Transport for Wales paid nearly 拢1m in compensation for delayed train services in the first ten months of this year, according to figures from the Liberal Democrats.
With a lifting of Covid restrictions all 海角视频 train operating firms have seen a rise in claims and payments. Passengers are entitled to compensation if a train gets to their destination station by 15 minutes or more over schedule.
From January to the end of October Transport for Wales, the Welsh Government-owned transport body that operates the Wales and Borders rail franchise, paid 拢976,660 for delayed services .
While not a meaningful comparison, as passenger services and passenger numbers vary between train operating firms, latest figures from the Department for Transport show that in financial year 2021-22 the highest delay payments was for London North Eastern Railway (LNER) with 拢11.19m followed by Avanti West Coast at 拢8.36m. For Transport for Wales the figure was 拢735,000. The DfT figures cover all passenger compensation payments, not just so called delay repay from 15 minutes, including discretionary payments following complaints for poor service such as screens not working and dirty trains.
In the last financial year before the impact of Covid for 2019-20 - apart from the last few weeks of March - Transport for Wales made payments of 拢1.46m .
Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds MS said:鈥淟abour has promised for years to deliver more reliable rail services, yet these figures certainly suggest that isn鈥檛 what is happening.
鈥淚n just the first ten months of this year, Transport for Wales has racked up almost 拢1m in payments to rail users for delays and that鈥檚 only those who go through the process of applying for a refund. There may be many thousands more who have been similarly inconvenienced but not claimed.
鈥淭he Welsh Labour Government need to tell taxpayers how much money has been set aside to meet delay repay payments and when they think they will have this under control. Ministers are now directly responsible for the service that commuters and tourists get on our railway but so far they seem to be taking a hands-off approach.
鈥淐ommuters and rail users need a service that they can rely on if we are to tempt people out of private cars. For the good of the planet, the Government must ensure that all services are running once more and that the trains are arriving on time.
鈥淚f Labour wants to introduce a ban on all new road building, the very least they need to do is to ensure we have a well-functioning public transport system.
鈥淭he Welsh Liberal Democrats are committed to delivering a public transport system that works for all communities, for all ages, and for the climate. That鈥檚 why we want to see heavily discounted fares introduced along the lines of schemes introduced in Germany and Spain as well as a great frequency of services and better interconnections with other public transport options such as buses.
鈥淲ith the First Minister showing a seemingly lack of ambition regarding public transport in Wales over the weekend, we will continue to demand better from the Welsh Government.鈥
A spokesman for Transport for Wales said: 鈥淥ur staff work incredibly hard to ensure trains run on time or as close to their scheduled time as possible.
鈥淯nfortunately, delays and cancellations are sometimes unavoidable due to circumstances beyond our control such as bad weather or incidents on the network. When delays do occur, we will offer fair and appropriate compensation.
鈥淲e understand delays and cancellations are very frustrating for customers and TfW is investing heavily in new trains and infrastructure to improve performance across the Wales and Borders network.
鈥淚f customers are affected by delays or cancellations on our services, we would encourage them to contact us directly to ensure they receive whatever compensation they are entitled to. They can do this by visiting www.tfw.wales."
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