Delay Repay train scheme needs to get on track

THE Delay Repay scheme provides financial compensation when trains are delayed or cancelled. I use it regularly as a result of the flawed service that South Western Railway and GWR provide for my daily commute into London from Berkshire – and then back home again.

Yet sometimes the scheme is woefully inadequate. Last Sunday was a case in point as I tried to get home after a weekend watching football (West Bromwich Albion) and participating in the AJ Bell Great Run.

What was meant to be a straightforward one-and-a-half-hour journey home from Birmingham to Reading turned into a nightmare as a broken-down train blocked the line at Banbury. The CrossCountry train I was booked on was cancelled as was the next scheduled service. When I eventually got on a train, it crawled like a caterpillar to Warwick Parkway and then stopped.

While the onboard staff were pleasant and apologetic, they had no idea when the train might move again. They opened the doors and allowed us to stretch our legs while we waited … and waited.

When one of the staff said a recovery unit was on its way from South London to remove the broken down train, I decided to take up an offer from a fellow passenger and share a taxi to Oxford – and then catch a GWR train on to Reading.

I got into Reading three hours late, somewhat shattered but determined to get my fare reimbursed (delays of two hours or more qualify for a full refund) plus my share of the Uber fare.

Inexplicably, Delay Repay rejected my online claim. With steam coming out of my ears, I contacted CrossCountry’s customer relations department expecting a verbal punch-up, but I was pleasantly surprised.

He said the system couldn’t cope with the split ticket I had purchased – and that he would process the refund himself.

True to his word, an email arrived in my inbox within 15 minutes confirming that a full refund would be paid within ten working days.

Sadly, as far as the taxi fare is concerned, he confirmed that I wasn’t eligible for a refund. Shame.

Split tickets are often the cheapest way to travel by train. Online Delay Repay systems should routinely be able to handle claims from travellers using such tickets.