Two rail firms named as slowest to pay compensation over delays

TWO RAIL operators in Yorkshire have been named as the slowest at dealing with compensation claims, following widespread disruption experienced by their passengers last year.

Hull Trains and TransPennine Express – both owned by FirstGroup – took the longest to process their share of three million claims following rail delays between last April and mid-October.

Hull Trains met the one month target to process applications in only 32 per cent of cases, while TpE met the target in 46 per cent of the cases, according to the regulator, the Office of Rail and Road.

In contrast, Govia Thameslink Railway, which received one million claims over the period, more than any other company, was one of 10 operators to achieve a score of 100 per cent.

The large number of claims was partly due to the chaotic implementation of new timetables in May, which resulted in severe disruption for several weeks, while Hull Trains had repeated problems with its fleet of four trains, leading to numerous cancellations.

Leeds council leader Judith Blake, who leads on transport for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, said: “Given the disruption to services in recent months, it is no surprise passenger claims have risen sharply but it is deeply disappointing that for so many people cancellations and delays have been compounded by a protracted compensation process. We need to create a rail system which puts passengers first and that is what my review with the Rail Minister will address.”

Anthony Smith, chief executive of passenger watchdog Transport Focus, said in the majority of cases – 92 per cent – operators are “promptly dealing with claims” and it was “disappointing to see some dragging their heels”.

He said operators needed to take action to ensure claims were dealt with within 20 working days, and more automated compensation for delays and cancellations should be brought in.

The amount of compensation paid varies between train companies and depends on the length of delay and the type of ticket held.

Separate ORR figures show 33 complaints were made per 100,000 journeys between July and September, up 16 per cent year on year. Punctuality and reliability remains the most common cause of complaints, although the overall increase was driven by a rise in frustration over train quality.

Robert Nisbet, of industry body the Rail Delivery Group, said: “We know that services on some routes weren’t good enough last summer due to disruption from the May timetable change and the heatwave the country experienced. We want to make it simple and easy for customers to claim compensation if they’ve experienced a delay, and some train companies have introduced automatic refunds, helping claims to increase by 80 per cent over the last two years. As well as Delay Repay compensation, the industry has paid out additional compensation, worth up to a month’s free travel, for those on routes most affected by the timetable change.”

TransPennine Express apologised for “some processing issues” with claims last year and said they would be introducing improvements, including automatic Delay Repay, where certain customers get compensation automatically instead of having to fill a form in to apply.

Hull Trains also apologised for the delays, but insisted the situation was improving and they expected to be “back within our customer charter target in the coming weeks”.

We need to create a rail system which puts passengers first. Coun Judith Blake leads on transport for WYCA.