RAIL passengers delayed for 15 minutes or more on Northern train services can now claim compensation.

The Department for Transport announced the implementation of the Delay Repay 15 scheme this week.

DR15 is an extension of the current compensation package that already exists for journeys delayed by 30 minutes or more and aims to ensure customers can claim quickly and easily regardless of the cause of delays or cancellation.

It means passengers delayed by between 15 and 29 minutes can claim back compensation worth 25 per cent of the single fare.

It comes on top of the special compensation package announced for Northern and TransPennine Express passengers who experienced disruption following the timetable changes earlier in the year. More than 12,000 claims from Northern ticket holders have already been submitted and more than £1million paid out in compensation.

Rail Minister Andrew Jones said: “Extending Delay Repay to cover 15 minute delays is the right thing to do for Northern passengers.

"Our absolute priority is delivering the reliable services passengers deserve, but when things go wrong people must be compensated fairly and quickly.

“We are also investing £15 million on enhancements for passengers across the north, ensuring we deliver improvements that passengers want alongside more comfortable and punctual services.”

Richard Allan, Deputy Managing Director at Northern, said the firm was "truly sorry" for the inconvenience caused by the disruption to rail services earlier this year.

"Now, those customers who experience day-to-day delays will be able to claim the compensation they want and deserve," he added. "Our team works hard to deliver a consistent, punctual service but delays do happen and extending the scheme is the right thing to do for our customers.”

The Department for Transport and Transport for the North are working with the industry to deliver significant improvements in the performance of rail services in the north. This includes appointing industry expert Richard George to identify key underlining issues within the network and make recommendations that deliver improvements.

The DfT has also worked with industry to introduce a new Rail Ombudsman, which provides a free, easily accessible dispute resolution scheme in cases where passengers are not happy with a train operator’s response to their complaint.