c2c operators get rail industry award for ‘auto refunds’ if Fenchurch Street trains are late

A scheme which gives commuters from east London and Essex automatic refunds if a train is even two minutes late without the hassle of having to make claims has won a rail industry top award for its operators on the Fenchurch Street network.

C2C operators get award for 'auto compensation' to passengers if trains are late. Picture: Mike Brooke - Credit: Mike Brooke

The ‘automatic delay’ repay scheme for passengers using a c2c ‘smartcard’ tracks journeys when passengers tap in and out and pays up without being asked.

The scheme has been named ‘innovation of the year’ in the National Rail awards, the industry’s ‘Oscars’.

“We saw this as easily the most innovative entry,” the judging panel’s citation reads.

“Passengers’ frustration with delays is almost matched by having to follow procedures for compensation. c2c was the first to make automatic payments for all delays of two minutes or more, rather than the standard 30 minutes.”

The Fenchurch Street-Shoeburyness service, however, has been consistently named by the industry as Britain’s most punctual line over several years, with up to 97 per cent trains arriving on time.