A MAJOR train operator has issued fresh guidance to its 5,000 staff after The Sun highlighted some workers were incorrectly refusing to accept valid tickets.
South Western Railway (SWR) sent all of its staff a briefing yesterday reminding them of its latest ticket restrictions to ensure they're providing customers with the right information, The Sun understands.
This came after an investigation by the Sun found some workers at train stations outside London were incorrectly telling customers they could not use "evening out return" tickets until 1.30pm because their train's final destination was London.
SWR rules allow travellers to use an evening out return ticket to board trains after 12pm.
The exception is if they're going inside London's Oyster Travelcard zones, in which case the tickets are only valid if the train arrives into London after 2pm.
We tried to board a train terminating in London – but not entering the Oyster zones – before 1.30pm on three occasions and were incorrectly told the tickets weren't valid.
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In one instance, we bought a ticket for a journey at 12.03pm from one station in Surrey to another station in Surrey, outside of London's Oyster zones.
We were able to purchase an evening out return ticket on third-party app Trainline for that exact train.
But when we presented the ticket to a member of SWR staff at the station, they said the ticket wasn't valid and refused to let us through the barriers.
The staff member said we would have to buy a more expensive "anytime return" ticket instead.
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We spoke to another customer at the station who had been turned away for the same reason, despite buying the ticket for the same train on Trainline.
When we pointed out that our ticket was available to purchase on Trainline, the worker told us SWR is aware Trainline is selling incorrect tickets and had tried to get this fixed – but we were still refused travel.
After we got in touch with SWR's head office, it said the information we were given by its employee was wrong and suggested they had got confused about its "evening out" policy.
A spokesperson for SWR told the Sun: "We have checked with our retail and revenue teams and on this occasion the member of staff at our station gave you incorrect information.
"Trainline sold the correct ticket and you are correct in saying that the ticket is valid for travel after 12pm.
"Having spoken to our retail team, we can confirm that there is no evidence to suggest that Trainline is not selling the correct tickets," they added.
They confirmed SWR had sent guidance to staff on the back of our enquiry to ensure they understand the latest ticket restrictions and aren't giving out the wrong info in future.
Trainline has now agreed to refund our original ticket.
Consumer expert Martyn James said: "This investigation shows how the train ticketing system in the UK is so complicated that not even train employees understand the nuts and bolts of how it works.
"While it's positive SWR has acknowledged the error and is correcting it, once again, it's startlingly obvious that we need well trained staff at all of our stations who are able to answer questions and solve problems."
Train networks are currently consulting on whether to remove ticket offices from stations to cut costs.
SWR employs more than 5,000 railway staff, according to its website, and runs around 1,500 train services every day transporting roughly 220,000 customers.
If you find you've bought the wrong train ticket based on incorrect information, contact your train company's customer services team and explain the situation to them.
You can usually find a contact on the train operator's website.
In SWR's case, you can claim a refund for the more expensive ticket if its staff are at fault.
What train ticket restrictions are there?
Across all train operators, there are several different types of tickets that are valid at different times of day, such as evening out returns.
Tickets with more restrictions tend to be cheaper, while flexible tickets are more expensive.
The main daily ticket fares are:
Advance tickets
You can book advance train tickets usually up to 12 weeks in advance of your journey.
They're normally a lot cheaper than buying tickets on the day.
However, they are the most restricted type of ticket as you must travel on the exact train you select.
The only exception is if the train is cancelled, in which case you should be able to board the next available train.
Anytime tickets
Anytime tickets are the most flexible type of train ticket, allowing you to travel at any time of day.
You can also usually get out at any station during your journey, which can be a good way to break up a long trip.
However, these tend to be the most expensive type of ticket to buy.
You can use a railcard on Anytime tickets – but be aware the minimum fare is capped at £12 with a railcard, so you won't be able to reduce a ticket any more than that.
Off-peak tickets
Off-peak train fares apply outside of peak hours – usually during the times people are commuting in the morning and sometimes in the evening.
They are cheaper than anytime fares, so are a good option if you don't need to travel during peak times.
You can get a third off the price of any off-peak tickets if you use a valid railcard.
Super off-peak tickets
These tend to be the cheapest type of ticket without committing to a specific train.
Super off-peak times tend to be during the middle of the day and sometimes late at night.
You can also use a railcard to get an even cheaper deal.
How else can I save on train fares?
If you regularly travel the same routes, such as for your commute, it may be worth getting an annual season ticket.
National Rail says that if you're making the same journey for three or more days a week, a seven-day season ticket is likely to save you money.
You can use National Rail's free online calculator to help figure out your savings.
You can also save money by splitting your tickets up. Trainline usually does this for you, but another website you can use to split up your journey is Splitticketing.co.uk.
You won't need to change trains – split tickets are valid as long as the train calls at the station you buy the tickets for.
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Getting a railcard can help reduce your fares by up to a third off every journey.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
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