George Eustice, MP for Camborne, Redruth & Hayle has today welcomed the news that passengers who travel with Great Western Railway (GWR) will soon be able to benefit from improved compensation for delays following the Department for Transport's announcement.
The launch of Delay Repay 15 (DR15) on the franchise, due on April 1, will enable passengers holding single, return or weekly tickets to claim money back for services which are cancelled or when their journey is delayed by 15 minutes or more, whatever the cause.
Currently, services need to be delayed by at least 30 minutes on Great Western Railway services for compensation to be paid. However, DR15, which is being rolled out across the country, will allow passengers to claim back compensation worth 25% of the single fare for delays of between 15 and 29 minutes to their journey.
Monthly and longer season ticket holders will remain on their existing compensation scheme for the time being as this provides compensation through season ticket discounts.
George said, "Train delays can always be frustrating and often mean that passengers miss their engagements. I welcome the announcement by the Department for Transport that GWR will soon roll out its improved compensation for delays and whilst I hope that GWR continue to provide a reliable service."
Andrew Jones MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport said, “Reliability is our top priority but it is right that when things go wrong, people are compensated fairly and quickly. Now, with the launch of DR15 on GWR, even more passengers will be entitled to claim if their services are delayed.”