Commuters struggling to get to work today during the latest in a long series of Southern strikes have been given some cold comfort – they now have the right to pursue compensation claims in the courts.
But there’s no movement on a 12-month delay in allowing commuters to claim for delays less than 30 minutes – and the service itself will still be running on a temporary timetable for weeks to come.
Hove MP Peter Kyle said: “This is a welcome first step and comes after I and many other MPs lobbied the Department for Transport on the issue. However there is a lot more to do, not least removing restrictions which mean passengers across Southern can only claim for refunds if a train is delayed for 30 minutes.
“I will be pressing the new Rail Minister to continue in the spirit of this announcement and put passengers first when confronting the challenges that face the network across the South at the present time.”
Alex Neill, Which? Director of Policy and Campaigns, said: “It’s great news for passengers that the rail industry will finally be brought into line with other travel sectors and will now have to comply with the Consumer Rights Act in full from October this year.
“Any further exemption would have seen rights for rail passengers delayed for another year, so we are pleased that the new Rail Minister is committed to putting passengers first.
“The pressure is now on train companies to ensure they are ready to implement the necessary changes to the current compensation system and make it easier for passengers to claim for delays and cancellations.”
Southern has published details of alterations to services during today and tomorrow’s strike here.
