c2c

Compensation for c2c customers

date 2c -- 22 November 2000   source c2c   type Press release

Following the problems caused by the Hatfield crash and storm damage over the last couple of months, a national programme of compensation to customers was agreed between the Association of Train Operating Companies and Railtrack, and announced on 22 November.

Many lines have suffered major ongoing disruption to services since Hatfield, together with continuing cancellations and delays due to a high level of Emergency Speed Restrictions being imposed by Railtrack.

As a result, the national compensation deal announced by ATOC gave the equivalent to around 15 days free travel to customers in many parts of the country.

Under the terms of the national agreement, c2c customers are entitled to one day's compensation. Claims can be made by downloading and printing the application form below, filling it in and mailing it to c2c.

The one-day's compensation for c2c customers relates to the storm damage on Monday 30 October, when scarcely any services ran at all, particularly in the morning peak, and most customers took the company's advice not to attempt travelling that day.

However, c2c has not had a spate of Emergency Speed Restrictions imposed on its routes by Railtrack in the wake of the Hatfield crash. It has largely been able to stick to the normal timetable without having to resort to an Emergency Timetable as many other Train Operating Companies have been forced to, such as WAGN Railway and GER, for instance. So, normal Passenger Charter rules apply for c2c's overall performance.

That is not to say that c2c has not had its fair share of other problems. The company had to remove new Electrostar trains from service from 23 October due to a continuing catalogue of operating problems and the havoc they were causing to services with frequent breakdowns.

Since then, rolling stock shortages forced c2c to implement a Service Recovery Plan with certain peak trains shortened, the withdrawn carriages slotted into other services, to allow the full timetable to run without widespread cancellations.

This has inevitably led to some overcrowding, which has been worsened by some migration across to c2c by GER customers who, for example, can save an hour's travel time a day if they live in Southend and work in London, simply by switching services and avoiding the spate of Emergency Speed Restrictions on GER.

While c2c waits for Adtranz to resolve the technical problems with the Electrostars, it is addressing fleet shortages in the short-term by reconditioning six mothballed 310s, making them fit for carrying passengers and extending their running capability. This should give the full 70 trains by mid-December to allow significant reductions in the short-formed trains and overcrowding.

Despite the unique problems c2c has had lately, looking at the wider picture in the context of the nationwide compensation package, compared to most operators, c2c has been running one of the most consistently reliable and punctual services in the country since Hatfield, without Emergency Timetables or Speed Restrictions.

Despite this, c2c is not complacent and all staff will continue to work hard to deliver the higher standard of service they and customers want to see, now and in the future.

[Compensation application form]

Railnews Archive ::: 2000-11-22 c2c-001

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