Rail passenger loses fine appeal

Nichola Myhill pays £4,000 a year for a season ticket

A rail passenger has lost her appeal against a fine issued because she was standing in a first-class carriage.

Nichola Myhill, of Fingringhoe, Essex, had claimed there was no standing room in standard class on the London to Colchester train on 10 April.

She appealed against the £69 fine from National Express East Anglia but an independent appeal upheld the fine.

The firm said seats and standing room were available in standard class but that Ms Myhill had refused to move.

Ms Myhill pays £4,000 a year for a ticket which allows her to use standard class carriages.

'Appeals process'

She said: "If they provide us with adequate seating or room to stand I wouldn't have been there in the first place."

In a statement, National Express East Anglia said: "Customers travelling without the correct ticket run the risk of receiving a fine.

"Our staff will always try and resolve a situation and there is an independent appeals process if people think a fine they have received is unfair.

"In this case, the customer was asked to move out of first class and there were in fact seats and standing room available in standard class.

"We recognise that overcrowding on some trains is an issue and, where practical, we adjust our schedules accordingly."