The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has issued an update to its Accessible Travel Policy (ATP) Guidance that mandates all rail operators to assess redress claims from passengers whose booked assistance has failed on a case-by-case basis.
The regulator has stressed that this will not always or necessarily result in a form of financial compensation, with operators now required to give an apology, gesture of goodwill and/or a compensatory payment.
ORR will soon begin requesting relevant train companies to make any potentially necessary amendments to implement the new approach, which was decided upon following a consultation promoted by concerns that a number of operators’ policies would restrict compensation to the respective ticket price.
The regulator has stated it will publish a further update to its guidance in spring 2026.
Stephanie Tobyn, ORR’s director of strategy, policy and reform, said:The impact on passengers when an operator fails to deliver assistance can vary greatly, so it’s right that claims for redress are considered on a case-by-case basis. This ensures operators properly assess each passenger’s experience and provide redress that appropriately reflects the impact of what went wrong.
