The decision to extend a travel compensation scheme to include shorter delays has been welcomed by the MP for Watford.

The “Delay Repay” scheme – designed to help Southern passengers delayed by 30 minutes or more claim compensation – will be extended to include 15 minute delays within the next few months.

The changes will happen first on Govia Thameslink services, which include Southern services through Watford, before extending to all other lines across the country.

Passengers will be able to claim 25 per cent of the cost of the single fare for delays between 15 and 29 minutes, with the existing compensation thresholds applying for delays of more than half an hour.

Richard Harrington MP said it was a welcome move.

“Even a 15 minute delay can cause havoc with our plans and getting into work. All commuters want is a reliable service – this is a great incentive to make sure we get it,” he added.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “We recognise that, above all else, passengers want a reliable train service but when things do go wrong it is vital that they are compensated fairly.

“‘Delay Repay 15’ is a major improvement for passengers and we are working with train companies to make it as easy as possible for passengers to claim their rightful compensation.”

‘Delay Repay’ is currently operated by the majority of operators and a number of existing franchises, including Virgin Trains West Coast and c2c have also taken steps to introduce automatic compensation for certain ticket types.

The existing “Delay Repay” thresholds are as follows:

  • 50 per cent of the single fare for delays of 30 to 59 minutes
  • 100 per cent of the single fare for delays of 60 minutes or more
  • 100 per cent of the return fare for delays of 2 hours or more