Compensation Programme Anomaly

On 2nd August 2018 we submitted the following email to Patrick Verwer, the new CEO of Govia Thameslink in response to a note which appeared on the Delay Repay website.

Dear Mr Verwer,

Our rail users have pointed out an important and unfair anomaly in GTR’s compensation programme.

Your website says:
Please note that delay repay claiming is reverting back to the standard qualifying criteria from 30 July.

From the 30 July we will return to the industry standard approach for delay repay. Please make sure you claim for any journey delays you experience of 15 minutes or longer in line with the timetable we are advertising and operating on the day of travel.

For any claims prior to 30 July, if the Great Northern or Thameslink train you planned to catch was removed or amended as part of the temporary timetable reduction, you can claim for a delay against the journey you originally intended to make. The full original timetables from May 2018 are available below. All claims must be submitted with 28 days of travel.

This would suggest that it is possible to claim against the previous timetable for the period 15 July to 30 July only, but from now on there will be no compensation offered for cancelling the most popular London commuter services from Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton in the morning and evening.

Certainly any season ticket holders will have made their very significant purchases, paying upfront to GTR on the understanding of key peak-time services which are now absent from your timetable.

What is the justification for ‘reverting to standard’ when GTR is still operating reduced services under an ‘interim-timetable’ that is by definition temporary?  Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton Stations are shouldering gaps that make basic commuting routines impossible.

Passengers are now in the process of attempting to deal with GTR’s compensation structure; this is fundamentally unfair and unacceptable and requires needs urgent attention.

We look forward to your reply.