The Department for Transport has announced that rail passengers will soon be able to claim fares back on journeys delayed by 15 minutes or more.
The current ‘Delay Repay’ scheme only applies to journeys delayed by 30 minutes or more. The Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, today announced that rail passengers will soon be able to claim compensation if their train is more than 15 minutes late under an improved compensation scheme.
‘Delay Repay 15’ will be introduced within months on Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) services, including Southern and Thameslink, and then rolled out across the country. Passengers will be able to claim 25% of the cost of the single fare for delays between 15 and 29 minutes. The existing compensation thresholds will apply for delays from 30 minutes with passengers able to apply for compensation through the train operating company.
The existing Delay Repay thresholds are as follows:
- 50% of the single fare for delays of 30 to 59 minutes
- 100% of the single fare for delays of 60 minutes or more
- 100% of the return fare for delays of 2 hours or more
As well as Delay Repay, the introduction of the Consumer Rights Act on 1 October strengthened the right of passengers to claim compensation for poor service.
We still have a long way to go to improving local rail services, including getting to grips with the dispute between Southern and the RMT Union, investing in infrastructure and preparing for Transport for London (TfL) to eventually take over the running of the line. Nevertheless, I welcome this positive step and encourage my constituents to take advantage of the scheme once it is rolled out.