All Virgin Trains customers across both its east and west coast routes who apply for compensation after experiencing delays of at least 30 minutes will be offered a cash payment (in the form of a cheque) as the default option. Customers can still opt for rail vouchers if they prefer.
Virgin Trains was the first train operator to make automatic bank payments to eligible delayed customers who use the west coast route and buy their ticket on the VirginTrains.co.uk web-site. These customers don’t need to fill out any forms or notify the company – their money will automatically arrive back in their bank accounts within 3 working days.
The company is also working on ways to offer compensation payments directly into the bank accounts of even more passengers.
“Passengers are rightly frustrated by the significant barriers that exist when claiming compensation for train delays and cancellations, so it is good to see Virgin Trains setting the pace by offering cash as the default option for compensation. We would urge all train operating companies to act quickly to implement this, and further changes, to improve the process for their customers,” Executive Director Richard Lloyd said.
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