Delay Repay 15 comes in on GWR on 1st April 2019

[whole diary]

[grahame]

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/delay-repay-15-secured-for-gwr-passengers

Great Western Railway (GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)) passengers will soon be able to benefit from improved compensation for delays, Rail Minister Andrew Jones announced today (12 March 2019).

The launch of Delay Repay 15 (DR15) on the franchise, due on 1 April (2019), will enable passengers holding single, return or weekly tickets to claim money back for when services are cancelled or their journey is delayed by 15 minutes or more, whatever the cause.

Currently, services need to be delayed by at least 30 minutes on Great Western Railway services for compensation to be paid. However, DR15, which is being rolled out across the country, will allow passengers to claim back compensation worth 25% of the single fare for delays of between 15 and 29 minutes to their journey.

Monthly and longer season ticket holders will remain on their existing compensation scheme for the time being as this provides compensation through season ticket discounts.

Rail Minister Andrew Jones said:

Reliability is our top priority but it is right that when things go wrong, people are compensated fairly and quickly.

Now, with the launch of DR15 on GWR, even more passengers will be entitled to claim if their services are delayed.

Passengers on GWR make an estimated 105 million journeys every year. This announcement coincides with the biggest upgrade of the Great Western route since Brunel started work on the line more than 175 years ago.

More than £5 billion is being invested in the Great Western route – including £2.8 billion on electrification – to deliver better services and new trains with thousands more seats.

Mark Hopwood, Managing Director at GWR, said:

We do all we can to get people to their destinations on time, but when things do go wrong customers need to trust in a fair system that easily compensates them for the delay.

The introduction of Delay Repay is just that, and has been a key aspiration of GWR for some time. Alongside the introduction of new trains, and modernised infrastructure, I am delighted that we are able to continue to make the improvements we know our passengers want to see.

[SandTEngineer]

Crikey, they are going to be paying out a lot of money then.  Lots of trains easily get delayed more than 15 minutes between Reading and Paddington purely down to sheer congestion (and thats going to get worse).

[bobm]

Also on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) website

[JayMac]

About time too!

I note the start date. Let's hope it's not a joke.

I also note Mark Hopwood's comment that introducing the scheme was "a key aspiration for some time." Given it was a direct award franchise agreement, with intention to be introduced by September 2016, this key aspiration has taken over two and a half years to sort out.

I think both GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) and the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) should answer questions as to why it took so long.

[ray951]

Note that it doesn't apply to Monthly and longer season ticket holders who continue with the current scheme.

[IndustryInsider]

Note that it doesn't apply to Monthly and longer season ticket holders who continue with the current scheme.

Oh goody.  I can continue doing my graphs!   

I wonder if, on some poorly performing routes, weekly season tickets might now offer better value?

Excellent news that Delay Repay 15 is being introduced though.

[ChrisB]

I'm assuming that this will cover *all* delays, like other TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) on DR15 - not just those "within cause of the railway".

I also hope that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have upped the personnel emplyed to administer this scheme as if I'm right, claims will more than double.

[grahame]

I'm assuming that this will cover *all* delays, like other TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) on DR15 - not just those "within cause of the railway".

No need to assume.   It says

whatever the cause

[ChrisB]

In the press release, it does; on their website, it doesn't.

[ChrisB]

Mark Hopwood has started emailing their customers. Something not yet mentioned elsewhere is

We are continuing discussions about compensation arrangements for monthly or longer season tickets holders. The current arrangements will continue for the time being and season ticket holders will retain their existing renewal discounts.

We will then move season ticket holders to Delay Repay as performance improves, and I will keep you informed

[grahame]

A further point from the website (which I had wondered about) ...

Delays are calculated against the planned, advertised timetable so compensation is not usually offered during periods of pre-planned engineering works and when replacement bus services are used.

At what point does it move from "advertised" and "pre-planned" to something on which compensation is payable?  T-12 ??  A bit woolly about a train that was already scheduled to be later than the published regular timetable, but is then significantly late even on that new schedule.   Also a bit ambiguous about busses - I'll assume that means during pre-planned engineering, but it could be read as buses at any time.

[JayMac]

Mark Hopwood has started emailing their customers. Something not yet mentioned elsewhere is

We are continuing discussions about compensation arrangements for monthly or longer season tickets holders. The current arrangements will continue for the time being and season ticket holders will retain their existing renewal discounts.

We will then move season ticket holders to Delay Repay as performance improves, and I will keep you informed

And if performance doesn't improve...?

[ChrisB]

At what point does it move from "advertised" and "pre-planned" to something on which compensation is payable?  T-12 ??

At the point of service. The timetable scheduled to run on any particular day at start of service.

I can accept that compensation is a problem with the use of buses, but if the train is simply diverted? Sorry, a timetable is easily determined, and thus compensation due if over 15 late on the revised timetable should be paid.

And if performance doesn't improve...?

Oh, generrally, it is from figures I've seen. And as this is likelty only once all stock is correctly in place, it will.

[IndustryInsider]

Greater Anglia are introducing Delay Repay 15 on the same date.  The quicker it applies to all franchises the better of course.

[JayMac]

Greater Anglia are introducing Delay Repay 15 on the same date.  The quicker it applies to all franchises the better of course.

And Greater Anglia are applying the pro-rata Delay Repay compensation to Season Tickets too, despite their own performance issues.

I get the feeling that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have stalled full introduction because they know their performance has been (and in many cases continues to be) woeful. They've probably lobbied the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) hard to ensure profits aren't affected.