Avanti West Coast paid out £20m in summer delay refunds

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 31 Oct, 15:49 · Archive

Avanti West Coast paid out more than £20m in delay compensation to passengers over three months this summer.

Avanti West Coast paid out more than £20m to passengers in just three months over summer 2024 for disrupted journeys on Britain's main intercity rail network. The operator paid out £9.3m in a four-week period to 25 July and a further £12.2m in the subsequent eight weeks. It is expected to pay out more than £70m in compensation this financial year.

Compensation claims have risen significantly across the network. Between April and July, 3.8 million successful compensation claims were made, a 55 per cent increase compared with the same period last year. In the four weeks from mid-June to mid-July, train operators received over 1.2 million claims, up from 877,583 the previous year. Avanti received 287,230 delay repay claims between 25 June and 18 July.

The rail operator said it was responsible for 23 per cent of delays of 15 minutes or more from May to August, citing infrastructure issues and trespassing as contributing causes. Fewer than half of Avanti trains ran on time in July. Across all train operators, compensation for delays rose to £150m in 2024-25, up 8 per cent from the previous year, of which Avanti accounted for approximately 27 per cent.

How it is being reported

• Avanti West Coast’s £70m delay repay boom shows how broken Britain’s trains areClaims for delayed trains across the rail network have jumped in recent months as the hot weather caused havoc on the networkThe i Paper · 31 Oct, 15:36
• Avanti West Coast paid out £20m in ‘delay repay’ passenger refunds this summerIntercity train operator’s compensation bill likely to top £70m this financial year amid rise in claims across network Avanti West Coast paid out more than £20m to passengers in just three months this summer in refunds for disrupted journeys on Britain’s main intercity rail network. The intercity operator paid out almost as much in a four-week period to 25 July – £9.3m – as its annual profits for each of the past two years. It repaid a further £12.2m in the subsequent eight weeks. Continue reading...Guardian World · 31 Oct, 07:00

In this story: Avanti West Coast · Great British Railways · Department for Transport · Office for Rail and Road · Birmingham New Street · London Paddington

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