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Terms & conditions

RAIL CHARTER SERVICES LTD

Conditions of Booking & Travel

Tickets are issued subject to the conditions below and your booking constitutes acceptance of these conditions

1) Tickets
(i) All tickets must be booked and paid for in full, in advance.
(ii) Each passenger is allocated a reserved seat and tickets are only issued when full payment for the journey has been received.
(iii) On-line bookings will receive a transaction number upon completion – this will be followed by an email confirmation which you should print off and keep for your records.
(iv) We are regrettably unable to accept bookings where payment is by cash or postal order.
(v) Disabled seating requests are welcome and we will endeavour, where possible, to meet the requirements specified.
(vii) For tickets booked through the third party telephone sales line tickets will be either emailed or posted (additional charge) subject to enough time between booking and travel date. You are advised to check the ticketing information thoroughly upon receipt and ensure you are at your departure station in good time.
(viii) Unless specified in Rail Charter Services Ltd. literature, your ticket price does not include transportation or entry to any other event, rail service or attraction.

2) Refunds & Cancellations
If the customer wishes to cancel the following refund policy will apply:
All tickets once booked are non-changeable and non-refundable
In the event of a train being ‘cancelled’ by Rail Charter Services Ltd all monies will be refunded or an alternative train/date will be offered. No other liability shall be incurred including delays or missed connections. 

3) Transfers
If a passenger wants to change a pre booked ticket for whatever reason this is permissible but is subject to an administration fee of £15 per booking plus any difference in the fare per person. If the new fare is cheaper or the same as the one already purchased then only the £15 booking fee is charged. For the avoidance of doubt the £15 change booking fee is a one off fee levied against the whole booking regardless of the number of passengers not per person.

4) Type of train
The use of HST Class 43 locomotives is planned but we reserve the right to change to a different class of rolling stock and locomotive if this becomes necessary for operational reasons.

5) Restrictions
Rail Charter Services Ltd. reserves the right to refuse access to, or remove from the train, any person or persons who are considered to be using inappropriate behaviour or who has done so on previous Rail Charter Services Ltd trains. This includes affecting the safety of the train and its passengers, spoiling the enjoyment of other passengers on the train, or failing to comply with any reasonable requests made by a member of the train’s staff. 

6) Pets/Dogs
Well behaved dogs are welcome on our trains but strictly not in the dining car. If you have a reservation for the dining car and you turn up with a dog you will be politely refused entry and no refund of the meal will be issued.

In the non dining section well behaved dogs are welcome as long as they are on a lead and sit under the table at all times. Having a dog on the table, seat or in the corridor is strictly forbidden. We also ask that dog owners show consideration to other passengers around them. No dogs are allowed in the buffet or restaurant cars under any circumstances except for registered 'guide dogs'.

I’m afraid that no other animals are allowed on our trains.

7) Bicycles
We welcome bikes and have 6 bike racks in the locked guards van. Bikes are carried free of charge but we do ask that you call the reservations number to reserve a space as only 6 bikes can be carried per train. You can’t book your bike by emailing info@railcharterservices.co.uk or calling 01768 353200. While bikes are stored in a rack and locked in the guards van Rail Charter Services takes no liability for the carriage of bikes and they are totally at the owners own risk.

8) Smoking
In compliance with UK law and for the comfort and safety of everyone on our trains we operate a strict ‘No Smoking’ policy including in the lavatories or vestibules. This includes electronic cigarettes. This also includes all station platforms whether covered or uncovered.
All luggage, cameras and personal effects are carried at your own risk and Rail Charter Services Ltd. accepts no liability for any loss or damage.

9) Complaints
If you have any issues during your journey with us please bring them to the immediate attention of the on-train management so that there is an opportunity to rectify the situation. If the problem is not resolved, then please put your complaint in writing to arrive in our office no later than 10 days after the completion of the journey. We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 3 working days, investigate and respond within 10 working days. We are sorry but unless their are exceptional circumstances we can't process complaints where we have not been made aware of an issues within 10 days from the date of travel.

10) Operation
On the day of the train journey all reasonable efforts will be made to ensure that the train runs as planned, but Rail Charter Services Ltd. cannot accept any responsibility for any events or circumstances outside its direct control and we are only responsible for returning passengers to their joining stations. We accept no responsibility for missed connections as a result of late running. As a charter operator we do not receive any compensation from Network Rail for delays caused by failure of their infrastructure such as signalling equipment nor from other rail operators for any failure to their services that could cause knock on delays. The industry ‘delay repay’ scheme does not apply to charter operators.

11) Wheelchairs & passenger assistance
If travelling with a foldable wheelchair we can provide a ramp at stations for ease of boarding and can store these in the vestibule end luggage spaces. We are pleased to convey disabled passengers whenever possible provided they can step from the wheelchair to their reserved seat with the help of an able bodied carer. Our staff will do their best to assist where possible but this can’t be guaranteed. The wheelchair must then be folded and stored at the end of the carriage.

At some stations such as Settle where the northbound platform is only accessible via a footbridge, wheelchair passengers should arrive no less than 30 minutes before the departure of the train so special access can be obtained across the level track crossing. This needs to be arranged direct with Northern Railway’s special assisted travel department by visiting www.help.northernrailway.co.uk and specifically booking passenger assistance 48 hours in advance of travel.

12) Mobility scooters
We have one dedicated space for a fixed wheelchair or a class 2 mobility scooter. (Class 3 scooters are strictly not permitted) The dimensions of the class 2 scooter must comply with the following:

  • No more than 700mm wide and 1200 long and weigh no more than 300kg, including the occupant
  • Have a maximum speed of 4mph
  • Have a free-wheeling facility for use in case of power failure
  • Have sealed batteries
  • Be able to negotiate gradients of 8 degrees or more

These points must be borne in mind for passengers who may have mobility issues. We are unable to convey motorised scooters, buggies or electric wheelchairs at any time.

13) Important Information
All details about our trains are offered in good faith and whilst we endeavour to run our trains to the proposed route, timings, rolling stock type and class, locomotives, itineraries, station stopping pattern and options in place, we reserve the right to alter these at any time and shall not incur any liability to any person who has bought, or contracted to buy a ticket, or tickets as a result of any such changes.

14) Force Majeure
Except where otherwise expressly stated in these Conditions we will not be liable or pay you any refund or compensation if our contractual obligations to you are affected by any event which we or the supplier(s) of the service(s) in question could not, even with all due care, foresee or avoid. These events can include, but are not limited to, war, threat of war, civil strife, terrorist activity and its consequences or the threat of such activity, riot, the act of any government or other national or local authority including port or river authorities, industrial dispute, supply issues, maintenance issues, lock closure, natural or nuclear disaster, fire, chemical or biological disaster, adverse weather, sea, air, ice and river conditions and all similar events outside our or the supplier(s) concerned control.

15) Copyright
The copyright of material used on our website and publications belongs to ‘Rail Charter Services Ltd’, with all rights reserved. Except solely for your own personal and non-commercial use, no part of our website or publications may be copied, adapted, modified, distributed, transmitted, displayed, performed, reproduced or published without the prior written permission of ‘Rail Charter Services Ltd’. Any prohibited and unlawful use of material on our website or publications could result in legal action.

16) Conditions of Carriage
All our trains are operated by Locomotive Services (TOC) Limited, the conditions of carriage for which can be found at www.lsltoc.co.uk