Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to require train companies operating services from Reigate to Redhill stations to compensate passengers in instances of a reduced service over an extended period of time.

Whist I do understand the inconvenience the works at London Bridge will cause to all passengers on a number of routes I will not be requiring train companies operating services from Reigate to Redhill stations, or from any other stations, to compensate passengers outside the normal Passenger Charter compensation arrangements.

To require operators to provide further compensation would not only set a precedent for every future timetable change that reduced a service to/from a station throughout the duration of essential infrastructure upgrades required to improve our national rail network. It would also put additional strain on the public purse as requiring operators to provide such non contracted compensation would lead to operators seeking additional funds from Government and increasing the cost of all future improvement schemes on our network.

I fully recognise that planned changes to train services as a result of engineering works can be inconvenient, but it is often impossible to rebuild and improve our Victorian infrastructure without some impact on services – sometimes for an extended period. I know Network Rail and train operators work hard to keep disruption to a minimum.