Q: I WAS stranded for hours at Nuneaton station when my train was cancelled, so I paid £325 for a three-hour taxi ride to get home before dark.
Now CrossCountry won’t refund me, which is really unfair.
Can you help me get my money back?
Michael Newman, Norfolk
A: Train cancellations happen, but it’s shocking you were left for so long and no replacement travel was offered.
As a pensioner worried about your safety, I can understand why you didn’t want to travel at night and eventually opted for a taxi.
But it left you hundreds of pounds out of pocket.
You arrived in plenty of time to catch your noon CrossCountry train.
But it had been cancelled.
The next train you could catch was scheduled to arrive in an hour.
You asked staff if they would be laying on a replacement bus, otherwise you would miss the next leg of your journey.
But you were told you would have to wait at least two hours before a taxi or a coach could be organised for you.
So you waited but, nearly three hours and three cancelled trains later, with no sign of other transport being offered, you booked a taxi and hoped to claim the cost later.
National Rail says alternative transport should be provided for customers if their journey is disrupted and even overnight accommodation if needed.
So you asked CrossCountry for compensation – and for your taxi fare to be reimbursed.
Under the national Delay Repay scheme, you can get a payout if your train has been cancelled.
The amount depends on the type of ticket bought and length of delay.
You received a rail voucher for £18.15 for the cancelled train but were told your taxi fare would not be refunded, so you contacted our Squeeze Team.
After we got in touch, CrossCountry offered a full refund of the £325 taxi fare.
A spokesperson said they were “really sorry” to hear about your case and added that a full review of the firm’s procedures for managing cancellations is taking place to ensure this won’t happen again.
Don’t forget to make a claim for your money back if your train is cancelled, especially if you have been affected by recent strikes.
Contact your rail company for a pay-out – you’ll need a photo of your ticket, its cost, your booking reference and the journey details.
