Delay Repay

Passengers using a “Key” smartcard are being compensated automatically for delays of 15 minutes or more.

Govia Thameslink Railway says the system is working on Thameslink and Great Northern services, and will roll out across Southern and Gatwick Express “in the coming weeks”.

After a customer has tapped in and tapped out of stations, a computer algorithm will spot whether a journey was delayed. If it was, the computer will generate a claim to the customer’s online account.

GTR is the largest franchise, carrying 326 million passenger journeys last year. Only a fraction of passengers use a smartcard in place of a paper ticket.