TrainSplit's Terms and Conditions

TrainSplit is a retailer of UK rail tickets, it does not set the terms and conditions of the various ticket types. It is the individual train operating companies (TOCs) that do that. TrainSplit passes these on to you, the customer. However TrainSplit does have a number of requirements of you which you must agree to before buying a ticket.

1. National Rail Conditions of Travel

The National Rail Conditions of Travel set out the minimum level of service you are entitled to expect, plus your rights and responsibilities when travelling on the National Rail network. You can view these in total by clicking here.

The Uniform Rules for the Contract of International Carriage of Passengers by Rail (“CIV”) apply to train travel on Eurostar services and apply in place of the National Rail Conditions of Travel for journeys to and from London International. These can be viewed here, along with the terms and conditions for Eurostar tickets.

2. Confirmation Of Your Booking

As soon as your booking is confirmed, a confirmation email with your reference number will automatically be emailed to the email address you entered at the time of booking. Your reference and journey details will also be shown on the screen.

2.1 If you have not received your confirmation email, it is your responsibility to contact us and we will then resend it to you.

2.2 If you have not received your confirmation email and you do not contact us within 28 days of making the booking, the right to a refund will be forfeited.

2.3 Please check your journey details immediately upon booking. If any errors are found, please apply for a refund through our online refund form within 1 hour of booking or before the departure of the first booked train, whichever comes first. Please note that no refunds are available once tickets have been collected or scanned, or after the train has left the station.

3. Ticket On Departure

If you select a departure point where ticket on departure machines are available, TrainSplit encourages you to purchase your tickets on this basis. Picking up your tickets just before you travel is very convenient. However, there are several conditions you must abide by.

3.1 You must have a physical payment card to collect your tickets

3.1.1 You must use a physical payment card to pick up your tickets from the ticket machine. If your card has been replaced by the bank, the new card will work.

3.1.2 Upon purchasing your tickets, you will be provided with a 'ticket collection reference.' You must enter this reference into the ticket delivery machines at your departure station, but you also need to insert a physical payment card for the machine to unlock and print the tickets. The tickets will not be delivered without a card, so it is your responsibility to have a physical card with you when collecting your ticket. We recommend that you print the confirmation email containing your reference for ease of collection.

3.1.3 REMEMBER: You may collect your tickets from any Ticket on Departure (TOD) station from the moment you make your booking.

3.2 Arrive at least 20 minutes before travel: Ensure you arrive with sufficient time to collect your tickets. We recommend arriving at least 20 minutes before departure. Please note, you cannot travel with just a ticket collection reference; you must have your tickets in hand to begin your journey.

3.3 Early morning travel: If you plan to travel early in the morning, please check the opening times and accessibility of the ticket collection machines. At times, these may only be available in ticket offices, which may open later than the station itself.

3.4. Issues with the ticket machines

In the event the ticket collection machines are not working, you should go to the ticket office. In the event there is no one at the ticket office, please phone the contact number on the ticket machine and you will be advised what to do.

3.4.1 Some ticket collection machines are located in unmanned stations but they will have a contact number on them if the machine breaks down. If it is not possible to get your tickets, there is a good chance you will be charged again on the train. TrainSplit will refund the original tickets as long as you can demonstrate you have arrived in time, gone to the ticket office if available and provide evidence of your replacement tickets. If you have a camera in your mobile, it will be very useful if you can take a picture of a closed ticket office, i.e there was no one there to assist you.

3.5. Be patient with the machines

3.5.1 Please ensure you have received all your "coupons" (tickets) before moving away from the machine. You will be able to check the number of coupons you should have, either on a message from the machine, or one of your coupons will indicate how many there should be in total. The collection receipt itself doesn’t count as a coupon.

3.5.2 If your tickets, or a portion of them, fail to print, there may be an issue with the machine. In this case, please flag down a station staff member. It is their responsibility to check the machine and see if the tickets are stuck inside. Unfortunately, if your tickets fail to print, we will be unable to offer a refund, as the responsibility lies with the train company that manages the station. TrainSplit is a retailer and does not own any of the issuing machines.

4. E-Tickets

4.1 You must be able to produce a copy of your e-tickets on demand. This can either be done electronically or by using a printed copy. You can do both, if you so wish. When showing them electronically, you’ll need to ensure that your device is working and has sufficient battery for the entire journey. If you can’t produce your E-Tickets, you will be treated as not having a ticket for the journey and you may have to buy a new one or pay a Penalty Fare.

