Transport for Wales paid nearly £1m in compensation for delayed train services in the first ten months of this year, according to figures from the Liberal Democrats.
With a lifting of Covid restrictions all UK train operating firms have seen a rise in claims and payments. Passengers are entitled to compensation if a train gets to their destination station by 15 minutes or more over schedule.
From January to the end of October Transport for Wales, the Welsh Government-owned transport body that operates the Wales and Borders rail franchise, paid £976,660 for delayed services .
While not a meaningful comparison, as passenger services and passenger numbers vary between train operating firms, latest figures from the Department for Transport show that in financial year 2021-22 the highest delay payments was for London North Eastern Railway (LNER) with £11.19m followed by Avanti West Coast at £8.36m. For Transport for Wales the figure was £735,000. The DfT figures cover all passenger compensation payments, not just so called delay repay from 15 minutes, including discretionary payments following complaints for poor service such as screens not working and dirty trains.
In the last financial year before the impact of Covid for 2019-20 - apart from the last few weeks of March - Transport for Wales made payments of £1.46m .
Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds MS said:“Labour has promised for years to deliver more reliable rail services, yet these figures certainly suggest that isn’t what is happening.
“In just the first ten months of this year, Transport for Wales has racked up almost £1m in payments to rail users for delays and that’s only those who go through the process of applying for a refund. There may be many thousands more who have been similarly inconvenienced but not claimed.
“The Welsh Labour Government need to tell taxpayers how much money has been set aside to meet delay repay payments and when they think they will have this under control. Ministers are now directly responsible for the service that commuters and tourists get on our railway but so far they seem to be taking a hands-off approach.
“Commuters and rail users need a service that they can rely on if we are to tempt people out of private cars. For the good of the planet, the Government must ensure that all services are running once more and that the trains are arriving on time.
“If Labour wants to introduce a ban on all new road building, the very least they need to do is to ensure we have a well-functioning public transport system.
“The Welsh Liberal Democrats are committed to delivering a public transport system that works for all communities, for all ages, and for the climate. That’s why we want to see heavily discounted fares introduced along the lines of schemes introduced in Germany and Spain as well as a great frequency of services and better interconnections with other public transport options such as buses.
“With the First Minister showing a seemingly lack of ambition regarding public transport in Wales over the weekend, we will continue to demand better from the Welsh Government.”
A spokesman for Transport for Wales said: “Our staff work incredibly hard to ensure trains run on time or as close to their scheduled time as possible.
“Unfortunately, delays and cancellations are sometimes unavoidable due to circumstances beyond our control such as bad weather or incidents on the network. When delays do occur, we will offer fair and appropriate compensation.
“We understand delays and cancellations are very frustrating for customers and TfW is investing heavily in new trains and infrastructure to improve performance across the Wales and Borders network.
“If customers are affected by delays or cancellations on our services, we would encourage them to contact us directly to ensure they receive whatever compensation they are entitled to. They can do this by visiting www.tfw.wales."
Read More:
