COMMUTERS' bid for compensation once Southern cuts rail services in the new year has suffered a major setback.
The Department for Transport has categorically stated it will not require train firms to compensate passengers from Redhill and Reigate, or any other station, who are facing major upheaval due to the London Bridge development.
MP Crispin Blunt joined commuters' calls for fairer fares during the three-year Thameslink programme.
The 8.02am and 8.31am London Bridge services from Redhill have already been diverted to London Victoria.
But from January until 2018, the 6.56am and 7.51am from Redhill to London Bridge will be axed, and the 7.40am from Reigate will end at London Victoria instead.
Responding to a letter from Mr Blunt, transport parliamentary under-secretary Claire Perry said insisting on compensation "would set a precedent" for every timetable change.
She said: "Whilst I do understand the inconvenience the works at London Bridge will cause to all passengers on a number of routes I will not be requiring train companies operating services from Reigate to Redhill stations, or from any other stations, to compensate passengers outside the normal Passenger Charter compensation arrangements.
"To require operators to provide further compensation would not only set a precedent for every future timetable change that reduced a service to/from a station throughout the duration of essential infrastructure upgrades required to improve our national rail network.
"It would also put additional strain on the public purse as requiring operators to provide such non-contracted compensation would lead to operators seeking additional funds from Government and increasing the cost of all future improvement schemes on our network.
"I fully recognise that planned changes to train services as a result of engineering works can be inconvenient, but it is often impossible to rebuild and improve our Victorian infrastructure without some impact on services – sometimes for an extended period.
"I know Network Rail and train operators work hard to keep disruption to a minimum."
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Watch Crispin Blunt receive the petition for compensation at last week's meeting with Southern managers:
