TfL Ref: 1773-2324
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 26 August 2023 asking for information about compensation payments made for the London Overground and Elizabeth line.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold the information you require. You asked:
In relation to the London Overground and Elizabeth line rail operations which are subject to the National Rail Conditions of Travel and the compensation arrangements within it:
Since 01 January 2020, please confirm, for each year (2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 up to today):
1) How many Delay Repay claims have been received where the (or a) customer (claimant) has selected Russia or Belarus as their address/country/contact address;
2) Out of those Delay Repay claims, how many were approved or rejected;
3) For each year, what is the value (£) of payments actually made in relation to the approved claims;
4) What policy or procedures do you, TfL, and these rail concessions/operators have in place, in regard to complying with international sanctions against Russia, (whether or not there is a legal obligation, in solidarity or morally), specifically making compensation payments to customers residing in, or providing an address that is within the territory of a hostile foreign nation.
5) What mechanisms of payment was or were utilised in the approved claims to Russia or Belarus, for example, cheque, bank transfer, cash etc.
Note:
It is understood that TfL does not operate a typical Delay Repay scheme in relation to London Overground or Elizabeth line - in comparison to other National Rail operators. However, for the purposes of this request, Delay Repay should be interpreted as meaning claims for compensation relating to delays, cancellations, disruption etc in accordance with a passenger charter, consumer rights or conditions of travel or similar.
I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require.
Since 2019, access to Oyster online has been restricted from several countries (including Russia and Belarus). There are no limits placed on accounts who have registered an address in Russia or Belarus, but accessing Oyster online and therefore applying for Service Delay Refund (SDR) while in Russia or Belarus has been restricted since the incident. No one residing in these countries has been able to obtain a Service Delay Refund in the period you’ve asked about.
We do not have any policies or procedures specifically related to refunds in this scenario for the above reason.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely
Sara Thomas
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London
