Rail passengers to get compensation

In the last two months, since taking over the rail franchise in Mid Wales and the borders from Arriva Trains Wales, Transport for Wales has been hit with a number of delays and cancellations, due to trains being taken off the track for repair.

Politicians have demanded answers and a review as to why so many trains were off the track at one time is taking place.

Now Transport for Wales is moving to the delay repay scheme, with customers able to to claim money back for cancellations or delays.

Compensation will now be based on the time the customer should have arrived at their final destination station, when they have been delayed by 30 minutes or more.

And in the future TfW has said it will compensate customers who experience a 15 minute delay.

Head of Customer Experience for TfW, Barry Lloyd, said: "Our customers deserve a punctual service they can be proud of and if we don’t deliver that, then we should make it as easy as possible for them to get their money back.

“People don’t want to see us splitting hairs or pointing fingers over what caused their delay because ultimately the impact on them is the same.

“Adopting Delay Repay will make life a lot simpler for our customers to get compensation if things do go wrong on their journey.”

The improved scheme will make it easier for all TfW rail passengers to claim their compensation through offering a wider choice of repayment options, including bank transfer, Paypal and charity donation.

Customers will also benefit from a quicker response to their claim, as claims will now start to be processed within 48 hours of receipt.

Customers who experienced delays in the Autumn period are reminded that they are entitled to compensation provided they submit a claim within 28 days, along with a copy of their ticket.

After issues with the number of trains on the train, the fleet is now back up to speed with enough trains on the track to re-instate all services.

James Price, chief executive Officer of TfW, added: "We would like to thank all our customers for their patience at this difficult time.

"Through the hard work and dedication of our staff, who have worked over 1000 hours overtime, through the day and night, we are pleased to have improved our fleet availability and reinstated services.”