Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, from what date he expects to require train companies to improve compensation arrangements for passengers when trains are more than a few minutes late; what improvements to compensation arrangements he plans to make; and whether he has decided how many minutes late a train will have to be for passengers to claim compensation under this revised system.

Work is already underway on various options to improve compensation arrangements for passengers. The trial by c2c, starting in early 2016, of an automated system providing compensation for delays of between 2 and 29 minutes is very welcome, and it is exactly the kind of compensation system that puts passengers at the centre of the railway. Through franchising we will be working with other operators to ensure they offer a similar process for their customers.