Super-complaint lodged over rail delay refunds

Which? is calling for an investigation into rail delay refunds, saying the compensation process is too difficult.

The consumer group said on Monday it is making a super-complaint to the Office of Rail and Road, calling for action to make the process clearer and easier for consumers as well as seeing train companies held to account if they fail to encourage passengers to claim refunds for delays.

It said that 47m passenger journeys were either cancelled or significantly late in one year according to the latest figures.

Most train companies’ passengers are entitled to compensation if they’re delayed by half an hour or more.

But Which? said in a survey of nearly 7,000 rail passengers, only 34% of passengers who may have been entitled actually made a claim.

It also found 36% of passengers remembered being informed of their rights after their last delay.

Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said millions of passengers are left out of pocket each year, and train companies must do more to put their passengers first and make rail refunds easier.

“Current proposals to improve compensation for passengers are too far down the track.

“Even if an automatic compensation system was included in all new franchises from tomorrow, it would take until at least 2025 to cover the whole network.”

An Office of Rail and Road spokesperson told BBC News it will be assessing whether more could and should be done for passengers as the regulators investigates the complaint

It said it had already introduced a new code of conduct, to make buying a ticket more transparent but admitted that passenger awareness of compensation was low.