been left unchallenged and are now causing chaos and frustration for passengers. 'Through the creation of Great British Railways, we're bringing operators together to establish oversight and better standardise practices, putting an end to inconsistent prosecutions and making sure passengers are treated fairly. 'Deliberate fare-dodging costs the taxpayer up to £400 million annually – money which could be better spent on improving passenger experience – and must be dealt with, but ham-fisted prosecutions that punish people who have made an innocent mistake is not the way to do this. 'We will look at this report in detail and set out what we'll be doing to address the issues raised in due course.' A spokesperson for Rail Delivery Group, which represents operators, said it welcomed the ORR's 'sensible recommendations'. She continued: 'The rail industry will work on implementing the recommendations in line with our plans to create a simpler, better-value fares system. 'We need to strike the right balance addressing genuine, honest mistakes made by customers and taking firm action against those who deliberately and persistently seek to exploit the system.' Last week, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick posted a widely-viewed video on social media in which he confronted people who forced their way through the ticket barriers at Stratford station in east London.
