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How to claim train delay and cancellation compensation

Claiming compensation for those extremely annoying delays or cancellations can seem like a chore and lots of people don’t bother. In fact, two-thirds of passengers don’t claim for their train delays. That’s a lot of money people are missing out on.

Trust us, it’s worth making those claims. Andy Young travels from his home in Hertfordshire to London’s City Thameslink every day and he makes between £230 and £330 each year in compensation. Similarly, Tom Burridge claimed over £1k compensation in train vouchers:

Multiple train delay compensation vouchers

Our guide to claiming train delay and cancellation compensation

  1. Make a note of the delayed or cancelled train details:
    • If delayed, how many minutes was it delayed
    • The journey date
    • The reason it was delayed or cancelled (if it was announced)
    • The train company in question
    • The station you were travelling to and from
    • What type of ticket you had (single, return, season ticket etc.)
    • Finally, hold on to your train tickets or booking reference as you’ll need them as proof

If you don’t remember the length of the delay, then take a look at the Recent Train Times website. You just need to add in the train stations you were travelling between and the dates and it will tell you the actual arrival times.

 

  1. Most train companies have a time limit of 28 days from the delayed or cancelled journey so apply as soon as you can.

 

  1. Use our table below to get the link to the relevant delay repay page. Or, visit National Rail’s list of train companies.

 

  1. Once you’ve navigated your way to the compensation form, fill out the details you made a note of and upload your train tickets. You can apply for compensation via post, the delay repay page should contain the postage address you’ll need to send the compensation form to.

 

  1. You’ll be asked how you wish to be compensated. Most train companies will offer repayment by cheque, bank transfer or travel vouchers.

 

It’s important to note that each train company has a slightly different repay policy. And so you don’t have to trawl through their website looking for it, we’ve created a go-to list of minimum delay times in order for you to receive compensation, the amount you could be refunded for a single journey and links to each company’s delay repay page.

Don’t let the train companies hold on to your compensation. Follow our guide, use the links below and get back your cash!

Link to train company’s delay repay page Minimum delay time for compensation Amount you could be refunded on a single journey
Arriva 30 minutes Delayed 30-59 mins? 50% of ticket price. More than 60 mins? 100%.
C2C 30 minutes Delayed 30-59 mins? 50% of ticket price. More than 60 mins? 100%.
Caledonian Sleeper 30 minutes Delayed 30-59 mins? 50% of ticket price. More than 60 mins? 100%.
Chiltern Railways 30 minutes Delayed 30-59 mins? 50% of ticket price. More than 60 mins? 100%.
Cross Country 30 minutes Delayed 30-59 mins? 50% of ticket price. More than 60 mins? 100%.
East Midlands Trains 30 minutes Delayed 30-59 mins? 50% of ticket price. More than 60 mins? 100%.
Gatwick Express 15 minutes Delayed 15-29 mins? 25% of the ticket price. Delayed 30-59 mins? 50% of the ticket price. Delayed 60-119 mins? 100%.
Grand Central 60 minutes Delayed 60-120 mins? 50% of the fare back. 120-180 mins? 75% back. More than 180 mins? 100%.
Great Northern 15 minutes Delayed 15-29 mins? 25% of the ticket price. Delayed 30-59 mins? 50% of the ticket price. Delayed 60-119 mins? 100%.
Great Western Railway – High Speed 60 minutes Delayed 60-119 mins? 100% of the fare back.
Great Western Railway – London & Thames Valley 30 minutes You get 50% of the fare back if you’re delayed by more than 30 minutes (on journeys of less than an hour) or if you’re delayed by an hour or more (if your journey is an hour or more).
Great Western Railway – South Coast 60 minutes Delayed 60-119 mins? You’ll get 50% of the fare back. More than 120 mins? 100%.
Greater Anglia 30 minutes Delayed 30-59 mins? 50% of ticket price. More than 60 mins? 100%.
Hull Trains 30 minutes Delayed 30-59 mins? 50% of ticket price. More than 60 mins? 100%.
London Midland 30 minutes Delayed 30-59 mins? 50% of ticket price. More than 60 mins? 100%.
Merseyrail 30 minutes Delayed more than 30 mins? 100% of your fare back.
Northern 30 minutes Delayed 30-59 mins? 50% of your fare back or one free single ticket to anywhere on the network. 60+ mins? You’ll get 100% back or two single tickets.
ScotRail 30 minutes Delayed 30-59 mins? 50% of ticket price. More than 60 mins? 100%.
South West Trains 60 minutes Delayed more than 60 mins? 100% of your fare back.
Southeastern 30 minutes Delayed 30-59 mins? 50% of ticket price. More than 60 mins? 100%.
Southern 15 minutes Delayed 15-29 mins? 25% of the fare. 30-59 mins? 50% of the fare paid. More than 60 mins? 100%.
Stansted Express 30 minutes Delayed 30-59 mins? 50% of ticket price. More than 60 mins? 100%.
Transport for London 30 minutes Delayed more than 30 mins? You’ll get a refund for a single journey. More than 60 minutes? 50% of the fare (if higher than the single journey refund).
ThamesLink 15 minutes Delayed 15-29 mins? 25% of the ticket price. Delayed 30-59 mins? 50% of the ticket price. Delayed 60-119 mins? 100%.
Transpennine Express 30 minutes Delayed 30-59 mins? 50% of ticket price. More than 60 mins? 100%.
Virgin Trains 30 minutes Delayed 30-59 mins? 50% of ticket price. More than 60 mins? 100%.
Virgin Trains East Coast 30 minutes Delayed 30-59 mins? 50% of ticket price. More than 60 mins? 100%.

About the author

Daniel Lee

Company Director

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