Rail passengers in the north affected by the chaos caused by the implementation of a new timetable are due to be compensated up to a month’s worth of travel.
An agreement between the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for the North will see season ticket holders on Northern services in Lancashire, Cumbria and Greater Manchester become eligible to receive a cash payment equivalent to one month’s travel in addition to the standard compensation they are entitled to.
Season ticket holders in other parts of the north will be eligible for a cash payment equal to one week’s travel in addition to standard compensation.
In addition, marketing campaigns for tourist areas affected by the disruption, such as Blackpool and the Lake District, will also be funded by the wider compensation package.
The DfT says the compensation programme will be funded “by the industry” and passengers will start receiving pay-outs from early July.
A temporary timetable is in place on parts of Northern’s network until 29 July, at which point the full timetable will be re-introduced.
The Lakes Line, which cancelled all trains at the beginning of June for driver training, re-opened today (2 July) with a limited shuttle service and replacement buses to cover staff breaks.
Meanwhile, the BBC reports that the government may be considering stripping Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) of its franchises after similar chaos caused disruption for passengers following the introduction of the new timetable.
Passengers on Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express are also due to receive compensation for the disruption.
A government source told the BBC the government could start the process of taking the franchises away from GTR “within weeks” unless the performance of services improves.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said on Twitter that he would push for Transport for London to take over some of the services if GTR loses its franchises.
GTR’s chief executive Charles Horton announced his resignation following mass cancellations and delays caused by the new timetable.
GTR has not commented on the speculation, but released a statement apologising for the disruption.
Meanwhile, the government’s independent inquiry into what went wrong is ongoing.