Commuters will be able to claim compensation if their journey is delayed by more than 15 minutes under a new deal.

Greater Anglia has signed a deal with the Department for Transport to offer the Delay Repay 15 (DR15) scheme.

From April 1 commuters will be able to claim compensation for journeys delayed between 15 and 29 minutes.

Until now passengers could only claim compensation if their train was delayed by more than 30 minutes.

The new scheme will mean they will be able to claim back 25 per cent of the single fare, irrespective of the cause of the delay.

In October 2016 Chris Grayling, Secretary of State for Transport, said Delay Repay 15 should be introduced by all rail operators.

Greater Anglia said it has been determined to introduce it "as soon as possible" after the announcement.

Rail Minister Andrew Jones said: “Our top priority is ensuring passengers see the reliable and punctual services they expect, but when things do go wrong, it’s only right that they are compensated fairly and quickly.

“This is why the launch of DR15 on Greater Anglia is important news for passengers, providing them with better compensation if their services are delayed.”

Jamie Burles, Managing Director for Greater Anglia, added: “We’re delighted to be able to provide better compensation, with the launch of Delay Repay 15 from next month and we are sure it will be welcomed by our customers.

“We’ve worked in close partnership with the Department for Transport to offer this significant benefit during the existing franchise as soon as possible, meeting our customers’ aspirations to see this upgrade earlier than expected.

“It’s all part of a wider transformation of train service standards in East Anglia that sees us bringing in a complete fleet of brand-new trains across our entire network over the next two years, with the first new trains due in service later this year.

"We’re fully focused on improving punctuality and reliability, in collaboration with Network Rail, but customers will now be able to claim compensation for any delays of 15 minutes and over, when things do go wrong.”

Customers can now claim compensation online, by email or by hard copy form.

Compensation can be transferred directly into your bank account, as a credit on your credit card, by voucher, Paypal or alternatively as a charitable donation.

The latter option was introduced by Greater Anglia last summer, following feedback from customers and stakeholders, and has already raised over £8,000 for the Samaritans charity.

Greater Anglia said its latest punctuality figures showed more than 90 per cent on trains ran on time.