FAQs
This section of our site has been created to let you navigate to those questions that have been recognised as being important to you.
We have included a wide range of questions below, but if you'd like information on specific areas, please use the topic-specific links below:
If, however, you are unable to find what you are looking for, please utilise our search facility.
Where can I find out about times/prices of rail journeys throughout Great Britain?
How do I arrange assistance around your stations and on trains?
What do I do if I have lost my Season Ticket?
What do I do if my Season Ticket stops working automatic barriers?
What are the benefits of having a Season Ticket?
How can I register and retrieve any lost property?
Are there any left luggage facilities on your route?
Where can I learn about current and future engineering works?
How am I compensated when things go wrong?
How is my Season Ticket refund calculated?
What is a changeover?
How do I apply for a refund on a ticket?
Why do you operate a penalty fares scheme?
What do I have to do if I receive a penalty fare?
Can I take my bicycle on the train?
How many bags/pets etc. can I take on the train with me?
What is Job Start and how do I apply?
How do I go about advertising at your stations?
Making charity collections at stations - what do I do and who do I ask?
I would like to work for you - how do I contact your recruitment department?
What is the Passenger's Charter?
What are the National Conditions of Carriage?
Who is responsible for my local station?
If you feel we have missed anything out, please email our Customer Relations team at custrel@c2crail.co.uk and we will endeavour to include your suggestions.
Where can I find out about times/prices of rail journeys throughout Great Britain?
This information can be found at any rail ticket office or by calling National Rail Enquiries on 08457 48 49 50 or through our online booking system.
How do I arrange assistance around your stations and on trains?
We have a dedicated assistance telephone helpline, which is open from 05.30 - 22.00 Monday to Saturday and 08.00 - 16.00 on Sundays. The telephone number is 01702 357 640. If you contact the team here, they will be able to help you plan your journey and arrange for any assistance that you may need.
What do I do if I have lost my Season Ticket?
Unfortunately, a daily or weekly ticket is your responsibility to keep safe and we will not be able to issue a replacement to you.
If your ticket is a monthly or longer period season ticket then please visit your local station and let the staff know as soon as possible that your ticket is lost. If you lose or mislay a Season Ticket then we may be able to arrange for it to be replaced with a duplicate if:
you tell staff at the office from which it was bought as soon as you reasonably can and, if required, give a reasonable explanation of the loss
you agree to return immediately the lost Season Ticket if you find it to the ticket office that you bought it from
the lost Season Ticket is valid for one month or longer
you pay a reasonable administrative charge (not exceeding £20.00) for the issue of the duplicate Season Ticket
Normally only one Season Ticket will be issued for a lost or stolen ticket, however a second duplicate may be allowed if:
the original Season Ticket is returned to us within one month of having been told of the loss
the first or second request for a duplicate was a result of a verifiable theft, robbery, fire or other exceptional circumstance which has been reported to the police, the fire service or other appropriate organisation
You will not in any circumstance be issued with more than two duplicate Season Tickets in any 12 month period.
What do I do if my Season Ticket stops working automatic barriers?
Visit your local station as soon as possible and they may be able to arrange for a replacement ticket to be issued to you.
Sometimes personal items which are stored close to tickets can affect how they work in a ticket barrier. Make sure that your ticket is not kept close to possible sources that could interfere with the magnetic strip such as mobile phones, IPODs, laptops etc.
What are the benefits of having a Season Ticket?
With an annual Season Ticket you may travel for 52 weeks for the price of 40 with unlimited travel on any train on your usual route with us. Added benefits include:
up to four children travel with you on your ticket for £1 each anytime off-peak
up to 1/3 off many leisure tickets for adults who accompany you on your ticket
receive four free standard c2c Off-Peak Day Return tickets to share with family or friends
How can I register and retrieve any lost property?
Please telephone our Lost Property office on 01702 357 699 (07.30 - 15.30 Monday to Friday).
Are there any left luggage facilities on your route?
We are sorry that we do not offer a Left Luggage facility at any of our stations. If you are travelling into London then please check the National Rail Website (www.nationalrail.co.uk) for details of London stations that offer Left Luggage facilities.
Where can I learn about current and future engineering works?
We update engineering information posters all the time, and these are displayed at all of our stations. Please ask local staff for guidance when planning your journey. Alternatively, you can visit our online engineering section.
Details about engineering work and how this may affect your journey can also be heard when telephoning our Customer Relations number 08456 014 873 and then select option 5.
How am I compensated when things go wrong?
We set out in a document called our Passenger's Charter exactly what to expect from us when there are delays and disruption. Please go to our Passenger's Charter section to view the full document.
Customers who are delayed over one hour and have a daily or weekly ticket will receive compensation of at least 50% of the journey cost. This is normally in the form of National Rail Travel Vouchers.
Customers who hold monthly or longer period season tickets may receive a discount on their ticket upon renewal, if applicable at this time. Our Passenger's Charter provides you with all the detail about how this particular area of our compensation policy works. Please go to this section of our Passenger's Charter.
You can also contact our Customer Relations Team on 08456 014 873 for further details.
How is my Season Ticket refund calculated?
