Ministers demand compensation from Hitachi over rail chaos
The government is demanding that Hitachi coughs up a multi-million-pound passenger compensation bill after safety concerns over its trains sparked travel chaos across the UK.
More than 180 high-speed Hitachi trains were taken out of service on Saturday after cracks were discovered during routine safety checks.
Passengers faced a third day of disruption yesterday after Great Western Railway and London North East Railway cancelled scores of services. Hull Trains and Transpennine Express routes were also affected.
Thousands of passengers are now entitled to claim refunds, with the total bill expected to run to several millions pounds.
The government said the Agility consortium that owns the trains and of which Hitachi is the main shareholder must “fully compensate the taxpayer”.
“We expect those who have the contractual performance and train availability obligations, including Agility Trains, to fully compensate the taxpayer,” a spokesperson for the Department for Transport told The Telegraph.
“We are currently assessing options to ensure taxpayers do not bear the burden.”
Ministers have also called on Hitachi to provide a “comprehensive plan” to identify the extent of the cracking and whether trains can still run with them.
The rail industry has also been asked to set out a plan for how it will manage capacity by moving rolling stock and proposing where alternative trains can be sourced.
LNER is set to bring two Intercity 225 trains built in the early 1990s back into service this week in a bid to ease the disruption.
“I expect operators to explore all options for replacement services to help people complete their journeys, and have asked Hitachi for a safety inspection plan, as well as a longer-term repair strategy,” said rail minister Chris Heaton Harris.
“Our focus is to ensure trains are returned to service as quickly as possible, once they are fully approved as safe. Only then can we start to rebuild a reliable and punctual timetable for passengers.”
A Hitachi Rail spokesperson said: “We understand the frustration caused and we would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused to passengers and operators. Having been cleared for service, some trains are now running again across the network. We are working as quickly and safely as possible to investigate the issue across the remainder of the fleets.”