Sam Matthews – Chief Editor

Spend the day in London to celebratethe Queen’s Diamond Jubilee weekend

To celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee weekend, a day return fare to/from London on selected East Midlands Trains services will be available from Sunday 3 June until Tuesday 5 June 2012. East Midlands Trains are offering Jubilee Advance fares for just £30 Standard Class return or £40 First Class return on these dates.

Please note these special rate tickets are only available with East Midlands Trains along the London Route from the following stations: Sheffield, Chesterfield, Derby, Long Eaton, Beeston, East Midlands Parkway, Loughborough, Leicester, Nottingham, Market Harborough, Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough, London St Pancras.

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John Williams – Chief Editor 

Penalty Fare Appeal Support and Mobilefun.co.uk have teamed up to bring you a fantastic competition and have a chance of winning a Pocket Boom Portable Vibration Speaker .

Simply follow our account @penaltyfare and retweet the following:

• Follow @Penaltyfare for you chance to win a Pocket boom #pfasboom”

Remember its important to add #pfasboom

The draw will close once we reach 1500 followers or on the 3rd June 2012 whichever comes first.

Previous followers will be entered if re-tweeting with the hashtag #pfasboom and if you’ve won one of our previous competitions you will still be entered!

Our standard Terms and Conditions apply.

A winner will be selected at random by our friends at @railhelp

By David Johnson, Publications.

Transport for London have announced that they will shortly be issuing two new limited edition Oyster cards.  Both limited editions are identical to a standard Oyster card in terms of their conditions of use, registration, deposit, and adding pay as you go credit, Travelcard and Bus & Tram Passes.

Cards will only be distributed to and available from London Underground ticket offices, TfL Travel Information Centres and selected card dispensing machines.

These cards will cost £10 each. This comprises of a £5 refundable deposit and £5 of Pay as you go Credit.

The Diamond Jubilee Oyster card (Top) will be available from week commencing Monday 14 May.

The Summer Oyster card (bottom) will be available from week commencing Monday 11 June.

By David Johnson.

ATOC has released a new set of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage (NRCoC), these will be valid from 20th May 2012.

We note that ATOC  has not yet updated the website to show these new conditions but we have been assured that they will be updating the page for next Sunday.

However we have got a copy of the new National Rail Conditions of Carriage - May 2012.

If you have anything new that has not been mentioned in here, please use the comments form below and add it.

ATOC have now changed the luggage section (condition 47) so that unless you have booked in advance you yourself must carry your bag or luggage yourself and not expect any help. It should also not occupy a seat and if it does so your luggage will (could) be charged for, at half the price of an Adult ticket.

You will be told about any restrictions that apply to your ticket when you purchase it, and if you ask, you will be told if your intended route is valid with the ticket you have purchased.

Another thing which we, along with some Eagle Eyed visitors, is the fact that you can now ask for a copy of the NRCoC and Byelaws from any Ticket Seller. This we believe would include ticket agencies and even on-board. Now we know full well that Revenue never carry a copy of an up to date NRCoC.

A ticket may only be used by the person who bought that ticket, or the person on whose behalf that ticket was bought. This is a new amendment which has been put into condition 6.

Condition 45 has been amended and the section which states that Industrial Action is not within the control of the Railway Industry has now been deleted from the new NRCoC and so is now officially within the control of the Railway Industry.

Condition 46 has been added to conform with the Equalities Act and states that with 24 hours notice, Train Companies must provide free assistance at staffed stations.

Condition 50 now changes a Train Companies liability in accordance with the EU Rail Passengers’ Rights & Obligations Regulation (EC No. 1371/2007). It also tells you to go to a webpage www.nationalrail.co.uk/limits which does not work.

Condition 60 has added “If the replacement is at short notice and you cannot complete your journey because the Train Company is unable to transport your luggage, articles, animals and/or cycles by road vehicle, you will be entitled to compensation in line with Condition 42 as if your train had been cancelled.” The way we read that is that if you are dumped onto a bus and the Train Company cant carry your luggage you will be compensated.

With thanks to Eliot Brown and Christian Wolmar for their comments and additions to this article.

By John Williams, Chief Editor.

We are extremely pleased to annouce that we are launching our biggest ever give-away, We will be offering the latest Apple iPad (iPad 3) as a prize.

To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize all you have to do is simply follow us on twitter. @Penaltyfare and retweet the following message:

• “Follow @penaltyfare and RT this message for your chance to win the new Apple iPad #pfasipad”

Once we reach out target amount of followers (1000) we will select one lucky winner.

Both our standard Terms and Conditions and additional terms apply, and by retweeting the above you agree to these.

By Sam Matthews.

Grand Central have  improved their fares for 2012 with the launch of new £12 Advance Purchase train fares for travel between London and Yorkshire and the North East.

With their Advance Purchase fares it means that you can now buy tickets between London and any of their calling points in Yorkshire and the North East from as little as £12. These fares are only available in advance of travel and there are a limited number for each service available, so make sure you book early.

When you choose to travel with Grand Central, you also choose free Wi-Fi, extra legroom as standard and world-class customer service from their on-board crew.

Grand Central Advance Purchase tickets are usually available to purchase 12 weeks in advance.

• Call 0844 811 0071
• Buy in person at station ticket offices

Terms and Conditions

Description

Advance fare tickets are single (one-way) tickets for selected journeys available in First and Standard class, offering the best available price for each journey.

