RAIL PASSENGERS TAKEN FOR A RIDE Make claims easy & fast
GREEDY train firms are failing to pass on millions in compensation cash for delays to long-suffering passengers.
The franchise owners are pocketing Network Rail payments intended to cover issues including track problems, signal failures and engineering works.
Research by the Lib Dems found the infrastructure manager handed East Midlands trains more than £9million in compo – but the firm passed just £767,000 to customers.
South West Trains was compensated with more than £15million in 2015/16 – yet its payout to passengers was just over £1million.
Lib Dem transport spokeswoman Baroness Randerson said: “Network Rail are putting money in the pockets of franchises that are continually letting down customers.
“Profits are being made from a fund that is designed to reimburse customers for delays and cancellations but is actually propping up failing firms. It is outrageous that what is now a government body is fuelling failure.”
The Campaign For Better Transport said that rail companies were not doing enough to promote compensation schemes and there should be a system of online claims, on-board announcements and ads.
Train companies all have different rules for handing out refunds.
But every passenger who is delayed or whose train is cancelled is entitled to a payout.
Claims have to be submitted within 28 days but it often involves scanning tickets and filling in forms.
Campaigners believe the process should be made simpler.
More than 84,000 passengers on Southern Rail will get compensation for disruption during 2016 – and season ticket holders will be able to claim a month’s worth directly into their bank account. Southern was handed more than £ 6.5million by Arriva Trains Wales C2C Chiltern Cross Country East Coast East Midlands Trains GTR Great Western Railway Abellio Greater Anglia Heathrow Express London Midland London Overground Merseyrail Northern South Eastern South West Trains Southern Transpennine Express Virgin West Coast Network Rail but customers were given just over £1million of it.
The figures emerged after it was revealed rail fares are expected to rise by more than 2 per cent next year – with some rising even higher.
Paul Plummer, Chief Executive of the Rail Delivery Group, said: “We understand how passengers feel when fares go up and we know that in some places they haven’t always got the service they pay for.
“Around 97p in every pound passengers pay goes back into running and improving services.”
But Baroness Randerson said: “While commuters face eye-watering price hikes, it’s unfair these companies are creaming off Government cash to boost their balance sheet.” Lianna Etkind, from the Campaign for Better £1,262,585 -£ 415,615 £18,891 £3,128,847 £5,648,880 £9,499,589 £22,444,617 £6,005,198 £4,240,850 £269,907 £1,032,586 £523,288 £365,835 £2,220,722 £18,216,684 £15,365,707 £6,582,343 £3,774,986 £6,367,314 Transport, added: “With rail fares rising by nearly 2 per cent, with some unregulated, walk-on fares rising even further, people are now finding themselves priced off the railways.
“The train operating companies and the Government need to work closely together to provide fairer, simpler and cheaper fares.
“Between 1995 and 2016, passengers have seen average fares increase by 23.5 per cent and more needs to be done.”
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has unveiled plans to strip Network Rail of its control over Britain’s railway track network.
He wants the body to share responsibility for the infrastructure with private train operators. £321,000 £236,000 £237,000 £1,580,000 £10,850,000 £767,000 £2,233,000 £6,048,000 £2,366,000 £269,907 £588,000 £523,288 £365,835 £173,000 £2,270,000 £1,003,000 £1,093,000 £1,324,000 £13,826,000 £941,585 -£651,615 -£218,109 £1,548,847 £5,201,120 £8,732,589 £20,211,617 -£42,802 £1,874,850 £0 £444,586 £0 £0 £2,047,722 £15,946,684 £14,362,707 £5,489,343 £2,450,986 -£7,458,686 EVERYONE has had a problem on the railways at some point.
We all know the kind of thing – engineering works, cancellations, long delays. It’s a fact of life.
And we understand Britain’s creaking rail infrastructure is not always up to the job.
But what is not acceptable is the failure of companies to pass on compo to passengers.
Every delay, strike or cancelled service brings them cash from Network Rail. And rather than passing it on, they keep hold of it – sometimes millions.
They say the money is there if people apply for it. But they’re not busting a gut to make it easy. There’s more they can do. Use some of their millions to advertise schemes properly.
Make announcements on trains telling people how to apply. Hand out claim forms at stations. It would not take much to put in place a speedy, efficient – and above all fair – compo system.