Hi Mike
Many thanks. No worries. I am confident re getting the refund(s)
My journey was to end at Slough. My plan was to travel on the 06:50 GWR first stop Slough from Platform 5 with a scheduled arrival at 07:03. The EL had a strike timetable
The cancelation announcement was at roughly 06:50. And by the time I had gathered my thoughts and read the screens re a next train, I was fairly convinced that I could not get from platform 5 to Platform 14 to get the 06:56 slower GWR to Slough. Platform 14 is next to the Hammersmith & City platforms, so miles away. If they had put the 06:56 train on any of the other platforms, I think I could have joined it
There is a common gate line to Platforms 12 and 14. But I am convinced there is not an “inside the gates” route from platform 5 to platforms 12 and 14. As I was keen to get on a train soonest, I decided not to tell the gate line staff member at platforms 12 and 14 that I already had a live tap in. Otherwise everybody would do that and do a doughnut
As chance would have it and aiming for the common gates to platforms 12 and 14, there was a strike timetable EL train from platform 12 at 07:00 to Slough. Which I joined rather than attempting to run much further to platform 14. I do have a Freedom Pass as I am over 66, and really have given up running
The 07:00 EL and the next fastest 07:20 GWR were both timetabled to arrive at Slough at around 07:33. The EL train on the slow lines and the 07:20 GWR on the fast tracks
As it happens both trains were a few minutes late in arriving at Slough, and even after walking across the bridge at Slough the EL train did result in the faster tap out at 07:39, as I could see over my shoulder the arrival of the 07:20 GWR train. I have prints from the GWR website showing this GWR train arrived late
Hence qualifying for a delay of more than 30 minutes with a 25% claim I can make to GWR
My contactless record also includes an EL on train Revenue Inspection at 07:35 – and even that is 32 minutes over my intended arrival time of 07:03
I have not yet shared my contactless record with GWR, which has charges of £5.40, £26.00 for the cancelled GWR train and £9.30 for the final leg
My contactless record does have a whole string of single journey charges at off peak at a total price of £8.30 for my single journey from East Croydon to Slough, showing tap in times at East Croydon all before 06:00 with tap outs at Slough at various times between 06:57 (each very tight connection between trains being successful, although this connection is understandably too tight for the TFL and other journey planners) and 07:15, so some slight delays on occasions
Hence a tap out at Slough at 07:39 should be enough to evidence to GWR a delay of over 30 minutes