Deadline for customers to claim c2c compensation

RAIL travellers on the c2c route who have been hit by disruption due to industrial action by the RMT guards union over the last few months have until the end of November to claim for compensation.

Leaflet claim forms for passengers have been available at all c2c stations since Thursday 11 October and hundreds of customers have already submitted their claims.

c2c wants to ensure that everyone eligible does not miss out on their compensation. Route Director David Taylor said, "season ticket holders on the route who have not yet claimed should pick up a claim form and send it in as soon as possible, preferably by Friday 30 November. We want everyone to receive their compensation before Christmas.

He said: "I want to make sure everyone gets their entitlement. For monthly and annual season ticket holders on most of the route, they get three days compensation and for those using Chafford Hundred and Ockendon stations where there was no service at all during the early part of the dispute they get 20 days compensation.

"We have managed to carry most of our passengers on strike days with an emergency service, or they were able to get to work and home again by using the available alternatives with their c2c ticket.

"But the compensation payments are our way of acknowledging the service has by no means been at its best during the dispute, people have suffered a lot of inconvenience and it represents our commitment to make up in some small way for what our passengers have been through.

"The disruption and shortened service problems that have plagued us since mid-June have been due to the unjustified action of the RMT guards' union inpursuit of their political agenda over the Driver Only Operation (DOO) of trains and the role of the guard."

Mr Taylor also pointed out that prior to the RMT dispute, season ticket holders had been getting up to 12% compensation under Passenger's Charter arrangements, when they come to renew season tickets, due to poor performance on the route over the last 18 months due to lengthy teething problems with c2c's new Electrostar trains.

While the problems with the new trains have now been resolved and a full fleet of new Electrostar trains should be in service early in 2002, the compensation payments for poor performance due to both the new train problems and subsequent industrial action by the RMT will result in around £3 million being paid out to customers, with the industrial action alone accounting for £1.2 million of that sum.

Leaflets are available from c2c stations and any queries on customer compensation that station staff should be unable to answer can be dealt with by c2c Customer Relations on 08457 818 919.