David Dixon, a season ticket holder, was told he would have to buy an extra ticket and pay a fine after catching the wrong train to his home in Barming, Kent
A commuter is facing being taken to court or coughing up £1,000 after accidentally catching the wrong train, despite paying nearly £4,000-a-year for a season ticket.
David Dixon, 34, was told he would have to buy an extra ticket and pay a fine after he mistakenly took a direct service to his home in Barming, Kent, rather than changing trains.
Mr Dixon pays £3,700 for an annual season ticket but has to make one change because there are no direct trains at the times he travels.
One evening last month he took a later service between Barming, Kent, and Elephant and Castle in south London, and accidentally took a direct route.
David realised as the train pulled away he was on the wrong service and was stopped by a ticket inspector on the train who told him he needed to pay a fine.
He was told that as the layout of Maistone East means passengers have to leave the station to get onto the platform, he was told he would have to pay for an extra single ticket from Maidstone East and Barming.
Despite his pleading with a ticket inspector, Mr Dixon was ordered to pay the cost of the journey back to Barming – £2.70 – which is his normal route home, and fined £20 when he got to Maidstone East.
Mr Dixon, an analyst at NHS Protect, which detects fraud in the health service, is currently appealing the penalty for a second time, after his first attempt was rejected.
However, the train company’s rules state that anyone with outstanding fines could face prosecution or have to cough up £1,000.
‘It feels like profiteering,’ noted Mr Dixon.
Mr Dixon, 34, is appealing the charges and faces court or a £1,000 fine. He says the rules are all the more unfair given the train company’s ‘appalling’ service
‘The inspector’s reason for fining me was because I had to leave the station to get onto the other platform but there is no other way to change platforms at Maidstone East.
‘I accept I could have got off at Barming, but simply missed my stop as I was following my usual commute and following the advice from National Rail.’
Mr Dixon said his reluctance to pay the fine was enhanced by his frustrations with the company’s service, which he described as ‘appalling.’
‘What’s more annoying is the service is appalling – the prices go up all the time and the train routinely doesn’t stop at Barming to make up time if the service is running late, adding delays to an already long commute.’
A Southeastern spokesman said the company could not comment while an appeal process was underway.
In July Southeastern overturned a penalty fare issued to commuter Neil Armstrong, who fell asleep and missed his stop at Barming.