REVEALED: Transport Department official tried to HIDE details of rail compensation scheme
CHRIS GRAYLING was unable to explain why an official from his department had instructed a rail company not to reveal the details of their compensation scheme to the media.
Chris Grayling: I’m really SORRY for train disruption in the North
This came after emails from officials within the Department for Transport (DfT) were revealed, showing that someone had suggested that the rail company only share details of a compensation scheme to "passengers and stakeholders, not the media”.
In an email published on July 5, The DfT official explained that while the details of the compensation scheme were published on Govia Thameslink Railway’s (GTR) website, they should be kept “low key”.
These emails were sent during a period of mass rail chaos due to the attempted implementation of a new summer timetable.
The new timetable saw at least 470 trains cancelled per day just on GTR's network.
GTR chief executive Charles Horton resigned weeks later.
Following the failed timetable, Mr Grayling ordered that a compensation scheme be created by the various rail firms involved in order to repay passengers that had been affected.
However, many passengers have claimed they had a hard time accessing the relevant information in order to obtain compensation.
These emails have called into question whether or not there was a blatant attempt by Mr Grayling's department to obfuscate the scheme.
Liberal Democrat candidate Daisy Cooper said that these revelations destroyed "any trust" the public had in the department.
She said: "This latest revelation hammers home that the department and the ministers haven't got the passengers at heart.
"It looks as though they were effectively attempting to bury the information."
Lord Adonis seconded these sentiments and explained that Mr Grayling needed to come up with an explanation quickly.
If this letter is authentic, the official should be immediately dismissed unless it was an instruction from a higher authority
He said: "If this letter is authentic, the official should be immediately dismissed unless it was an instruction from a higher authority.
"And if it comes from ministers, Parliament should be told, because this appears to be an attempt to hoodwink passengers."
Mr Grayling has stated that he has "no idea why that suggestion was made" and that "it is certainly not what happened”.
The DfT’s managing director of passenger services Peter Wilkinson said: "I cannot explain that."
A spokesman for GTR said that anyone who has been affected by these disruptions should apply for compensation and that they are working to make sure the scheme is "customer-friendly".
Mr Grayling said during a transport committee meeting that he was frustrated by the "systematic" failings in the industry and that he was "really sorry" for all of the disruptions that people have faced.
A report published by the Office of Rail and Road said that Network Rail was to blame for the timetable failures in the summer.
A separate Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) investigation states that the DfT and industry leaders were to blame for putting engineering and planning concerns above serving passengers due to a lack of responsibility and accountability.