No compensation for delayed/canceled services

[Harlesden]

Must confess I'm rather astonished how you guys in the UK have such a generaous compensation culture on your rail network. Just wondering if it is unique to the UK or common throughout Europe.
Here in the US
Amtrak's fares, time schedules, equipment, routing, services and information (hereinafter "Amtrak services") are not guaranteed and are provided "as is" without any warranties of any kind, either express or implied, and Amtrak disclaims all warranties, express or implied.
Amtrak reserves the right to change its policies without notice.
Amtrak further specifically disclaims liability for any inconvenience, expense, or damages, incidental, consequential, punitive, lost profits, loss business or otherwise, resulting from errors in its timetable, shortages of equipment, or due to delayed trains, except when such delay causes a passenger to miss an Amtrak train guaranteed connection. When a guaranteed Amtrak train connection is missed, Amtrak will provide passenger with alternate transportation on Amtrak, another carrier, or provide overnight hotel accommodations, at Amtrak's sole discretion, but only when such circumstances resulted from the actions of Amtrak and this shall constitute Amtrak's sole liability and passenger's sole and exclusive remedy.

Not a cent for even a half day delay or a cancelation except when a booked connection is missed as a result

 

[orpine]

From what I understand of US trains, Amtrak would be paying out every other journey. Don't the freight companies own the track and prioritise their own trains over Amtrak's causing countless delays? (Exception being the NE Corridor).
I might be wrong, but that's the perception I've acquired over the years of how they run over there.

 

[dutchflyer]

It is different for domestic or international trips. each country sets it owns standards. And its not a ''culture'' at all-mostly only started this century.
The EU now has stringent norms for trips across the border-mainly this followed their grip on airlines, from which it was said they annoyed the EU-officials too much with late and cancelled flights into BRUssel. Then the railways had to follow-and in fact INTERnational buses (coaches) too.
It is not too long ago when you were simply let out in the blue with delays or cancellations-the reasoning being that as most tickets were not tied to any specific train, cheating was far too easy and fares far too low to allow compensation to be paid out of it-every ralway is ''subsidised'' in one way or another.
Most companies now use it as trick/reassurement/incentive for their passengers. In Germany some even pay out taxis when trams//buses are severely delayed or cancelled.