Delay Repay with bicycles and crowded trains

[drspa44]

Hi all,

The half-hourly trains I rely on often run reduced services on weekends. On such days, the trains that do run can be very crowded.

I seem to recall being told that if it is physically impossible to board, this counts as a delay and can be compensated under delay repay in the same way as if the train was cancelled. Is this true?

There will be times where I could squeeze in, but not if I am bringing a non-folding bike at an otherwise allowed time. Does this still count as a delay? What if instead of a bike, I had to bring a wheelchair or a pram or large suitcases?

The guidance from Thameslink makes it sound like cyclists should expect to be blocked from using busy services, but does not detail whether this would affect compensation.

Bikes on Trains | Bringing Your Bike on a Train | Thameslink

Travelling by bike and train? We welcome folding cycles on all our trains but there are some restrictions on regular bikes during peak hours.

www.thameslinkrailway.com

The automated system would probably reject delay claims if the crowded service ran on time, so I'm not sure how this could be processed other than filling out a paper form.

I couldn't find any similar questions - apologies if this has been answered before.

 

[AlterEgo]

I seem to recall being told that if it is physically impossible to board, this counts as a delay and can be compensated under delay repay in the same way as if the train was cancelled. Is this true?

Yes. From Thameslink's own Passenger Charter:

Under our Delay Repay scheme, if your journey is delayed by 15 minutes or more, irrespective of what caused the delay, you’re entitled to claim compensation.