One's way of insuring against that 3-minute journey going off the rails

One's way of insuring against that 3-minute journey going off the rails

Rail passengers are being offered travel insurance for a three-minute journey. If they pre-book with One railways from London Liverpool Street to Bethnal Green the fare is £2.30 - but also on offer is a £1 insurance policy.

A seven-minute journey, further along the line to Hackney Downs, is also covered by the policy, which offers a pay-out of up to £75 if the three-mile journey involves a 12-hour delay and passengers need to pay for accommodation.

Travellers booking a flight on a budget airline website will have come across the persistent attempts to sell travel insurance. Ryanair is offering free flights with its insurance. But this sales pitch has now spread to websites selling rail tickets. So does it mean that commuters will be expected to insure themselves every day going to work?

The provider of One's travel policy is Columbus, which also offers the same deal on Virgin trains. A £3.80 journey from Birmingham to Coventry also has the £1 insurance offer. South West Trains and First Great Western offer the Columbus insurance with online booking as well.

The Columbus policy promises that "peace of mind starts from just £1 per person each way" - that includes cover for cancellation of the trip, £500 for lost luggage, travel delays, up to £5,000 for a death (child's death £2,500), up to £100 for missed connections and up to £500 for possessions stolen in an assault. Even for a three-minute.....continued below

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train trip, the policy excludes anyone over the age of 75 and does not cover any costs relating to pre-existing medical conditions.

National Express East Coast, operating the east coast lines between London, the north of England and Scotland, has a similar £1 policy from Mondial Assistance. Exclusions include claims arising from a "psychological condition" and acts of terror.

A spokesman for One railways says this insurance is "principally for advanced purchase tickets - giving people added protection if they find they can't travel".

So for anyone booking a long-haul trip weeks or months in advance, it's a way of protecting against unforeseen problems. However, in terms of the value of the cancellation cover, the spokesman says that passengers are already promised a refund if trains are cancelled.

Even though the insurance is sold via company websites, the Columbus policy is arranged by the online booking service, Trainline. Its website is even more insistent about the value of such short-haul insurance.

If you buy a ticket from London Bridge to New Cross, with a journey time of five minutes and a fare of £2.30, there is a message saying: "We recommend that you insure this journey" - and the website automatically includes insurance unless you remove it.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of the rail consumer watchdog Passenger Focus, has particular concerns where "rail users are obliged to opt out. We believe customers should be paying the ticket's face value only."

In response, Trainline says that about a third of its customers do buy the insurance - and insists opportunities to opt out are clearly signposted.

"As a responsible travel provider, Trainline recommends that all customers have insurance for their journey," says a spokeswoman.