Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Train Operating Companies are obliged to provide accurate timetables 12 weeks in advance which take account of planned infrastructure works over holiday periods; and what (1) redress, and (2) compensation, is available to passengers who bought tickets prior to the announcement of timetable changes.

Train Operating Companies are required under their franchise agreements to inform passengers if they will be unable to operate trains in accordance with the timetable 4 weeks’ before the travel date, where possible. However, when things go wrong, and passengers are unable to make informed decisions about their ticket purchases, for example due to unannounced timetable changes arising from emergency engineering works (including during holiday periods), passengers are entitled to claim a refund. Condition 30 of the National Rail Conditions of Travel obliges train companies to refund passengers when they are unable to honour the original timetabled journey. No administration fee will be charged for these refunds.