West Midlands Trains paid out more than £1 million in compensation to delayed passengers across two of its operators in just three and a half months, according to a Freedom of Information request. The newly-nationalised company handed back a total of £1,048,338.40 between February 1 and May 17 this year under the Delay Repay scheme, which compensates travellers whose journeys arrive 15 minutes or more late.
Breakdown of Compensation Payments
Of the total amount, £384,683.69 was paid via bank transfer, £547,165.59 was transferred to credit or debit cards, £97,845.56 went to PayPal, and £14,944.02 was issued as rail travel vouchers. Additionally, £3,699.55 was donated to charity on behalf of passengers who chose that option.
During the period, 128,709 Delay Repay claims were lodged with West Midlands Trains. Of these, 98,141 were approved, while 26,326 were rejected at the first instance. The most common reason for rejection was listed as 'no delay.'
Nationalisation and Performance
West Midlands Trains was nationalised on February 1, the first day covered by the FOI request. The government is progressively taking over private rail contracts as they expire, aiming to unite the UK railway under a single national body. West Midlands Railway operates routes across the region, including the key Cross City Line through Birmingham city centre, while London Northwestern Railway connects London to the West Midlands and the north-west.
A spokesperson for the two operators said: “Running a reliable service is our priority and we have invested heavily in brand new trains and upgraded depots to improve journeys for our customers across our network. Our performance has improved year-on-year and we are fully committed to continuing this upward trend.
“While we aim for every service to run on time this isn't always possible for a variety of reasons including adverse weather or trespass. It is right that passengers are entitled to compensation when their journey is delayed by 15 minutes or more and we are committed to processing Delay Repay claims promptly.”
Claims Trend
It was understood that the number of Delay Repay claims made to West Midlands Trains had fallen year-on-year, with service performance comparable with other rail operators.
