Two weeks ago I caught a train from Stafford to London Euston that was due to arrive at lunchtime – in time to catch the Eurostar to Brussels two hours later. However there was a fatality on the line at Rugby, and all trains were cancelled going into London on the west coast mainline. I ended up having to change my ticket from St Pancras to Brussels, at a cost of £125. Eurostar stated that it wasn’t on their service, so it wasn’t their responsibility. I have come to the conclusion that Eurostar is basically a service for people living in London only as people resident in other parts of the country cannot rely on the service being flexible. What do you think? CC, Stafford While I have a great deal of sympathy for you, I don’t really think Eurostar is responsible in this case, as you bought two separate train tickets. Had you been travelling to Heathrow to get a flight you missed, you wouldn’t expect the airline to give you a free alternative flight. Your travel insurance should cover this. However, the reason for running this letter is to tell you and others about little-known train tickets that cover you in cases like these. Had you bought a CIV train ticket, Eurostar would have been obliged to put you on the next train for free. You can only buy these tickets in person at a staffed station (not online) and you need to show your Eurostar booking to qualify. The Man in Seat Sixty-One website says that ticket office staff aren’t always familiar with these London International CIV fares, so say you want destination code “LNE”. We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at consumer.champions@theguardian.com or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions