Ticket validity easements
Guidance regarding the Aslef strikes scheduled for December has been circulated.
Need to abandon your travel plans?
Customers with tickets dated for a strike day who decide not to travel due to the disruption are eligible for a fee-free refund regardless of booked ticket type. Click the button below to begin the process:
Upcoming strikes
Planned overtime bans are scheduled for the UK rail network on the following dates: Friday, September 29, and from Monday, October 2, to Friday, October 6.
Overtime Ban Schedule:
- Friday, 29 September
- Monday, 2 October to Friday, 6 October
Please be aware that these overtime bans have the potential to cause significant disruptions to the rail networks. Please check before you travel.
It's important to note that during this period, there are overtime bans in place, often referred to as "Action Short of Strikes," rather than full strikes. It's also crucial to highlight that there is no "Do Not Travel" advisory currently in effect. Consequently, the majority of train services are expected to run as per their usual schedules, and we recommend that customers "Check Before Travel" for any updates or changes. Please be aware that refunds will only be available if the train is cancelled, and you decide not to travel.
The following train companies will be impacted:
Avanti West Coast
C2C
Chiltern Railways
CrossCountry
East Midlands Railway
GTR (includes Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express)
Great Western Railway
Greater Anglia (includes Stansted Express)
LNER
Northern Trains
Southeastern
South Western Railway
TransPennine Express
West Midlands Trains
Ticket validity arrangements
If you hold a ticket dated on a strike day falling within the date ranges below, you can use it as-is on a number of alternative days. You do not need to replace your ticket or re-book.
| Date Range | Ticket Validity |
| 30th September | Valid on 29th September or up to and including Tuesday, 3rd October |
| 4th October |
Valid on 3rd October or up to and including Friday, 6th October |
Travel within London: Customers presenting magstripe National Rail tickets (Singles, Returns or Season Tickets) for journeys across London are permitted to travel on TfL services (bus, Tube, tram or DLR) on reasonable routes only, on the days of the National Rail industrial action only. Please note if your ticket is for a journey that includes crossing London it will not be valid on London Underground services on an alternative date.
Refunds
If you are affected by industrial action and decide not to travel, you can always request an instant refund online by following our step-by-step guide which explains how to use our refund system.
Overtime bans
It's important to note that the overtime ban isn't considered a full strike, and no DNT (Do Not Travel) messaging is inplace. A refund will only be available if the train has been cancelled, and customers choose not to travel.
Ticket validity arrangements
If you hold a ticket dated on a strike day falling within the date ranges below, you can use it as-is on a number of alternative days. You do not need to replace your ticket or re-book.
This policy only applies to tickets purchased before the strikes were announced – this means tickets purchased before 17 November.
This policy applies to tickets where any leg of the journey involves travelling on an affected Train Operating Companies (as per the TOCs shown in the list above
| Date Range | Ticket Validity |
|
Sat 2nd through to Fri 8th
December 2023 inclusive
|
Valid on Fri 1st December or up to and including Tues 12th December 2023 |
This policy does not apply to journeys wholly within the following unaffected TOCs - only
on through tickets to or from them for journeys that also involve the affected TOCs:
Elizabeth line, London Overground, Merseyrail, ScotRail, Transport for Wales.
This policy does not apply to any journeys on the following unaffected TOCs:
Caledonian Sleeper, Grand Central, Hull Trains, Lumo.
Travel within London: Customers presenting magstripe National Rail tickets (Singles, Returns or Season Tickets) for journeys across London are permitted to travel on TfL services (bus, Tube, tram or DLR) on reasonable routes only, on the days of the National Rail industrial action only. Please note if your ticket is for a journey that includes crossing London it will not be valid on London Underground services on an alternative date.
TfL have confirmed that customers will not be able to use London Buses or London Trams as an alternative on any day; nor use London Underground or DLR outside of the valid route and on the date shown as noted above. Customers will be expected to pay for their TfL journeys as normal.
If your ticket includes a TfL journey, a refund is only applicable if the entire ticket remains unused. We cannot issue a refund solely for the TfL portion if you have already travelled on the ticket.
- Passengers are advised to travel as closely aligned with their original booking times as possible.
- Those with tickets valid for travel across London must adhere to the specified date on their ticket or use PAYG/a new ticket for the London Underground segment if traveling the day before or after.
- Seat reservations cannot be honoured if passengers choose to travel on a different day.
- Customers desiring to amend Advance tickets (by re-booking and claiming a refund on the originals) to travel outside this easement may do so, following the standard Advance ticket terms and conditions.