How to claim compensation if your train is delayed – Money tip #299

How to claim compensation if your train is delayed

There is nothing worse, when travelling by train, than your particular journey being delayed. This can cause problems with you missing appointments or other travel connections. Train operators, however, do offer compensation when trains are delayed beyond a certain period of time and this can at least help your finances.

The National Rail Condition of Carriage outlines the minimum offered through Passenger's Charters but in reality the vast majority of operators pay more than this minimum.

I have linked below to the main train operator refund policies to make it easier for you to locate the details if you need to make a claim.

Rail Operators Compensation Schemes

• Virgin Trains
• East Coast
• First Great Western
• Eurostar
• Southeastern
• Southern Trains
• South West Trains
• Northern Rail
• ScotRail
• London Midland
• First Great Western
• East Coast Trains
• Thameslink
• London Underground

Things to remember when making a claim

• Claims need to be made within 28 days of completing the journey
• Claims need to be accompanied by the ticket to prove claim validity
• Claims are usually settled with rail vouchers but most operators do offer a cash alternative
• Claims are normally submitted by post by some operators now offer an online claims process

Further reading

• How to slash the cost of train travel