FOI request detail

Interrail validity on the Elizabeth Line

Request ID: FOI-1415-2223
Date published: 04 October 2022

You asked

Dear Transport for London, My name is xxxx and I frequently have friends visit me from elsewhere in Europe who are using Interrail passes for their journey. The Interrail website states that these passes are valid on the Elizabeth Line, and our understanding is also that this should be the case. However, gateline staff sometimes argue over the validity of, and in one case refused entry with, an Interrail pass. The reasoning varies but generally amounts to it being a TfL concession, and thus not valid. For the avoidance of doubt, and to understand what information is available to gateline staff, I'd like the following information: - Please confirm that Interrail passes valid for travel on trains in the UK are valid on the Elizabeth Line. - Please provide copies of all training materials regarding Interrail passes that are provided to gateline staff at Elizabeth Line stations. - Please provide the correct appeal procedure for a customer to use when at the gateline with a gateline staff member who doesn't believe that Interrail passes are valid on the Elizabeth Line. For example, this may be a contact person they or the gateline staff can reach out to, or a handbook/document name they can reference for the gateline staff to look up. Thank you in advance for this information.

We answered

TfL Ref: FOI-1415-2223

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 9th September 2022 asking for information about Interrail validity on the Elizabeth Line.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. 

I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require. Your questions are answered in turn below:

Question 1: Please confirm that Interrail passes valid for travel on trains in the UK are valid on the Elizabeth Line.

Answer: I can confirm that InterRail Passes are valid on the whole of the Elizabeth line.

Question 2: Please provide copies of all training materials regarding Interrail passes that are provided to gateline staff at Elizabeth Line stations.

Answer: The following material is provided to staff:

“MTREL Staff Training specifies:

EU rail pass and Brit rail passes are valid on our services, however before they can be used, they must visit a ticket office where the first and last days of validity must be completed in full, the passport number must be recorded on the pass, and a station stamp must be stamped in the date validation box to confirm the dates the pass can be used, which is all completed by the ticket office colleague. If a signature is required, this must be completed by the customer. We do ask them to use discretion where customers are coming straight from the airport for example Heathrow to Hayes and Harlington.
 

 

 

Question 3: Please provide the correct appeal procedure for a customer to use when at the gateline with a gateline staff member who doesn't believe that Interrail passes are valid on the Elizabeth Line. For example, this may be a contact person they or the gateline staff can reach out to, or a handbook/document name they can reference for the gateline staff to look up.

Answer: There is no “appeals procedure” as such at the gateline. We do provide clear information / training to staff and we will now remind all customer facing staff of the validity of InterRail Passes on the Elizabeth Line. Any comments or complaints about ticketing issues can be raised via our Customer Contact Centre via the following link: https://tfl.gov.uk/help-and-contact/contact-us-about-tube-and-rail
 
If this is not the information you are looking for please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely,

David Wells
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London

 

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