Great Western Coffee Shop

Stupid question time - how does Delay Repay work for a journey which was made across multiple train operators with different rules?

20 minutes late into Melksham last night ... GWR have a 15 minute trigger.  But coming off a Cross Country service and they have a 30 minute trigger.  Actually at one point in the journey I was 45 minutes late on XC - but all that did was reduce my connection time for the same (also late) TransWilts train.  Return Ticket purchased from the TVM at Melksham station; this was my return leg that went wrong.

The TOC that was responsible for the initial delay is the one whose rules apply. Minutes late at final destination is the trigger. Minutes late at some point en route isn't a basis for a claim.

20 late into Melksham with the initial delay on an XC service. No compensation.

For multiple TOC journeys you generally apply to the TOC that caused the first delay that caused you to arrive late at your destination, not en route delays.

What was your itinerary with scheduled departure and arrival times verses your actual times?

If you would you have missed the connection if the GWR connection was running on time and XC arrived after its departure, you would apply to XC.
If however in spite the XC was late, if it arrived before the scheduled departure time of the connection, GWR caused your 20 minute delay.
Finally although the XC was late and it arrived after the scheduled depature time of the connection but the GWR connection was also late, it get murky because of the different fresholds and you should apply to XC as you had less than the recommended interchange time regardless of the late connection, but would also apply to GWR as they caused the ultimate delay and see who pays up (but expect to have to argue your case).

Don't you love the simplicity of it  ;D ... I have highlighted the option I think it is!   Arguable whether GWR caused the delay, mind you. Their service got stuck awaiting a path into, then back out of Swindon because of all the Cross Country trains and a Network Rail works train that was around.

Due into Swindon at 18:36 - actually got there at 19:24 (Cross Country)

Due out of Swindon at 19:36 but actually left at 19:59 (Great Western)
Due into Melksham at 20:02 but actually got there 20:23

Not bothered about a few quid - just been looking to understand the principle and, really I suppose the claim should be made as one drip in this flood of encouragement to our rail industry to run trains on time!  I have put it in (to GWR) and the system identified my journey quickly, so we'll see what transpires.

Yes, it's GWR in that case to whom you apply.

Your delay was 20 minutes at your destination (Melksham), where the delay is calculated.

You had an hour to interchange at Swindon, which although the XC was late, you made up time by eating into this in order to catch the connection at its scheduled time (plus you still arrived before the minimum recommended interchange time; 5 minutes at Swindon), which then departed late.


If however, you only had had half an hour to change for example, the late arrival of the XC would have missed the connection or if you arrived with less than 5 minutes connection time, then XC would have been liable.

25% refund of a half of my return ticket fare, confirmed to me overnight.  More the principle.  There were some 40 users on that train that was over 20 minutes late - I wonder how many bothered to claim.  I got off at Melksham ... for others staying on the train, it missed ongoing connections to Bristol, to Salisbury, and to Plymouth.  I wonder if anyone was making those connections and how they fared.    I'm delighted for traffic generation that we have nice juicy interchanges at both ends ... but sometimes that brings its own issues!