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 Woking station into London to compensate passengers in instances of a reduced service over an extended period of time.

Compensation is not offered to rail passengers during instances of a reduced service. However, when things go wrong, and passengers are unable to make informed decisions about their ticket purchases, for example due to unannounced timetable changes, passengers are entitled to claim a refund.

The South Western Railway (SWR) Passenger's Charter informs passengers of the amount of compensation they may claim back for a delay or cancellation. Compensation is measured against the timetable in operation on the day of travel. Recently the SWR timetable has had to be amended to mitigate the impact of the RMT strikes, and SWR are required to publicise these changes in advance of the day in question. If delays occur on the day compared to the temporary timetable in place, then passengers will be entitled to claim Delay Repay compensation for delays of 15 minutes or more on SWR.