Compensation payouts for rail delays soared by 55% across the network during spring and summer, according to official figures from the Office of Rail and Road.
Train operators including the Elizabeth Line and London Overground saw a sharp increase in delay compensation claims closed between April 1 and July 25 this year, a period that saw record heatwaves hit the capital and other parts of Britain.
Rise in delay claims
The figures show 3.8 million delay compensation claims were closed during the period, up 55% on the same period a year earlier. Twenty-two operators recorded an increase in delay compensation claims closed.
In London, the Elizabeth Line saw an 89% rise to 8,155 payouts, while London Overground was up 69% to 8,161 payments.
The biggest increase was at London North Eastern Railway (LNER), a jump of 125% to 278,065 cases. East Midlands Railway saw the second largest rise, up 115% to 238,897 payouts.
Impact of heatwaves
Greater Thameslink Railway saw an increase of 52% to 413,199, Avanti West Coast rose 48% to 724,352, and Southeastern was up 36% to 258,929.
The rail network was hit this spring and summer by temporary speed restrictions, impacting the Elizabeth Line and London Overground services during a series of heatwaves when amber weather warnings were issued as temperatures soared. Amid the unprecedented heat, a series of wildfires erupted, including some along rail tracks in Walthamstow and other parts of the capital.
South Western Railway, the first operator to be nationalised by the Labour government last spring, saw a rise of 85% to 353,024 delay payout cases. The Heathrow Express had a 71% increase to 4,231 payments.
Operator response
A spokesperson for SWR said: “Unfortunately, the impact of extreme heat and a number of specific infrastructure and trespass incidents in the early summer is well documented and it is only right we compensate our customers for the disruption to their journeys.”
The spokesperson added: “Recent performance has improved, as we deliver South Western’s clear plans to improve customer services, fixing the fundamentals across trains, tracks, timetable and team to make journeys more reliable.”
SWR recently published its Improving Your Railway plan, acknowledging recent challenges and setting out its short, medium and long-term plans to deliver a more reliable railway.
LNER has automated Delay Repay. Customers who book directly with LNER benefit from One-Click Delay Repay, where compensation is automatically worked out and a payment link is sent to them.
The most popular delay compensation scheme is the national Delay Repay, which covers all ticket types and passengers can make a claim for delay compensation whatever the cause of disruption. There are two systems: Delay Repay 30 for services 30 minutes or more late, and Delay Repay 15 for those running 15 minutes or more behind schedule. They offer different levels of compensation dependent on the length of delays.
