After a train is canceled, the train will charge a change of $43

Dear Travel Troubleshooter: Several weeks ago I booked a flight from Stockport, England to London. When I check the ticket on the train app on the day of departure, it shows that the train scheduled for 2:24 pm has been cancelled.

There was another train leaving at 2:19pm, so I rebooked my ticket for that. The train was canceled and even though the railway did not inform me before the departure, the railway charged a change of route and a difference in fare.

I expect a full refund for the fare difference and a change of payment for an error that was not my fault. If I hadn’t checked before I got to the station, I would have missed the train. Can you help?

– Neale Gonsalves, San Francisco

Answer: The railway should have informed you about the cancellation of your train journey. You should have been rebooked on another train or given a refund. He shouldn’t have waited until you got the canceled train and then charged you the change fee. So why did he do it?

Railway is a ticket agent. Records show they were traveling from Stockport, near Manchester, to London on a deeply discounted ticket.

“Advance single tickets are highly discounted, and give you the best value for your money,” said a railway representative. “However, these tickets are only valid for the specified date, time and train, making them non-transferable. And, as a result, no direct refunds will be issued on these tickets.

Since you have initiated a ticket change after realizing your train has been cancelled, Trainline says it cannot refund your tickets.

Railways is clear about the terms of your ticket. The site says you can use your current ticket to travel on the next service. But there is fine print. In the UK, you must use the next available train with the same train operator. Other tickets have restrictions on the days you can use them.

“If you can only travel with a certain operator/route, remember to check the status of your ticket,” he says.

The railway may have been correct about the terms of your ticket, but they should have informed you of the cancellation and offered to rebook you. Also, the site promises to be with you “every step of the way.” I don’t think so.

Railway prefers to communicate with him through the application. It looks like you did that, but the company continues to deny your request for a refund. I think emailing the executive might be your next step. All The Trainline email addresses follow the format: firstname.lastname@thetrainline.com. The Trainline publishes the names of the executives (but not their emails) on The Trainline at www.thetrainline.com/about-us/meet-the-team.

The train should have informed you of your cancellation and explained what it would cost to rebook your journey on a more expensive train. Instead, it allows you to assume that your ticket change will be refunded.