London commuters deserve full European rail rights

10.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 27th Sep 2007

London's Liberal Democrat MEP Sarah Ludford is calling on the UK government to implement in full new EU legislation granting greater rights to rail passengers travelling both nationally and internationally.

The European Parliament adopted the regulation on passengers' rights after overcoming opposition from Member States who wanted to restrict its scope to international travel only. The new law grants a set of basic rights to all rail users, such as the rail company's liability for passengers and their luggage and the right to transport for people with reduced mobility, but allows commuter services to be exempted from extra rights like compensation for delays of more than 1 hour.

Sarah Ludford commented:

"This European legislation is welcome in strengthening the protection of travellers. But the UK government must resist the temptation to allow opt-outs from compensation, such as for long-suffering London commuters. An hour's delay may be worse when trying to get to work than when going on holiday."

'If the government is proud of its 10-year stewardship of the rail industry, it should have no fear in providing a full range of rights to rail passengers regardless of the distance travelled."