Baffled rail passengers miss out on claiming £100m in refunds

TRAIN passengers are missing out on millions of pounds in compensation for delays to their journeys because the refund process is too complicated, the travel watchdog has found.

A report by Transport Focus published today said that as much as £100million went unclaimed in 201718 in train delay compensation, as just 35 per cent of passengers submitted claims. This is despite punctuality on Britain’s rail network falling to a record low in 2018, with more than eight million passenger journeys held up by at least 29 minutes, according to consumer group Which?

Some people do not claim compensation because they are not aware they are entitled to it, while others believe it is not worth the effort.

The watchdog is calling on train companies to make the process quicker and easier. This includes providing choices about how claims can be made and payments sent, and doing more to promote how and when passengers can claim, such as by making announcements on trains.

It also urged firms to establish more automated compensation schemes.

The watchdog is calling on rail passengers to “make their voice heard” by applying every time they experience a delay that is eligible for compensation.

The amount of compensation is based on the type and cost of the ticket held, and the length of the delay.

Most firms offer the delay repay scheme, with some paying out once a journey is delayed by at least 15 minutes.

Transport Focus noted that claim rates are lowest for shorter delays.

Just 18 per cent of passengers claim compensation for delays of 15 minutes or more, rising to 39 per cent for disruption lasting at least half an hour.

An increase in the amount of claims would “send a message” to train operators that reliability must improve, according to the watchdog. Anthony Smith, the chief executive of Transport Focus, said too many passengers are missing out, as he launched the watchdog’s Make Delay Pay campaign.

He said: “When things go wrong, train operators must ensure every eligible passenger knows about delay repay and how to claim. They must also do more to make it easy to claim and automate this process wherever possible. To make their voice heard, passengers must claim every time.”

Robert Nisbet, director of nations and regions at industry body the Rail Delivery Group, said: “We want passengers to get the compensation they’re entitled to and train companies have helped to increase compensation payments by 80 per cent over the last two years.

“Working together, we’re sending personal alerts through Facebook, making more station announcements, and more train operators are offering ‘one click’ or automatic compensation.”