Minister backs rail passenger compensation

The rail minister has given his support to passengers who want to recoup costs such as taxis and hotels when train services are disrupted.

Jo Johnson acknowledged that some passengers do suffer additional losses due to delays or cancellations and said they should “claim accordingly”.

This is despite the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train companies, insisting it is “very unlikely” such claims will be successful.

The Consumer Rights Act, which came into force for the rail industry in October 2016, means passengers can theoretically claim from consequential losses – additional expenses – above the price of the ticket when a train service is not provided with reasonable care and skill. But the RDG says this is “a very high legal hurdle to clear”.

It took until yesterday for rail firms to rewrite their conditions of travel to remove a warning that they will not accept liability for consequential losses.

Consumer group Which? found that firms have previously been incorrectly telling passengers they cannot make such claims.