Cancelled trains

Victoria_Meldrew

My daughter has started a new job and twice in the last week the train she needs to catch has been cancelled - this is from a Manchester suburb into the city centre. The trains only run hourly. Does anyone know if she can claim compensation? She has a monthly ticket, but her Dad had to run her in to Manchester so that she wouldn't be too late - not wanting to make a bad impression in the new job.

andygb

Unfortunately I do not think you can claim for anything, and this always winds me up more. I think that some train companies have a target to meet, and then may discount the next season ticket which you buy, if they under perform.
Sad to say this is a sign of the times (for the past thirty years), if only we had rail services which were as prompt as those on the continent.

KeithP

What is the train company?
Have a look at the company's website for their scheme for delay compensation/refund policy.
There appears to be two schemes around at the moment, one which only pays if the delay is due to the railway, and one which pays up whoever is to blame.
Depends on the company.

DaveMacD

It's always worth putting in a claim for this sort of thing. Check at a booking office for details of how to claim for the particular company. It's very true that if you don't ask, you won't get

Generally speaking, companies have trigger values (for services disrupted) before claims will be entertained. The exact value of this trigger depends on a number of things, including the ticket type, and the cause of the disruption. A single train being cancelled will usually not give a refund for a season ticket, and often not for a day ticket either. However, given the current weather, it is likely that a number of trains would be affected, and this makes it more likely refunds would be given. However, the refunds take the form of Rail Travel Vouchers, which you can only use to buy tickets, so not much use if you're looking to refund fuel money to someone. It's also worth noting that in some circumstances, a refund will take some time to get while the companies argue over liability, or if the cause is outside their control (suicides for example).

AirlieBird

Train companies have to state their policy for compensation for delays in their passenger charter.

Here's a link to Northern's: http://www.northernrail.org/northern/passengerscharter/ifthingsgowrong

Victoria_Meldrew

Thanks all for your advice and help - much appreciated. Will report back if I get anywhere. Don't hold your breath.

Victoria_Meldrew

Victoria_Meldrew wrote: »

Thanks all for your advice and help - much appreciated. Will report back if I get anywhere. Don't hold your breath.

Have had a reply from Northern Rail apologising (for what it's worth) but my daughter is unable to get any compensation because she has a monthly ticket, which is very unfair IMO. Apparently if the service falls below 88% in 12 months she may get a discount on her next monthly ticket!! Big deal. She probably won't be in a job by then as she's been late so many times due to the incompetence of Northern Rail.