TRAIN service Caledonian Sleeper has paid out almost £1 million in compensation in less than a year due to delays.
Data obtained by The Scotsman through Freedom of Information requests show that between 24 April 2023 and 5 April 2024, £965,672 was paid out to customers.
Almost £700,000 of the figure went to passengers who had been delayed for more than one hour. It was also discovered that £163,430.44 in compensation was paid to people experiencing delays of 30 minutes.
The Caledonian Sleeper was brought back into public ownership by the Scottish Government on June 25 2023, following the re-nationalisation of ScotRail for the first time in 25 years.
Kathryn Darbandi, managing director of Caledonian Sleeper said: “Caledonian Sleeper’s performance is above average and has been improving year on year. That said, we want to see compensation payments reduce and we are constantly working to mitigate delays wherever possible.
“However, the rail network is complex and factors beyond our control have contributed to the overall compensation value.
“Our commitment to providing excellent customer service includes our delay repay scheme, which is a commitment provided by all rail operators."
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “The number of compensation cases paid out across the dates discussed represents a very small proportion of all journeys made in the same period.
“In the year to September 2024, less than 3% of all services were cancelled. Any disruption to passengers is regrettable and it is only right that Caledonian Sleeper do all they can to compensate where journeys are delayed or cancelled.
“Rather than make misinformed comments about past disruption - particularly when more than 50 per cent of this was caused by external factors - we are focused on ensuring the publicly owned Caledonian Sleeper is a success.”
Transport spokesperson for the Scottish Conservatives Sue Webber claimed the payments were evidence of nationalisation failing rail users.
