Journey Planners not selling walk-on tickets

Many readers have been bringing to my attention the fact that on long-distance journeys, Journey Planners often fail to offer the cheapest walk-on tickets if the train is busy.

This shows up with various messages, according to the planner and the operator. At one time CrossCountry (XC) had messages such as “all seats sold”.

The reader from Elgin I mentioned above varies his route to London between Aberdeen and Inverness, tickets being valid either way. He looks at LNER’s journey planner (although he never buys his ticket online), and it will frequently say there are no fares available for travel on the 0755 ‘Highland Chieftain’ from Inverness.

I asked LNER and it replied that all tickets - Advance or walk-on - are issued with reservations, like it or not, and that once the reservation quota is used up, they cease to be sold.

Our reader has more sense and always buys his Super OP Return on the day of travel from the Elgin ticket office or ticket machine. He tells me he has always found a seat on the ‘Highland Chieftain’.

The industry has allowed this to creep in over recent months. What right has an operator to refuse to sell a ticket that can be obtained from a ticket machine on the day?

Do they make clear that a walk-on ticket sold with a reservation is still valid on any other train? I’m sure a lot of users are ignorant of all this and think they’ve bought a type of Advance ticket.

Another reader wanted to travel on the 1103 from Runcorn to Euston, and the Avanti site offered him only a First Class OP single (£138) or Standard Premium (£93.60). He told me he thought he had a right to an OP Standard single (£68.60) - and so he has. After all, there are always unreserved coaches.

He complained to Avanti and received a reply admitting this is “industry wide” and “probably because all reservable seats are taken”, but that “you can still grab one on the day”.

Typically appalling English from Avanti, but it has really let the cat out of the bag by an admission that the cheapest fares can be bought on the day from a machine but not on its website, and that this policy is “industrywide.”

It is surely misleading not to advertise a ticket that is always available and considerably cheaper than those on sale. How many casual travellers would know to check?

This is a very serious issue that the industry must address, not sweep under the carpet.