South East Rail delays see £4m compensation paid

Passenger groups said the compensation process had to be made simpler

Train companies in the South East paid out nearly £4m in compensation to commuters last year because of delays, figures obtained by the BBC have shown.

Southern paid £1,623,000, Southeastern paid £1,351,000, and First Capital Connect, which later became Govia Thameslink, paid £923,000 for the financial year 2014-15.

The three operators said they operated a compensation scheme for customers.

Passenger groups said the compensation process still had to be made simpler.

After the Department for Transport released the figures, rail minister Claire Perry said: "I have been clear with the rail industry that it must make it easier for people to claim, and I am pleased to see these measures are working."

David Sidebottom, from Transport Focus, which represents passengers, said research two years ago had shown people were not aware they could claim compensation, and many "couldn't be bothered with the hassle".

He said his organisation had been working with the regulator and rail operators to tell customers they were entitled to claim.

And Transport Focus wants to see compensation to be paid automatically using technology, such as cards similar to Oyster.

Southern said compensation payouts had increased because more people were becoming aware they could claim, and work would continue on raising awareness of the system.

Southeastern said it operated a nationally-agreed compensation scheme that was advertised on posters, social media and its website.

Govia Thameslink said punctuality was improving and it understood delays were frustrating, and in the future smartcards would provide automatic alerts to passengers when they are entitled to claim.