Was your Thameslink train late or disrupted? You could be in line for a cash handout at the station.

Thameslink is now offering to exchange compensation rail vouchers for cash at station ticket offices, after pressure from commuters changed the rules.

Southern has already been offering the cash compensation for a while and Thameslink, whose trains run through Sutton, East Croydon, Wimbledon, Tooting and Streatham, is the latest to fall in line.

The payouts are offered under the national Delay Repay scheme, administered by each train company. A passenger would get a rail voucher, exchangeable for cash at the station.

Thameslink has one of the worst punctuality and reliability measures of the 25 rail operators, according to the latest Network Rail figures.

Delays of between 30-59 minutes can see 50 percent of a single ticket being repaid, and 25 percent of a return ticket.

Delays of an hour or more are 100 percent of the single ticket price, and 50 percent of the return ticket price.

And delays of two hours or more see a total refund. Claims must be made by passengers within 28 days. Planned engineering work does not count. Season ticket holders could be in line for enhanced compensation.

For more information visit www.thameslinkrailway.com/contact-us/delay-repay

Thameslink commercial director David Innis said in a statement: "We are committed to improving service reliability on our routes but when something does go wrong we want to see passengers properly compensated.

"Rail vouchers are a great way to compensate passengers, as they can be offset against their next journey, but if passengers want that money in cash they can now do that at one of our stations for vouchers issued from July 19."

A spokesman for London Travelwatch said it had be calling for this change for some time.

He said in a statement: "Cash compensation is much more appropriate for those visiting the country or people who don’t travel by train that often who might be unlikely to use a voucher.

"Where vouchers are given as compensation we think that it is only fair that passengers can use them to purchase tickets online as this is more convenient and when travelling long distances this is often where passengers can get the best deal."

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