What are my rights if a train is delayed or cancelled?
The compensation scheme most operators run, what a cancellation entitles you to instead of compensation, and the evidence to keep.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 25 min
- Read
- 3 min
- Safety
- caution
Short answer
Claim through the operator's Delay Repay scheme, on their website, keeping your ticket or e-ticket as evidence. Compensation is based on how late you arrive at your destination, not how late you left. For a cancellation you can normally travel on the next available service or claim a full refund instead.
Rail compensation works differently from air travel and is generally more generous at the short end: most operators pay from a modest delay threshold and pay regardless of the cause, including weather and infrastructure faults. The reason so little is claimed is not that people are refused, it is that they do not claim at all.
Safety
Step by step
- Note the actual arrival time at your destination.Not the departure delay. Compensation under Delay Repay is measured on how late you arrive where your ticket was to, so a delayed departure that catches up may pay nothing and a missed connection may pay a great deal.
- Keep the ticket, or a screenshot of the e-ticket and booking.Paper tickets should not be put through the barrier if you can avoid it — ask staff to let you keep it. Claims are refused for lack of evidence far more often than on the merits.
- Photograph the departure board and any announcement.Time-stamped evidence of the delay and its stated reason. Useful if the operator's own data disagrees with your experience.
- Find your operator's own compensation scheme.It is on their website, usually called Delay Repay. The threshold at which it starts, the percentage paid at each band and the claim deadline are set by that operator — read theirs rather than a general figure.
- Claim on the operator whose train was delayed.On a journey using more than one operator, it is normally the one that caused the delay. If you are not sure, claim with the one you booked through and let them route it.
- Claim a refund instead if the train was cancelled and you did not travel.If a cancellation means you abandon the journey, you are generally entitled to a full refund rather than compensation — and if you had already started, to be returned to your origin. These are alternatives, not extras.
- Ask about ticket acceptance when things go wrong.During disruption operators usually relax restrictions — Advance tickets accepted on later trains, other operators' services accepted, sometimes local buses. Ask staff on the day rather than buying a second ticket.
- Claim within the deadline.Schemes set their own limit, commonly a matter of weeks or months after travel. It is short enough that a claim postponed is usually a claim lost.
- Escalate to the rail ombudsman if refused unfairly.There is a free independent dispute service for rail complaints once the operator's own process is exhausted. Keep the correspondence.
Tips
- Some operators pay compensation automatically to passengers who booked an advance ticket with an account. Registering an account is worth the two minutes for that alone.
- Season ticket holders have their own arrangements, often including compensation for repeated poor performance across a period rather than per journey.
- Compensation is normally paid per delayed journey, so a delayed outbound and a delayed return are two claims, not one.
Questions people ask
How late does a train have to be to claim compensation?
It depends on the operator's own scheme — most start at a modest delay and pay more at longer bands. Check your operator's Delay Repay page for their current threshold and percentages rather than relying on a general figure.
Do I get compensation if the delay was caused by weather?
Usually yes for rail, unlike air travel — most Delay Repay schemes pay regardless of the cause. That is one of the main differences between the two systems.
What if my train is cancelled and I do not travel?
You are generally entitled to a full refund rather than delay compensation, and if you had already started your journey, to be taken back to where you began. Ask at the station on the day.