Lord Greaves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-09-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether train operating companies (TOCs) are required to make available split ticketing options when they are cheaper for a journey than the purchase of a single ticket; if so, what action they are taking to make sure that this happens in all cases; and if not, whether they will recommend it to the TOCs.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Rail passengers should always be able to get the best deal and the industry must work harder to make this a reality. We are aware that there are a number of routes in England for which it can be cheaper to purchase two or more tickets for individual parts of the route than a through ticket for the entire journey. Anyone is entitled to purchase two or more separate tickets for their journey so long as the train they are travelling on stops at the stations indicated at the end of each ticket.

Train operators are obliged to sell the most appropriate through fare based on the information the passenger gives them. This will depend on what time the passenger wants to travel and how flexible they need to be. The National Rail Conditions of Carriage, which form the basis of the contract you enter into when you buy a rail ticket, allow passengers to use combinations of tickets. However, it is vital that industry improve information available to passengers and the Rail Minister will be raising this with the Rail Delivery Group as a priority.