4.2 We recommend that you bring a printed copy of your E-Tickets. However, if you are satisfied that your electronic devices are reliable enough and have sufficient battery, it is acceptable to just display the E-Ticket on that.

4.3 E-Tickets are refundable and amendable in the same way as traditional paper tickets. Some tickets may have restrictions on refunds, which will be detailed in the ticket conditions in this confirmation.

4.4 If you cancel or refund your E-Ticket, or if your payment is subsequently reversed, your E-Ticket will no longer be valid for travel. In such cases, we will notify you via email using the address provided. It is imperative that you do not attempt to use any tickets once they have been cancelled. The train company will refuse to accept them, and you will be required to purchase a new ticket. Moreover, you may incur a Penalty Fare or face prosecution. We strongly advise deleting any copies of cancelled E-Tickets immediately to prevent confusion in the future.

5. Seat Reservations

Where possible, TrainSplit will assign seat reservations for your journey. Please note that only advance tickets come with compulsory reservations, and these are subject to availability. If you purchase a flexible ticket, seat reservations cannot be guaranteed. TrainSplit will also assign seating preferences where possible, but again, these cannot be guaranteed as they are subject to availability. TrainSplit cannot be held responsible for customers who do not receive seat reservations or their preferred seating arrangements.

6. Re-Checking train times

Please make sure you check your train times before you travel at National Rail Enquiries on 03457 48 49 50 or via the website www.nationalrail.co.uk to make sure there haven't been any changes to your journey as a result of engineering works for example.

7. Admin Fees For Refunds

The maximum administrative fee is capped at £5 per booking reference. For ticket values exceeding £10, the admin fee remains at £5. In cases where the ticket value is less than £10, the administrative fee is set at half of the ticket value. Additionally, a minimum administrative fee of £1.25 has been introduced.

8. Amendments & Cancellations

8.1 The terms and conditions applicable to your ticket type determine the circumstances under which it can be cancelled or refunded. All tickets are amendable by rebooking. It's important to note that the fare terms of the ticket type are set by the train operating companies, not TrainSplit. Therefore, before proceeding with your purchase, please ensure to check the terms and conditions of your ticket to ensure they meet your needs.

8.2 The fare terms and conditions can be viewed when you select the times and price that suits and by clicking on the information icon next to the fare price.

8.3 As a general rule, the fares found by selecting "cheapest" on the fares and timetable will be amendable but not cancellable/refundable. The more expensive flexible fares are usually amendable and refundable.

8.4 You may be able to amend your journey at your departure station. You will usually be charged £5 per ticket (as well as the difference in price) at the station for changing your journey. Alternatively, to amend through TrainSplit, please re-book the same journey yourself before the original travel date. Please note that the new travel date may be after this period.

8.5 To cancel or amend your journey, please complete the online refund application form HERE

8.6 Note that for Advance tickets, only the times and dates may be amended before the original journey, but not the origin or destination. The amendment process is by re-booking your journey and claiming a refund on the originals. We cannot change your ticket for you. All amendments or rebooking for ADVANCE (non-refundable) type tickets must be completed before the original departure date and time. After this point, the ticket holds no value, and a refund will no longer be possible. While the departure date, time, and ticket type (advance or flexible) can differ, the origin, destination, and train company or route must remain the same. Remember that you must apply for the refund before the original ticket's departure time.

8.7 If your booking has been used as a replacement to refund a previous journey, then the replacement journey will become non-refundable but amendable.

8.8 Refunds must be submitted within 28 days of the travel date for a single or within 28 days of the last date of validity for the return portion of a return ticket. If you have the tickets in your possession, you may submit a refund request here, where you will be able to upload images of your voided tickets onto the refund form. If you prefer to post the tickets back to us, we strongly recommend that you send them by recorded delivery and keep hold of the tracking reference or posting receipt for your records. We are not responsible for tickets not received by us. Please do not dispose of your tickets until a refund has been processed and the money has been returned to your account.

8.9 All amendments and cancellations/refunds are subject to an administrative fee on the face value of the tickets only. If an amendment results in a lower price ticket, the difference in fare will not be refunded. The administrative fee is charged per booking reference. Any booking fees and a share of split ticket savings commission are non-refundable, unless the journey had to be abandoned due to disruption in line with NRCoT condition 30.

