STATESMAN RAIL LTD

Terms & Conditions of Booking, Travel & Use of this Website

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 of travel.
(ii) Each customer is allocated a reserved seat and tickets are only issued when full payment for the tour has been received.
(iii) All payment transactions must be made by a valid credit or debit card. We are regrettably unable to accept payments by cash, cheque or postal order.
(iv) A reservation confirmation will be provided for all bookings by email. In the case that a customer does not have an email address, a postal confirmation will be provided.
(v) Special seating requests are welcome and we will endeavour, where possible, to meet the requirements specified.
(vi) We endeavour to ensure that travel documentation including tickets/boarding cards, confirmed travel timings and any other information relevant to travel are forwarded to you no later than 7 days before the tour by email. In the case that a customer does not have an email address, a postal variation of the travel documents will be provided. However, we cannot send travel documentation without confirmed timings and we rely on third parties to supply these. You are advised to check the travel documentation provided thoroughly upon receipt and ensure you are at your departure station in good time.
(vii) Unless specified in Statesman Rail literature, your ticket price does not include transportation or entry to other attractions.
(viii) We do not accept ‘pay on the day customers’, nor do we offer part fares for any tours.

(2) Cancellations & Refunds – If the customer wishes to cancel the following refund policy will apply:
43 days or more prior to travel – 75% refund will be given.
31 to 42 days prior to travel – 50% refund will be given.
Less than 31 days’ notice – no refund will be given.
In the event of a tour being ‘cancelled or postponed’ by Statesman Rail customers will be offered the option of either a direct transfer to the new date, or a full refund of all monies paid. No other liability shall be incurred.

(3) Transfers – We will be pleased to accept requests to transfer existing bookings (subject to availability) onto similar trains of equal duration, prior to 30 days before travel and an administration charge of £10 per person will be levied.

(4) Travel InsuranceWe strongly advise that you purchase travel insurance when booking any tour for your own protection and peace of mind in case you need to cancel at late notice. We are regrettably unable to arrange this for you.

(5) Restrictions

(i) Statesman Rail reserves the right to refuse access to, or remove from the train, any person or persons who are considered to be using inappropriate behaviour, 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.

(ii) Pets or animals of any kind are not accepted for travel on board our trains, with the exception or registered guide dogs for the blind which should be pre advised to us in advance of travel so we can make necessary provision for the wellbeing of the dog and convenience of the individual concerned

(iii) Bicycles cannot be conveyed on our trains.

(iv) Due to the relaxed nature of our tours and out of respect for other guests, we request that mobile phones should not be used in the passenger seating areas, but only if absolutely necessary in the entrance vestibules.

(v) In compliance with UK law and for the comfort and safety of everyone on our trains we operate a strict ‘No Smoking’ policy. This also includes all station platforms whether covered or uncovered.

(vi) All luggage, cameras and personal effects are carried at your own risk and Midland Pullman accepts no liability for any loss or damage.

(vii) On weekend tours passengers are responsible for the conveyance of their own luggage between the train, transfer coaches and hotels and as such it is advisable not to ‘overload’ one and to ensure cases are easily manageable.

(6) Complaints – If you have any issues during the tour, please bring them to the immediate attention of the on-train management so that there is an opportunity to rectify the situation. It is unreasonable to take no action at the time and subsequently write a letter of complaint to the company. 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 tour.

(7) Locomotives – On steam hauled tours every effort is made to run with the advertised locomotive however, in times of difficulty such as high fire risk, locomotive failure, industrial disputes or restrictions imposed by third parties ‘Statesman Rail’ reserve the right to substitute locomotives as necessary, including replacing a steam locomotive with a diesel locomotive but this will only be considered as a last resort and no refund or compensation will apply.

(8) Dining OptionsMeals are provided to a set menu. We offer Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free and Pescatarian options as standard, which must be requested no later than 7 days prior to the date of travel. The requirement of any other special dietary needs may not be possible to provide for, and therefore must be discussed with our reservation team prior to booking, so as we are able to advise whether we can accept or decline any such request. It is not possible for guests to bring on board their own alcoholic drinks for consumption in Pullman Dining.

(9) ChildrenIn the interests of other customers our Pullman & Premier dining carriages are not considered a suitable environment for children under the age of 12 years and we are therefore unable to accept bookings for such. However, we accept bookings for children in Standard and First Class only.

(10) Dress Code (Pullman & Premier dining)Smart Casual attire should be considered as only the minimum suitable requirement, by avoiding clothing such as ripped denims, baseball caps, sports trainers, collarless or sleeveless T-shirts and shorts. We reserve the right to ask guests not suitably attired to change before boarding.

(11) OperationOn the day of operation, all reasonable efforts will be made to ensure that the excursion runs as planned, but Statesman Rail cannot accept any responsibility for any events or circumstances outside our direct control and we are only responsible for returning passengers to their joining stations, nor can we accept any responsibility for missed connections as a result of late running.

(12) Wheelchairs & Mobility – Due to the age and construction of our train it is not possible to board whilst seated in a wheelchair, however we will be pleased to convey disabled passengers whenever possible provided they can step onto the train from the platform and move to their reserved seats with the help of an able bodied carer as our staff are regrettably unable to assist, the wheelchair then being folded by you and stored at the end of the carriage. Some of the platforms on our tours are much shorter than our train which may necessitate walking through a number of carriages when boarding or alighting, in addition the platforms at some remote stations are rather low or accessible only by a footbridge. These points should be borne in mind for guests who may have mobility issues. We are unable to convey motorised scooters, buggies or electric wheelchairs at any time.

(13) Train TimingsThe departure/arrival times shown in any publication or website are ‘provisional’ being an approximation based on the best information we had when the tour was first planned, however you should be aware that these can vary considerably when the confirmed timings are received from Network Rail and we are unable to offer a cancellation or transfer due to the confirmed timings being different to provisional ones previously advised.

(14) Important Information – All details about our tours are offered in good faith and whilst we endeavour to run our tours to the proposed routes, timings, rolling stock, locomotives, itineraries, station stops 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.

(15) Copyright – The copyright of material used on our website and publications belongs to ‘Statesman Rail Ltd’, 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 ‘Statesman Rail Ltd’. Any prohibited and unlawful use of material on our website or publications will result in legal action.

(16) Force MajeureExcept 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, 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’s control.

(17) 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