The fast track to refunds if trains don't run on time

No one likes a grass, so the theory goes, unless the snitching is about a late train. Growing numbers of consumers have been making use of Train-Delays.co.uk, a website set up to help delayed passengers claim compensation.

All UK operators offer a refund when their trains run late, explains the site's founder, Chris Davy, but most passengers are unaware of this or can't be bothered to complain. "Some [companies] will make a payment if the delay exceeds half an hour," he says. "But most refuse to pay unless it is more than an hour."

The level of compensation varies between operators, ranging from 30 per cent of fares to a full refund.

With above-inflation fare rises angering passengers and consumer bodies, the website has so far signed up 4,500 commuters, who are invited to report every journey that qualifies for a refund. Rather than this being an administrative slog, the service does much of the legwork for you.

When you register with the site, you indicate your carrier and the details of your regular run. The site will then provide advice and the address to write to for a compensation claim.

If you have a season ticket, then supply your number and the site will automatically send you an email with the train company's refund application form already filled in. All you have to do is print it off, tick a couple of boxes, sign it and stick the form in the post.

"Most members claim about [pound]40 to [pound]50 each month and the refunds are usually prompt - within a week or two," says Mr Davy. "The train companies should be pleased with our site," he adds. "By pointing out their problems, we're helping them to improve their service."

TrainDelays' home page lists the worst offenders - a league table of missed appointments, late meals and lost opportunities. Leading the "delayed parade" is One Railway, the operator serving the east of England out of Liverpool Street station in London; so far this year, it has 1,023 delays recorded by users of the website. In second place is First Capital Connect with 351; third is First Great Western with 396.

At the other, better, end of the scale lie Eurostar and the Stansted Express.

One Railway's performance could be better, admits its spokesman, Peter Meades. But he adds: "Our punctuality is improving - we're aiming for a 90 per cent level of consistency."

If a train is late by 30 minutes or more, One Railway will refund half the ticket price in the form of a national rail voucher for another journey. A voucher for the full fare will be offered for a 60-minute delay. Elsewhere, First Great Western offers a full refund in the shape of a voucher if your journey is held up by more than an hour.

On South West Trains, you get 25 per cent of your ticket price back for a delay of an hour or more. Season ticket holders receive a 5 or 10 per cent discount depending on how far performance targets are missed.

The One Railway network carries around 2.1 million passengers every week on around 11,000 journeys. Mr Meades says the most recent statistics show that only 0.25 per cent of these trips are late by half an hour or more. This creates, on average, some 5,225 potential claims per week.

The operator won't say how many people actually apply for refunds, but Mr Meades says: "We encourage passengers to claim the compensation they're entitled to." One Railway's web-site gives customers a Freepost address and the vouchers are in the return mail within 15 days.

"Actually, they're pretty good about it," says Susan Harrop, who commutes on One Railway from Witham, in Essex, to London. She makes three or four refund applications every month.

"When I pay [pound]3,120 a year, I expect the trains to run on time. When they're late, it screws up my day, so I want compensation."

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