8.10 If you have a flexible return ticket, you may be entitled to a full refund, less an administrative fee, if the ticket remains entirely unused and the refund request is submitted within 28 days of the expiry date of the ticket. If the inward portion has been used, no refund may be issued for the outward portion. If the outward portion has been used, a refund on the return portion is calculated based on the remaining value after deducting the equivalent single fare. PLEASE NOTE: A single fare plus an administrative fee is often more expensive than a return fare, therefore, in most cases, no refund will be granted on partially used tickets.

8.11 Please note, for return journeys, if you are re-booking just the outward or return journey, it may be cheaper to amend the entire journey. We recommend checking available fares for the best option.

8.12 It is not possible to refund just the outbound section of a 2-part return ticket (Super Off-Peak Return, Off-Peak Return, or Anytime Return).

8.13 It is also not possible to replace one journey with multiple journeys, nor is it possible to replace multiple journeys with one journey. 

8.14 The Change of Journey refund process is for refunding tickets and replacing them with new tickets, purchased after the original booking's purchase date. It is not possible to replace an Advance booking using a journey that was booked before.

8.15 If your ticket(s) are used or you have travelled to your destination via an alternative route due to train cancellation or delay, you are not entitled to a refund but you may be eligible for delay compensation from the Train Company who operated your journey. TrainSplit is a retailer; therefore, delayed and cancelled trains lie outside of our responsibilities.

8.15.1 If you are unsure which train company you travelled with please refer to your itinerary in the confirmation email or letter. You may be able to submit an online claim form through the Train Company website.

9. Passengers with disabilities

Services may have limited capacity for wheelchairs and wheelchair spaces may not be available in first class on some services provided by some operators. If you have a disability please contact Passenger Assist on 0800 0223720 or use the Passenger Assistance app (see here).

10. Disruptions and Cancellations: What to Do When Things Go Wrong

10.1 Advance tickets

10.1.1 If you’re using at least one Advance ticket for your journey, you must be at your origin station in good time to catch your first train - if you miss your first train, your Advance tickets will no longer have any value and you’ll need to purchase new ones.

10.1.2 In normal circumstances, you must travel as per the booked itinerary. However, if cancelled or delayed trains cause you to miss a connection, NRCoT Condition 9.4 entitles you to catch the next available train(s) to your destination. If practicable, you are advised to ask a member of staff to endorse your ticket for travel on alternative services, but please note the following restrictions may apply unless waived by the relevant train companies:

• If your ticket restricts you to a particular train company, you must only use the services of that company. 
• If your ticket restricts you to a particular route, you must continue using that route
• If you have split tickets, you must take trains that stop at the stations where you change from one ticket to the next.

10.2 Flexible (Off-Peak/ Super Off-Peak/ Anytime) tickets:

10.2.1 If you’re using flexible ticket(s) for your journey, you are not tied to a specific train.

10.2.2 In normal circumstances, you must travel in accordance with the company, route and time restrictions detailed above, as well as ensuring that your train(s) call at all stations where you change from one ticket to the next. However, if cancelled or delayed trains cause you to miss a connection, you are advised to ask a member of staff; in exceptional circumstances staff may endorse your ticket for travel on alternative routes.

10.3. If the train you’re booked to catch doesn’t appear to exist, it will be because it’s been retimed or cancelled at some point after you booked it, but before the day of travel. We strongly suggest that you recheck your journey on the day of travel to ensure that nothing has changed. However, if this happens your tickets will be valid on the next train (see 10.1.2 above). If you are questioned, show a copy of this itinerary and explain that the train was scheduled to run when you booked, but has since been changed by the train company.

10.4. If you are unable to complete your journey due to disruption, the National Rail Conditions of Travel (NRCoT) Condition 28.2 mandates any train company in a position to assist to do so. This usually involves finding an alternative route or providing a taxi or hotel room at their expense.

10.5 Remember that if you are delayed or incur any out-of-pocket expenses, you may be able to claim compensation from the first train company that caused the delay. Keep a copy of your tickets and itinerary for this purpose, and email the company at the address provided on their website. Explain that you are combining tickets to form one journey under NRCoT Condition 14, and list the trains taken along with their actual times. If you encounter any issues, please contact our customer support team.

11. Cycle Spaces, Luggage, and Reservations

Passengers are responsible for verifying Train Operating Company (TOC) policies regarding cycle spaces, luggage allowances, and any necessary reservations before travel. We recommend checking the TOC website or contacting them directly to access these policies. Failure to comply with TOC policies may result in refused boarding, for which we cannot be held responsible.