Couple fined £114 for getting off train before their final stop

A couple travelling home from London were fined £114 for leaving their train two stops early.

Campaigners have criticised the policy of penalising passengers who step outside the terms of their ticket — even if the cost is less.

Emma Clark and Davyd Winter-Bates, from Hampshire, were on a train to Southampton after a theatre trip to London to celebrate Mr Winter-Bates's 25th birthday. But the engaged pair, who were travelling on discounted £6 tickets, disembarked early, at Eastleigh in Hampshire, to meet friends.

When they showed their tickets, officials told them they had breached the rules and should have stayed on until their stated destination. They were each fined £57, twice the standard fare.

Ms Clark, a 22-year-old art student from Hampshire, told the Sun: "It is utter madness. I could understand being fined if I had stayed on the train two stops beyond my destination."

Stagecoach, which runs South West Trains, said leaving a train early — known as travelling "short" — was not allowed on heavily discounted tickets.

A spokesman said: "The customers in this case booked a journey from London Waterloo to Southampton through the megatrain.com website. megatrain.com does not offer journeys or fares from London to Eastleigh. It is made very clear in the terms and conditions of travel that leaving the train at an intermediate station is not permitted on these discounted tickets. As with any service offered by any company, it is important passengers comply with the terms and conditions.

"It is also important to understand that the cost of a rail ticket is not solely based on distance travelled. It is based on the level of flexibility purchased by the customer and factors such as the popularity of the route, the time of travel during the day and when the ticket was booked in relation to the date of travel.

"This particular journey was provided on a South West Trains service. It took place in a penalty fare zone, where anyone travelling without a valid ticket is liable to pay £20 or double the full standard single fare, whichever is greater. In this case, the tickets were not valid for travel to Eastleigh. The cost of the full standard single fare from London to Eastleigh is £28.50, resulting in a penalty fare of £57 for each passenger.

"megatrain.com offers budget fares from £1 plus booking fee to around 30 locations around the UK. The service is extremely popular with customers and thousands of satisfied customers travel every week without any problems whatsoever."

Consumer website MoneySavingExpert warned: "It's against the ticket's terms and conditions."