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Part-time Thameslink and Great Northern commuters to be paid extra compensation

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Callum Mason
Callum Mason
News Reporter
27 August 2018

Part-time commuters who travel on Great Northern and Thameslink services could be eligible for additional compensation following major disruption earlier this year.

Season ticket holders on Great Northern, Northern, Thameslink and TransPennine Express services are being offered up to a month's worth of compensation due to disruption caused by a major timetable overhaul in May.

But now Govia Thameslink Railway, which runs Great Northern and Thameslink trains, has said regular travellers – such as part-time workers who do not have a season ticket – could be eligible for compensation as well.

It says passengers who made a minimum of three days' return travel in any week, Monday to Sunday, between 20 May and 28 July from the most affected stations will qualify for compensation, and that passengers using discounted books of carnet tickets are included.

See our  guide for full help on your rights.

I'm a Govia Thameslink customer – how much compensation will I be owed?

The amount you will be owed depends on the extent to which you were affected and which stations you travelled from and to.

Compensation levels are split into 'Level 1' for more severe disruption, and 'Level 2' for less severe disruption, depending on the stations you travelled between – you can find a full list of qualifying stations here – and the type of tickets you bought.

  • If you qualify for 'Level 1'

    If you bought return tickets – You'll be able to claim a maximum of 20 return tickets, equating to a minimum of three and a maximum of five return tickets valid for each week (the same applies if you're an Oyster pay-as-you-go, contactless or KeyGo customer). 

    If you bought single tickets – You'll be able to claim a maximum of 40 single tickets, equating to a minimum of six and a maximum of ten single tickets per week. 

    If you bought carnet tickets – If you bought two or three books of five carnet tickets (one book in each direction), you can claim for the cost of two books. If you bought four books of five, you can claim the value of the books back, and if you bought two or more books of ten, you can claim the value of two books back.

  • If you qualify for 'Level 2'

    If you bought return tickets – You'll be able to claim a maximum of five return tickets, equating to a minimum of three and a maximum of five return tickets valid for one week. 

    If you bought single tickets – You'll be able to claim a maximum of 10 single tickets, equating to a minimum of six and a maximum of 10 single tickets for one week. 

You should retain any tickets, receipts or other proof of travel where possible to support an application. Oyster pay-as-you-go and contactless customers should register their card on the TfL website and request a journey history.

The scheme to claim additional compensation opens tomorrow, but the exact date on which part-time commuters will be able to claim hasn't been confirmed yet and customers should keep checking the Thameslink website for full info.

What does Govia Thameslink say?

Govia Thameslink Railway chief executive Patrick Verwer said: "We have listened to feedback. We believe it is right to extend the compensation scheme beyond season ticket holders to other regular travellers.

"We are sorry for the disruption in the weeks that followed the May timetable change. Overall, the train services on Thameslink and Great Northern have been stable, more reliable and more frequent since the introduction of the interim timetable on 15 July. We have also introduced 200 more services than before the May timetable change."

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Part-time Thameslink and Great Northern commuters to be paid extra compensation

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