The state-owned rail firm is hyper-vigilantly policing the use of the 16-25 Railcard 33 per cent discount on 'anytime' tickets used before 10am on weekdays.
Train company Northern has been accused of exploiting 'byzantine' rules on peak time train fares to take young passengers to court over fares worth less than £5.
Passengers say staff outright refuse to let them buy a correct ticket and insist treat them in the same way as people who refuse to try to pay their way - a tactic blasted today by a passenger watchdog as 'bleak'. Those who have fallen victim to Northern's hardline stance say conductors insist on issuing a fine - which can then lead to court cases landing them a criminal record and fines costing hundreds of pounds - for infractions worth pennies.
But those who have tried to pay their way, he continued, should be 'treated with understanding and not immediately assumed to be guilty'. Oxford graduate Sam Williamson, 22, brought the issue to the fore after he shared his situation on X, formerly Twitter. 'It's amazing to see how many people have been caught by this. Northern Rail are one of the more rigorous ones when it comes to checking things,' Mr Williamson said.Mr Williamson said there was an element of 'being a bit intimidated' in being made to hand over his personal details for a fine
Worst of all, another passenger on the train who was also challenged about their railcard simply walked away from the inspector and got off at the next stop - no letter, no threat of court action. MailOnline replicated the process by which he bought his ticket via the Northern website. As he stated, we could attach a railcard to an anytime ticket - and the website promised the ticket was 'flexible...with no time restrictions on when you can travel'.The prosecutions are being brought under the Regulation of Railways Act 1889 - an obscure set of laws that doesn't even mention railcards, which did not exist for another 85 years.
Among them was a 23-year-old who was fined £462 - for a £4.80 fare they had 'avoided' by using a railcard - and a 27-year-old fined £462.80 after travelling during peak-time on an off-peak ticket. The replacement ticket would have been £4.80. Ms Piper is still paying off the fine, which was covered by her mother, from the proceeds of her £11.44-an-hour job.
He told the Telegraph: 'This saga makes me think more than ever we need real people in ticket offices who will explain this minutia to rail users. SJPs were brought in a decade ago to fast-track minor offences such as not paying for TV licences or car insurance. They require only written evidence and no hearing, and are dealt with by a single magistrate for efficiency.
Read More Train passengers brand Euston Station 'Like Squid Game but with a Boots' after day of hellish delays, chaotic queues and even dripping trains The firm previously took an uncompromising position on its approach to cases such Mr Williamson's and Ms Piper's, telling news outlets that everyone 'has a duty to buy a valid ticket'.
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Fury at rail firm's 16-25 Railcard prosecutions: How state-owned Northern Rail is taking passengers...The state-owned rail firm is hyper-vigilantly policing the use of the 16-25 Railcard 33 per cent discount on 'anytime' tickets used before 10am on weekdays.
Read more »
Fury at rail firm's 16-25 Railcard prosecutions: How state-owned Northern Rail is taking passengers...The state-owned rail firm is hyper-vigilantly policing the use of the 16-25 Railcard 33 per cent discount on 'anytime' tickets used before 10am on weekdays.
Read more »