If you’re taking a staycation this year, you may end up taking the train at some point, on a long-distance cross country journey or short hop around your chosen city. And while we all like our journeys to be straightforward and problem free, the reality is that sometimes they’re not and we get held up and delayed.

If that happens to you, bear in mind that you might be entitled to a refund for some or all of the ticket price. Each train company operating in the UK has slightly different policies when it comes to refunds but in general, if your train is more than 30 minutes late, you’re entitled to some, or occasionally all, of your money back. Some companies will allow you to claim once you are 15 minutes delayed. According to Moneysaving Expert, two thirds of us simply don’t bother claiming if we’re delayed – that’s an awful lot of money left with the train operators!

Here’s what you need to know

Every train company has a Passenger’s Charter, which lays out the service you can expect to receive when using their stations and train services. This charter also outlines the company policy in relation to compensation for delays and cancellations. For your convenience, we have provided a direct link to every UK train company’s charter at the end of this feature.

Are you entitled to compensation?

Whether or not you are entitled to compensation depends on a few things – which train company you travelled with, what type of ticket you have and how long you were delayed for – ie what time did you actually get to your destination versus the time you were supposed to arrive. You can check the length of a delay on the Recent Train Times website – it will show you when every train travelling in the last 3 months actually arrived.

How do you claim for a refund?

When it comes to making compensation, some companies offer cash refunds, others may issue vouchers for future travel. Be aware however that even if the company offers vouchers, you are fully entitled to ask for a cash or card refund. From 2016, the National Rail Conditions of Travel say that passengers must be offered at least one form of monetary compensation for a delay, such as a bank transfer, cheque or refund to your card, although companies can still offer rail vouchers as well.

To make a claim for compensation you will need to show your ticket and provide details of the journey where the delay occurred. Most claims can be made on a form which you can pick up from any station and post to the company, enclosing your ticket. You can also make the claim on the internet by filling out the company’s online claim form and emailing a scan of the ticket. Claims will need to be made within 28 days of the delay occurring.

How much can you expect to receive?

As a guideline, the compensation below is what many train companies offer, though you do need to check with the individual operators for their specific policies:
Delays of 15 to 29 minutes: 25% of single fare
Delays of 30 to 59 minutes: 50% of single fare
Delays of 60 to 119 minutes: 100% of single fare
Delays of over 2 hours: 100% of single or return fare
If you hold a monthly or annual season ticket, you may also be able to claim a discount when you renew their ticket if you have experienced what is called ‘sustained poor performance’.

However, the bare minimum that companies HAVE to do, is not very much – and only comes into force after delays of one hour that are directly the fault of the train company. Most companies, as we have said, will do more. You can read the minimum requirements in the National Rail Conditions of Travel.

What’s the new Delay Repay scheme?

Many train companies now offer a simplified compensation scheme called Delay Repay, where passengers with various types of tickets, from daily to season cards, can claim for delayed journeys as and when they occur, even if the delay was not the train company’s fault. A few companies still operate the original Passenger’s Charter formula, where the arrangements differ for holders of monthly and longer season tickets and you may need to be held up for 60 minutes to claim a refund.

Which companies will let you claim for delays of 15 minutes?

Train companies that will allow you to claim for a delay of 15 minutes include Southern, South Western, Thameslink, Gatwick Express, London Northwestern Railway, West Midlands and Great Northern. Virgin Trains offer a 30-minute Automatic Delay Repay for advance tickets booked online. A train company called c2c, operating from London to Southend and other Essex destinations offers a two-minute delay repayment scheme for smartcard holders.

When is a delay deemed to be the fault of the train company?
Failure of points, signal power, track circuits, telecoms, overhead line problems and buckled or broken railway tracks are all classified as faults which the company is responsible for. Companies who operate the Delay Repay scheme will pay out for strike action if you are delayed the required time (up to 15 or 30 minutes, depending on the company’s policy). London travellers should note that TfL doesn’t pay out for delays caused by strike action.

When is a delay not classified as the train company’s fault?

If the delay is caused by acts or threats of vandalism or terrorism, suicides or passenger accidents, gas leaks or fires not caused by the train company, line closures for emergencies, severe weather conditions or riots, this is not considered to be the rail company’s fault. They are not obliged to provide compensation in such cases, but many do.

What else do I need to know?

If your train is delayed, you should be able to get the next one or take a different route using the same ticket, though you should check with station staff first, as the alternative route may be run by a different train company.

If your train is delayed or cancelled late at night, there is no way for you to get to your destination and this is the fault of the train company, they should be able to provide you with alternative transport, such as a taxi, or cover the cost of your overnight accommodation.

If you find out that your train is going to be delayed or cancelled after you’ve bought your ticket and you decide not to travel, you are entitled to a full refund from the train operator. This rule applies even if your train is delayed for only a few minutes.

If you apply for compensation due to delays or because you were not happy with the company’s level of service (under the Consumer Rights Act, your company is required to provide its service with ‘reasonable care and skill’) and you are not happy with the company’s response, you have a number of options. You can get in contact again with the company and quote the Consumer Rights Act. If this doesn’t work, you could then take your complaint to an industry watchdog such as Transport Focus. If you still don’t have any luck, you will need to take the company to court.

Passenger Charters – click on the company to read their policy on delays and cancellations

Arriva Trains Wales, c2c, Caledonian Sleeper, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, East Midlands Trains, Grand Central Rail, Great Western, Great Northern Rail, Greater Anglia, Heathrow Express, Hull Trains, London Northwestern, London North Eastern Railway, London Overground, Merseyrail, Northern Rail, Scotrail, Southeastern, Southern, South Western, Transport for London, Thameslink, TransPennine Express, Virgin Trains, West Midlands Railway

The best and worst named and shamed

Which has published a list of the best and worst train companies in the UK, ordered by passengers’ ratings for punctuality, reliability, value for money and more. Best are Grand Central and Translink in Northern Ireland, worst is Southern, which has been hit by strike action for the past 3 years. Also rated highly are the Heathrow Express, Merseyrail and Chiltern Railways, while Thameslink, South Eastern and South Western are all at the bottom of the table.