TRANSPORT - TRAINS

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Rail passengers could save money just by asking a few simple questions. The Rail Passengers Council (RPC) says hundreds of pounds in compensation and discounts may not be being claimed. It has published an advice leaflet called "Get the Best Deal" which tells passengers how to get all they are due. RPC explains that claiming poor performance discounts on monthly or annual season tickets could save hundreds on a renewed ticket.

For example, passengers travelling between Leicester and Birmingham who claimed the 10% discount in the event of poor performance would save £219. The RPC, which acts as a voice for rail passengers, said the most common situation where passengers might be missing out occurred with "void days". These are days where train companies cannot run an effective train service so declare the day void and must pay compensation. To do so, passengers had to ask or remind train company staff if they were entitled to void day compensation but on the Fleet, Hampshire to London service it gained them more than £50 in compensation.

The RPC also says that with passengers already facing above-inflation fare rises, they need to make the most of benefits provided by season tickets. The RPC said the compensation should be given by rail companies automatically when season tickets were renewed. "It is difficult to get the figures on exactly how much money is being missed out on", said RPC Communications Manager Caroline Jones. "But we've had quite a few complaints from people told that they had to claim the money at the time of renewal and that it was too late."

She said they are trying to make people aware of this now, as January and February are when around 60% of commuters renewed their tickets. "We want to empower passengers by making sure they ask the right questions," she said. The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) agreed that it would "probably be wise" for commuters to ask about any compensation due when they renewed season tickets. Communications manager for ATOC John Dennis said discounts applied when train firms did not meet the Strategic Rail Authority's performance targets on punctuality and reliability.

"It should be automatically applied but there have been occasions when it has not, particularly when void days haven't been offered," he said. He said information on how a rail firm had performed was displayed at most manned stations. However, Mr Dennis said it was important to keep 'things in perspective'. "In the main ticket office staff are very good at offering these discounts." The RPC leaflet also reminds passengers of a range of railcards and offers available which could make journeys much cheaper.

For example, commuters travelling in London and the south east on an annual ticket can buy a Network Railcard for a friend or family member for £1 instead of £20. The RPC will give the leaflet to commuters on its database. It will also be available at some stations, online and at events the passenger group will hold across the country.

A train journey that should have taken 90 minutes turned into a nine-hour ordeal made worse as food and water ran out on board. Before the 6.05pm Virgin Cross Country left Edinburgh for Birmingham via Newcastle conductors found that the doors on one carriage could not be opened and passengers had to be moved to another car. Then, minutes after the train pulled out of the station, it broke down and was stuck for five hours while engineers attempted to carry out repairs. Disgruntled passengers were picked up by buses at 11.30pm and taken to Newcastle central station.

But they arrived at 2.45am as the city's nightclubs were emptying and, as a result, Virgin had serious problems attempting to order taxis. Dr Gill Ferrell, from Blaydon, Gateshead, said, "The conditions were appalling. It was very hot, all of the toilets were out of order and there was no water available in the buffet car. People began to smoke in the rear two carriages forcing others to crowd to the front as staff made no attempt to stop them. There was a diabetic woman who needed an insulin injection and an asthmatic lady who was suffering because of the smoke." Virgin apologised for the "extremely rare" fault and said it would consider compensation "sympathetically". (Source: Daily Telegraph)

Passengers on Virgin's tilting trains are facing hot, smelly and "uncomfortable" journeys, according to the managing director, Charles Belcher. An internal memo from Mr Belcher warns that travellers on some of the new Pendolino services between London and Scotland will have to put up with pungent lavatories and an eccentric air-conditioning system that is prone to blowing warm air at passengers when temperatures rise. This winter, the bizarre mechanism often switched heating off when temperatures dipped below zero and refused to come back on until the coach had warmed up, the note reveals.

The Pendolino trains have been hit by problems since the 125mph service was introduced amid much fanfare. The first in a series of mishaps occurred when a train hit a buffer at Lime Street Station in Liverpool. Several passengers were injured. A 110mph limit was subsequently imposed on the London-to-Glasgow west coast main line after a warning from the Health and Safety Executive. The company also met Tony McNulty, a Transport minister, to discuss concerns about the trains. The memo sets out a range of problems afflicting the Pendolino toilets and a timetable for fixing them.

Toilets were often locked when sensors incorrectly showed waste tanks full. At the depot, sometimes the waste tanks were not emptied. The supplier of the equipment took "many weeks" to complete repairs. Among the other problems are: spillages from incorrectly installed pipe-work; depot staff not properly trained and customers blocking the toilets by flushing rubbish down them. Doors have tended to jam on their runners. Mr Belcher's memo said, "Many key components within the system failed, in particular the sensors that monitor the exterior ambient temperature, controlling the temperature in each vehicle. The defects caused the system to increase the heat, wrongly thinking the temperature was low."

Mr Belcher insists many of the problems have been solved. However, he warns, "There may be some uncomfortable journeys if there is warm weather before then." The managing director points out punctuality and reliability have improved after initial problems. More than 82% of trains are arriving on time and more than 97% of scheduled services are running. He said there was no room for complacency, but revenue was growing at 20% and the volume of complaints were half those at the same time the previous year. (Source: The Independent)