The idea of a customer charter for rail passengers, as proposed by Arriva if it wins the new northern rail franchise to run the trains locally, sounds attractive enough on the face of it. However, the promise of a cash refund if any trains are more than 30 minutes late is surely an offer that most rail travellers would prefer never to have to take advantage of.

There is a growing demand for rail travel, particularly among commuters weary of long queues on the roads. Unfortunately, too often they seem to be let down. Delays and cancellations and overcrowded carriages have forced some of them to return to their cars.

People who have to be at work at a certain time, or have business appointments to keep, cannot be expected to endure the uncertainty of not knowing whether or not the train they need to be on will arrive on time, or even arrive at all. No amount of cash refunds can compensate for a job or contract lost because of bad timekeeping.

It is important that the shift back to rail is encouraged if pressure is to be eased on the district's cluttered roads, and with it the pollution which is being blamed for health and climate problems. If that is to happen, the greatest emphasis needs to be not on compensation but on punctuality, reliability and comfort.

Those are the factors the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority needs to concentrate on as it weighs the bids by Arriva and its competitors for the northern rail franchise.