Hacked off with train delays? Jump on board and get some cash back

But if your train suffers with poor time-keeping, do you claim compensation or just get on with your life?

New research conducted by Transport Focus, an independent Watchdog, has found that the number of passengers claiming compensation has trebled from 12 per cent to 35 percent since 2013. An improvement... but we still have a long way to go. The research also reveals that more than half didn’t realise they could claim for a delayed train journey.

With train fares set to rise by 2.3 per cent next year and the news in already that Southern customers can expect further strikes over Christmas and throughout January, if you’ve not claimed compensation before, you need to know how.

Heads up - it’s not the most straight forward system in the world and pretty cumbersome - but worth it...

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General pointers

1. You can usually claim if you have been delayed for longer than 30 minutes. A few operators only allow you to claim for delays after 60 minutes.

2. Most train companies now offer ‘Delay Repay’ which means that daily ticket holders as well as weekly, monthly and Season Tickets holders can claim for delayed and cancelled journeys.

3. Always keep hold of your original tickets – you will need to post or scan them and send them to the rail operator along with your claim form.

4. Make a note of your journey. Just punch the details into your phone – date, time, where travelling from/to and how long you’ve been delayed

5. Also, note down the reason given for the delay

6. Check how long you have to claim. It’s usually 28 days.

7. You can usually request cash OR vouchers

8. You are entitled to the following refund amounts:

• 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

9. National Rail Enquiries' website has information and links to claim forms for every train operator.

10. If your claim is rejected – complain to the rail operator. Still no joy? Take your complaint to Transport Focus.

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All change!

Currently passengers can only claim if they have been delayed for 30 minutes or longer. But soon, passengers will be able to claim compensation if their journey is delayed between 15 and 29 minutes.

‘Delay Repay 15’

1. The first passengers to be able to use the Delay Repay 15 will be those on Southern Rail, owned by Govia Thameslink Rail, from 11 December 2016. It will then be rolled out to the rest of GTR’s services before being extended across the country.

2. If you claim, you will be able to recoup 25% of the cost of a single fare.

Steve Jenkins commutes from Redhill to Horsham every day using Southern Rail. "I’ve been delayed a lot recently and I try to always claim, if I’m eligible. The Delay Repay 15 is long overdue and I’m really glad it’s happening."

Southern Rail one-off refund

If you’re a regular Southern Rail passenger and have been affected by the recent strikes, long delays and cancellations, you could be entitled to the equivalent of a month’s travel. Over 84,000 people will be eligible. For example, if you commute from Brighton to London, you could get around £371. You can’t claim yet. You have to wait until the New Year. But how to claim your compensation? – see here.

Steve adds, "As an annual season-ticket holder, the one-off compensation pay-out is a step in the right direction and I will definitely be claiming. But it’s not just the strikes. Southern Rail’s service generally has been appalling for about eight months now. Something needs to be done."

Going home for Christmas?

The Christmas and New Year period usually sees a lot of disruption and timetable changes. See here for updates as and when they come in.

What do the train operators say?

A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, representing train operators, says, “Everyone in the railway wants trains to run on time and when things go wrong we want to put them right. Train companies are raising passengers’ awareness of their compensation rights, making it easier to claim money back and paying out more to delayed passengers."

A Southern spokesman tells Watchdog, "We welcome the one-off compensation payment for our passengers. They have endured months of disruption due to industrial action and poor performance, for which we are truly sorry.

“It is also good news that our passengers will be the first to benefit from Delay Repay 15 as it is something our passengers have been telling us they want for some time. Our aim is always to get passengers to where they want to go on time, but if we don’t, it is right that they are compensated.”

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