Northern broke rail fare evasion rules: Everything you need to know and whether you could be owed compensation

Rail travellers may be eligible for compensation following allegations that Northern violated its fare evasion regulations to prosecute commuters.

On Monday, the train operator announced that all prosecutions of individuals accused of misusing a 16-25 railcard to secure a discount at an inappropriate time of day were being withdrawn, and thousands of past cases were under review. The firm faced criticism for taking legal action against young people who had used their railcards in a manner that would have saved them a few pounds on morning trips.

Reported by the Telegraph, Northern's rules stipulate that passengers with a railcard travelling on the wrong train should be given the opportunity to immediately repay the shortfall. A spokesperson for Northern stated: "We understand that fares and ticketing across the railway can, at times, be difficult to understand, and we are reviewing our processes for ensuring compliance with ticket and railcard terms and conditions. With regard to recent reported cases involving use of the 16-25 railcard with fares under £12 before 10am, we are withdrawing any live cases and will also look to review anyone who has been prosecuted previously on this specific issue.

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"We are actively engaged with government and industry to simplify fares to help customers."

Restrictions on a 16-25 railcard, which can also be purchased by full-time students, dictate that discounts can only be applied to an "anytime" ticket before 10am if the fare is £12 or more, necessitating cardholders to pay full fare for cheaper tickets.

Exceptions to the rule do exist: railcards are valid on early morning weekend trains, or during July and August. Some passengers have expressed confusion over the regulations, having been caught out by purchasing discounted tickets without realising their railcards were not applicable.

Sam Williamson, 22, was threatened with legal action by Northern over a £1.90 fare difference after he incorrectly used his railcard for a morning journey from Manchester to London on 5 September.

In a social media update that went viral last week, Williamson shared his experience of receiving the notice from the state-run operator. The engineering graduate from Glossop, Derbyshire, revealed that he was later informed by Northern that they would "be taking no further steps" in his case.

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport commented: "We expect Northern and all operators to ensure their policy on ticketing is clear and fair for passengers at all times. Northern are reviewing the details of these cases and will report back to the department."

"It is clear that ticketing is far too complicated with a labyrinth of different fares and prices, which can be confusing for passengers. That's why we have committed to the biggest overhaul of our railways in a generation, including simplifying fares to make travelling by train easier."