Rail minister Lord Peter Hendy said the change ‘puts passengers first’.
Passengers whose trains have been cancelled will be able to travel with another company to finish their journey free of charge immediately, the Government has announced.
From Sunday, customers with a valid ticket will be able to travel on another operator’s service departing within two hours before or after their original cancelled train, using a direct or reasonable alternative route, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.
Travellers will need to show their original ticket to rail staff on their new service as proof of purchase and will not be required to download a new ticket.
Currently, when trains are cancelled passengers wait on platforms for companies to agree ticket acceptance, abandon journeys or buy new tickets, the department said.
Rail minister Lord Peter Hendy praised the announcement as a “common-sense change that puts passengers first”.
“No one should be left stranded because of a fragmented railway when their journey is disrupted,” he added.
Cross-operator ticket acceptance is already in place across all publicly owned operators, with this expanding to include CrossConutry, GWR, Avanti West Coast and Chiltern Railways from Sunday.
Meanwhile, East Midlands Railway will join at a later date.
The scheme is part of the Government’s “common-sense approach to reform the overly complicated and outdated rail fare system ahead of the establishment of GBR (Great British Railways)”, the DfT said.
Alex Robertson, chief executive of independent watchdog Transport Focus, said: “This is a welcome change that we have long called for and should make it easier for people when services are cancelled.
“The key now is making sure passengers get clear information about their options whenever disruption occurs.”