If, for whatever reason, you no longer need your Season Ticket then please call to your local station and the team there will be able to provide you with guidance about our refunds policy. Please let us know if you will be continuing to travel by rail as it may be better for us to help you to 'Changeover' your ticket. See 'What is a Changeover?' section below for more details.
When an annual season ticket is calculated the basis is on the cost of 40 weeks travel, this means the final 12 weeks validity on the ticket has little or no refund value.
A season ticket handed back into your local station will have its refund calculated from the day that it is surrendered.
Refunds will be made back to you in the same manner that was used to purchase the ticket so, for instance, if you bought the ticket with a credit card we would need that detail completed on your refund form and the amount refundable would be placed onto that card.
If you find your circumstances change, for example you are moving house or changing your job, this may affect the stations that you use. If you are still planning on travelling by train using a season ticket, you may benefit from asking staff for a 'Changeover'. The station team will calculate your current season ticket and the price of the equivalent for your new travel needs for the remaining valid time left on your current ticket. There may be a small supplement to pay and we may also charge a small administrative fee.
You will receive a new ticket which will show your new travel. A Changeover ticket might benefit customers whose Season Ticket has 12 weeks or less validity remaining when there may not be much refund value left. This is only the case if you are continuing to travel by rail. Restrictions may apply so please do make sure to ask at your local station.
How do I apply for a refund on a ticket?
If you have purchased your ticket at a local station then please call back and the local team will be able to help you. If your train ticket was purchased using an agency or via the internet then please refer back to the issuer. If you do need guidance then please ask at your local station or give our Customer Relations team a call on 08456 014 873.
For details about Season Ticket refunds, please see 'How is my Season Ticket refund calculated?'.
Why do you operate a penalty fares scheme?
Our stations are nearly all gated which means that we have automatic ticket barriers. We expect all of our customers to buy a ticket to travel before they board our trains. People who try to travel with the intention not to purchase a ticket to travel have an impact on our revenue and that means that the additional costs may be passed on to customers who have paid, which is not fair.
We recognise that sometimes genuine circumstances can mean that a ticket has not been purchased and that is why as part of the Penalty Fare scheme there is the opportunity to appeal. The appeals body is IPFAS (Independent Penalty Fares Appeals Service). As the name suggests this body is independent from c2c. If you receive a Penalty Fare notice then you will be told the date that you may appeal by and be given the address for IPFAS so that you can make an appeal. Our Customer Relations team can not override a Penalty Fare notice so please do contact IPFAS in the first instance.
What do I have to do if I receive a penalty fare?
If you receive a penalty fare you will be given a notice that tells you why you received a penalty fare and when. The notice will indicate if you have paid your penalty fare in total or in part, and how much may remain outstanding. The notice will indicate where any payment should be made to, and also how you may appeal against the penalty fare if you wish. The address for the appeals body IPFAS is also on the notice.
The penalty fare notice will indicate the timescale for appeal.
Can I take my bicycle on the train?
As long as you do not arrive in London between 07.20 and 09.30 and avoid travelling away from London between 16.30 and 18.40 (there are some exceptions where you can take your bike on the train) on weekdays, you can take your bike with you when you travel on c2c. Unfortunately, bicycles cannot be carried on replacement bus services during engineering works.
How many bags/pets etc. can I take on the train with me?
All customers may take with them without charge up to three items of personal luggage (eg. rucksack, suitcase) and one item of hand luggage (eg. briefcase, holdall). Provided they do not or are not likely to cause inconvenience to other customers or to staff, customers may also take without charge: dogs, cats and other small animals (up to a maximum of two for each customer).
Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times. Other small animals (including dogs) may be conveyed in a pet carrier. If a container occupies a seat a charge will be made.
What is Job Start and how do I apply?
Please go to this section of our site to learn more, or call into your local job centre or Connexions office for further details.
How do I go about advertising at your stations?
For details about who to contact about advertising on c2c, please go here.
Making charity collections at stations - what do I do and who do I ask?
If you would like to make charity collections at the station then please contact our Customer Relations team for further details on 08456 014 873 or in writing to:
c2c
FREEPOST ADM3968
Southend
SS1 1ZS
I would like to work for you - how do I contact your recruitment department?
We have a dedicated email address for recruitment, so please contact recruitment@c2crail.co.uk. For current vacancies, please view our vacancies page.
What is the Passenger's Charter?
Our Passenger's Charter sets out the minimum that you can expect from us if your journey is disrupted, or you lose a Season Ticket, amongst a range of other guidelines. Please visit the Passenger's Charter section of this website for more information.
Passenger's Charter leaflets are available at our stations and from the Customer Relations team.
What are the National Conditions of Carriage?
The NRCC (National Conditions of Carriage) is a document that sets out the minimum standards that all train companies will provide to you as a customer. The train companies own Passenger's Charter will be based upon this document, and in parts there may be elements that exceed the NRCC. The NRCC is available at stations and by contacting our Customer Relations team who will be happy to send a copy to you. If you prefer, open the document online.
Who is responsible for my local station?
Each of our stations has a local manager. The local manager may be responsible for a number of stations and will have a team to assist them. Your local station information poster provides information about the manager and facilities at that station.