Man threatened with court action over train journey with 'anytime' rail ticket

Sam Williamson was told by Northern Rail he could be taken to court over the £1.90 discount on his train ticket.

Sam Williamson was unaware that Railcard holders can not discount journeys costing less than £12 before 10am.
Sam Williamson was unaware that Railcard holders can not discount journeys costing less than £12 before 10am.

The government has ordered a train company to "review" cases in which it has threatened to prosecute passengers who have used "anytime" rail tickets incorrectly.

The comments follow the case of train passenger Sam Williamson, who revealed in a viral social media post on X this week that he had been threatened with a fine by Norther Rail because the "anytime' ticket he bought didn't cover journeys that started before 10am,

Williamson, 22, from Glossop, told Yahoo News he had received a letter in the post from Northern Rail claiming he should have paid £1.90 more for a train journey he took from Broadbottom to London last month and could be taken to court.

Williamson had purchased the “anytime single” using his 16-25 Railcard on a train due to leave before 10am on 5 September. However, Williamson says he has fallen foul of little-known terms and conditions, which he says were not on the screen when he bought the ticket..

The 16-25 Railcard website states that passengers using the railcard "can travel anytime, but a minimum fare of £12 applies to all journeys made between 4:30am and 9:59am, Monday to Friday excluding Advance fares."

It adds: "This minimum fare does not apply on public holidays or throughout July and August."

Following the incident, the Department for Transport told Yahoo News: "We expect Northern to ensure their policy on ticketing is clear and fair for passengers at all times and have instructed the operator to review the details of these cases urgently."

Williamson insists he made an innocent mistake as he had previously travelled the same journey in the summer (when the restrictions didn't apply) and there had been no problem.

“I have done stuff before where I've had to do enhanced DBS checks, and if this goes on someone's criminal record, I think that's absolutely crazy. I think it's completely disproportionate,” he told Yahoo News.

Railcard card users must reach a minimum fare during peak hours to receive the discount on train tickets.
Railcard card users must reach a minimum fare during peak hours to receive the discount on train tickets.

When the ticket inspector informed him his railcard was not valid, Williamson says he offered to pay the difference or a fixed penalty notice on the spot. However, the conductor said he had to report the incident to Northern Rail for them to investigate.

Williamson received a letter from Northern Rail on 8 October threatening him with a fine and a potential criminal record.

The letter said an investigation had been launched into Williamson's "alleged contravention of the Railway Regulations" and gave him 14 days to offer his version of events. The letter went on to say: "Failure to respond to this reasonable request within 14 days of the date of this letter will result in legal action being taken."

It added that if legal proceedings began Williamson would be liable to contribute to Northern's costs, with the minimum contribution at £150, on top of any other fine.

Williamson said once he received the letter, six days of the allotted 14 had already passed.

Williamson responded promptly to Northern with an explanation and as much evidence as possible.
Williamson responded promptly to Northern with an explanation and as much evidence as possible.

"I've emailed the revenue protection team with all the info I can, so I hope this will work out OK," he tweeted after sharing his story. "However, I'm understandably worried that an innocent mistake over a confusing and opaque rule - that only saved me £1.90! - will lead to a punishment of £100s and a criminal record."

Harry Gray, a campaigner from Manchester, told Yahoo News that this rule is “misleading and unfair.”

He said: “The 'Anytime Single' offered by Northern should be valid for travel at any time of the day. It's appalling that Northern continue to use private prosecutions - leaving people with a criminal record for buying what they thought was a valid ticket. Have we learnt nothing from the unfair mistreatment of the post office scandal victims?"

A Northern spokesperson told Yahoo News: “As with all train operators across the UK, everyone has a duty to buy a valid ticket or obtain a promise to pay voucher before they board the train and be able to present it to the conductor or revenue protection officer during a ticket inspection.

“The overwhelming majority of our customers – upwards of 96% - do just that.”