Passenger injured in Roudham train crash offered just £4 refund

A rail passenger who was injured when the train he was travelling on collided with a tractor in Roudham claims he has been offered a £4 refund for a £51 ticket.

Will Kitcher, 36, suffered whiplash when the Abellio Greater Anglia train he was on, the 12.03 service from Norwich to Cambridge, hit a tractor on April 10.

It was an insult and I didn’t take it out of principle

The injury left him unable to return to work as a service delivery manager and three days later contacted Abellio asking to be reimbursed. But it was refused and he was only offered £4, as he had completed his journey to London by other means.

“At the time I wasn’t bothered because I was just happy to be safe,” he said. “When it happened there was genuinely a moment where I thought I might die. But then I sat at home for three days, and thought that I should really be able to reclaim the ticket after what had happened.

“When I phoned Abellio there was no apology and they told me that because I’d got off at Thetford, they had to refund me to that point and offered me £4. It was an insult and I didn’t take it out of principle.

“There’s been no compassion shown by Abellio at all. I’ve not gone after any compensation, but I think a refund is fair. “

An Abellio spokesperson said: “At this point in the post-incident inquiry, no compensation has been offered or sent as it is inappropriate at this stage.

“However, we have sent £50 vouchers as a goodwill gesture and a £50 cheque to cover any immediate expenses, to all those passengers whose names have been passed to us by the British Transport Police.”