Availability

Tickets must be purchased in advance of travel. They are sold in limited numbers and so subject to availability.

Discounts

• Standard Class: Child discounts, 16-25, Family & Friends, Senior, HM Forces and Disabled Persons Railcards discounts apply.
• First Class: Child discounts, 16-25, Senior, HM Forces and Disabled Persons Railcards discounts apply.

When and where the ticket can be used

• Tickets are valid ONLY on the date and train service(s) shown on the ticket(s).
• Where applicable, you must travel in the Class and reserved seat(s) shown on the ticket(s).
• Tickets may only be used on the services of the Train Company (or geographic route where applicable) shown next to ‘Route’ on the ticket.
• If the ‘Route’ also states ‘and Connections’, travel is allowed on appropriate connecting trains where shown on the ticket(s) or other valid travel itinerary.
• If the route is prefixed with a +, the ticket includes the cost of travelling across London on London Underground, Docklands Light Railway or First Capital Connect (Thameslink Route) services as appropriate to the journey.

Conditions of use

• You must be at the departure station shown on your ticket in good time to catch the train. If you miss the first train on which you are booked for any reason, a new ticket must be purchased.
• If delays occur while travelling, you will be allowed to take the next available train(s) to complete your journey.
• Railcard holders travelling on a discounted ticket must carry their Railcard when they travel. If a Railcard holder fails to produce a valid Railcard with their ticket, a new ticket must be purchased as if no Railcard and/or no ticket were held.
• First Class Advance tickets do not always grant access to First Class Lounges at stations. Please check with the train company you are travelling with to confirm policy at specific stations.

Break of journey

You may not start, break and resume, or end your journey at any intermediate station except to change to/from connecting trains as shown on the ticket(s) or other valid travel itinerary.

Changing the time or date of travel

• Changes to time or date of travel must be arranged before departure of the first reserved train printed on the ticket, after which the ticket has no value and a new one must be purchased. You will need to present the ticket(s) and reservation(s) when you request a change.
• Changes to tickets cannot be made on-board the train. If you board a train without a ticket and reservation for that service, a new ticket must be purchased. Depending on the Train Company you are travelling with, you may be liable to a Penalty Fare if you board the train with an invalid ticket.
• The origin, destination and Train Company or route shown on the ticket(s) must remain the same.
• The difference between the price paid and cost of the next suitable fare for your journey is payable, plus a £10 administration fee per person, per single ticket for each change to a journey. If you change to a train on which a cheaper fare is available, the difference will not be refunded.

Refunds

• Your ticket is non-refundable.
• If the train you purchased a ticket for is cancelled or delayed by more than 60 minutes, special arrangements will be made to accommodate you on another train (although a seat cannot be guaranteed). If, as a result, you decide not to travel, a refund will be offered on completely unused tickets and you will not be charged an administration fee.

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By Sam Matthews.

The rail regulator is to review the compensation regime between train operators and Network Rail (NR) amid claims that firms are “pocketing” tens of millions of pounds due to passengers for delays and cancellations.

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) said it wants to make sure compensation issues function effectively and do not disadvantage passengers or freight customers.

The ORR is also studying passenger awareness of their own compensation rights on questions such as how long they need to be delayed on a journey before they can reclaim their fare.

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association welcomed the news, following its claim last month that less than 10% of £184 million paid to private firms by NR for delays last year found its way back to passengers.

General secretary Manuel Cortes said: “The present compensation scheme is little more than licensed larceny by the private train operators.

“The passenger gets mugged twice, first when trains are delayed, and then when train firms are paid compensation for that delay via taxpayer-funded NR.

“But when passengers try to get their money back, they are told the train has to be two hours late to get a full refund. Rail firms get compensation when a train is more than five minutes late.”

Copyright © 2012 The Press Association. All rights reserved.

By John Williams - Chief Editor

A signalling problem is causing disruption at Hitchin to First Capital Connect services

Because of this, the following alterations will apply until further notice

• Buses are replacing trains between Hertford North and Stevenage

• Buses are replacing trains between Stevenage and Letchworth / Royston, calling at all stations

• Journeys through the affected area may be extended by up to 90 minutes.

Ticket acceptance

Passengers may use Greater Anglia services between London Liverpool Street and Cambridge.

Passengers may claim for delays over 30 minutes and details can be found on our website: Delay Repay Information

John Williams – Chief Editor

The 10th anniversary of the Potters Bar rail crash, in which seven people lost their lives, will be marked later this afternoon a memorial garden close to the scene of the crash and includes the laying of flowers and a minute’s silence at 12:56pm – the time the train derailed.

Six passengers on the West Anglia Great Northern express, including 75-year-old Austen Kark, were killed in the crash.

They were in the train’s fourth carriage which became airborne after derailing and ended up wedged under the canopy of Potters Bar station.

The seventh victim, Agnes Quinlivan, 80, was killed by falling debris as she walked close to the station.

Following the service at the memorial garden a second service will be held at Our Lady and St Vincent church in Potters Bar.

A list of the victims that should be remembered today:

• Austen Kark, 75 (his wife, writer Nina Bawden, was badly injured)
• Emma Knights, 29
• Chia-hsin Lin, 29
• Alexander Ogonwusi, 42
• Agnes Quinlivan, 80
• Jonael Schickler, 25
• Chia-Ching Wu, 30

Our thoughts are with all those that were involved with this tragic incident.