Tickets sold for cancelled trains

RAIL passengers are being misled into buying tickets for trains that will be cancelled over Christmas, a consumer watchdog has warned.

As millions make bookings for the festive period, the rail industry has been accused of failing to warn passengers south of the Border about disruption by planned engineering works.

Independent watchdog Transport Focus, which carried out the investigation, said: ‘Train passengers are being misled in the run up to Christmas.’

The findings come as Network Rail prepares its biggest ever festive programme of engineering works. Journey times are expected to double for some routes.

Five out of seven major rail routes will be affected between December 3 and January 1, when an estimated 0million journeys are made. The rail industry is obliged to ensure timetables are correct 1 weeks in advance. But Transport Focus said inac- curate information is widespread. Its analysis – conducted in October – found 15,000 ‘discrepancies’ in timetables between October 1 and January 1 .

These include trains advertised on timetables which will be delayed, cancelled or replaced by buses.

Transport Focus urged the industry to give ‘proper warning when you dig up the tracks’.

Chief executive Anthony Smith said: ‘Failure to release timetables 1 weeks ahead of travel can mean passengers buy tickets for trains that will not run. That can’t be right.’

Network Rail said: ‘We are delivering the biggest modernisation to the Great Western mainline since it was built 175 years ago. It means in the short term we are unlikely to meet industry guidelines for accurate timetable information 1 weeks in advance.’