A UK government scheme announced on 14 September 2026 was planned to let passengers whose train is cancelled use another participating operator's service at no extra cost. The Department for Transport said the change would take effect from 20 September 2026. Passengers with a valid ticket would be able to travel on another participating operator's train departing within 2 hours before or after the cancelled service, using a direct or reasonable alternative route, and show their original ticket to customer support staff.

Cross-operator ticket acceptance was already in place across all publicly owned operators, and the department said the scheme would expand to include CrossCountry, Great Western Railway, Avanti West Coast and Chiltern Railways. East Midlands Railway was to join at a later date. The department also cited a £156 million investment in new ticketing schemes, with pay-as-you-go planned at over 100 more stations across Greater Manchester, the Midlands and the south-east by 2027.

Rail Minister Lord Hendy called it a simple, common-sense change, ahead of the planned creation of Great British Railways. Transport Focus chief executive Alex Robertson welcomed the change and said clear passenger information during disruption was key.