OREANDA-NEWS. April 23, 2012. In order to improve the quality of passenger service, Russian Railways has decided to pay compensation to passengers for any late arrivals of the Allegro high-speed trains and the Nevsky Express at the destination station, reported the press-centre of RZD.

The amount of the cash payments will depend on how late the train arrives at its destination station:

25% of the ticket cost (ticket and reserved seat) for delays of 30 to 60 minutes (inclusive)

50% of the ticket cost (ticket and reserved seat) for delays of 61 to 120 minutes (inclusive)

100% of the ticket cost (ticket and reserved seat) for delays of 121 minutes and over

Cash refunds to passengers for late arrivals of the Allegro high-speed train is made only for tickets ordered at ticket offices in the Russian Federation.

In addition, no compensation is paid to passengers for late arrivals of the Allegro trains and the Nevsky Express if the delay results from force majeure circumstances or the elimination of technical problems and malfunctions which threaten the life or health of passengers and which have occurred through no fault of Russian Railways or due to other circumstances independent of Russian Railways and the First Passenger Company.

To receive refunds for late arrivals of the Allegro high-speed train, passengers should proceed as follows:

Before the departure of the Allegro and Nevsky Express, the Directorates of High-Speed Trains at Russian Railways and the First Passenger Company ensure that the service conductor’s compartment on the train has the necessary claim forms to apply for cash refunds.

In the case of clear delays of Allegro trains and the Nevsky Express due to a fault on the part of Russian Railways, the conductor will inform the passengers en route that they can fill out claim forms he will distribute to passengers who have bought their tickets at ticket office in the Russian Federation.

Passengers must specify on the claim form their first name, patronymic (or middle name) and surname in Russian or English, their passport details, the train number, the departure date, the carriage number and seat, their address or their bank account with their bank details and credit card number to enable compensation to be paid for late arrivals.

If a passenger is travelling under an e-ticket, it is unnecessary to indicate the ticket number.

On arriving at the destination station, the conductor collects the completed claim forms and the tickets from the passengers and delivers them to the Directorate of High-Speed Trains at Russian Railways or the First Passenger Company. Passenger claims are recorded in the claims book for further consideration.