Compensation hold-up for delayed train users

THOUSANDS of rail passengers who have lodged compensation claims for delayed journeys face having to wait up to five months for their money back.

Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) has been inundated with so many complaints it has had to take on extra staff to deal with them.

As of March 2, the company’s complaints department was still dealing with claims going back to November.

David Sidebottom, passenger director at the independent watchdog Transport Focus, said: “Delays in compensation and handling of complaints is another kick in the teeth for passengers who have already faced problems with their journeys.

“Passengers will want to know what Arriva Trains Wales is doing to tackle this problem. Passengers should feel that train companies are on their side.”

In response, ATW said it aimed to reply to all contacts within 10 working days but had recently “received a higher volume of correspondence than usual”, meaning it could take up to 25 working days for a response.

ATW spokeswoman Clair Lilley said they receive on average 1,500 delay compensation requests over a normal fourweek period, and “expect to clear our current backlog by April 2017”.

She would not reveal the total cost of the claims and said passengers should be mindful that their trains operate “millions of journeys”.

Asked for reasons for the delays to trains, she said “a lot of things happen on the line, such as flooding and landslides”, adding that they are not always “necessarily due to Arriva Trains Wales”.

Ms Lilley said all train operators had received “significantly” more claims as a result of changes in the Consumer Rights Act in October last year.

The changes made it easier for passengers to contact them and making compensation claims simpler and clearer.

She said: “We would like to thank all those waiting to hear back from us for their patience while we work through the backlog.”

Last October saw ATW receive one of the highest rates of complaints among rail operators.

Figures from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) revealed the company received 71 complaints per 100,000 passenger journeys – the fifth highest rate per journey out of all operators in Britain.

Ms Lilley added: “In 2017, our PPM (Public Performance Measure) has consistently been above our franchise target and Arriva Trains Wales has recently been awarded a rail industry Golden Whistle Award for the best on-time performing regional train operator.”