Sometimes, we will have to cancel trains or make changes to the train service, which may affect your journey.
If your train is cancelled, you don’t have to buy a new ticket for travel. If you’re still planning to travel and your train is cancelled, you can travel on your existing ticket under the conditions below.
If multiple trains are disrupted, for instance due to a route being unavailable, we will provide information and specific travel updates.
If you no longer wish to travel, you can change your ticket or claim a refund.
My ticket is for GWR
If your ticket is for a GWR service and your train is cancelled, you can use your existing ticket to travel on any GWR service within two hours before or after your cancelled train. If the two services before or after your original ticket are peak services or less flexible, you can still travel with your original ticket.
Please be aware that other services may be busier than your original journey and we recommend making an alternative seat reservation where possible.
You can also use your ticket to travel with on any of the following operators’ services that overlap with the GWR network:
- CrossCountry
- South Western Railway
- Southern Railway
- Thameslink
- Chiltern Railways
- West Midlands Railway
- Avanti West Coast
You should still travel either two hours before or after your original GWR train was scheduled to depart. In most cases, unless we tell you otherwise, it will be quickest for you to travel taking the same route as your original train, but you can travel on any of these operators’ services via a different route if it is quicker. Replan your journey using our journey planner or speak to staff for assistance.
If you choose to travel from a different London Terminal using Transport for London (TfL) services, or make a journey across London which wasn’t part of your original ticket, you will need to pay the appropriate TfL fare for your journey.
My ticket is with another train company
You can use your existing ticket to travel on the same operator either two trains before or two trains after your cancelled train.
Depending on which operator you were booked to travel with, you may also be able to use the same ticket to travel with a different company. Please check directly with the operator you are travelling with for their specific alternative travel advice if your train has been cancelled.
My ticket is flexible with no operator restrictions
If your ticket is a flexible Anytime ticket and does not specify a train operator, you can travel on any valid train that day, subject to any routing restrictions listed on your ticket. If you have an Off-Peak ticket which does not specify a train operator, you can travel on any off-peak train, or any train within 2 hours of the train you intended to catch.