Train passengers in the UK are entitled to compensation when their service is delayed or cancelled, but the rules vary significantly between operators. Under the National Rail Conditions of Travel, if you arrive at your destination 60 minutes or more late, you are entitled to a refund of half the fare (or a quarter for return tickets), regardless of the cause. However, many train companies offer partial refunds for delays as short as 15 minutes under the Delay Repay scheme.
Operators including Avanti West Coast, Govia Thameslink Railway, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Trains, Southeastern, Greater Anglia, c2c, Transport for Wales, Chiltern, Great Western Railway, Northern Trains, South Western Railway and TransPennine Express all offer compensation from 15 minutes. Notable exceptions are Caledonian Sleeper, Hull Trains, LNER, Lumo and ScotRail, which require a 30-minute delay before paying out. Grand Central has the least generous policy of any domestic operator.
For example, on Avanti West Coast, a 20-minute delay on an Edinburgh-London service entitles you to a quarter of the single fare back. On LNER and Lumo, you get nothing until the delay reaches 30 minutes, when you receive half the ticket price. For delays of an hour or more, all operators refund the full fare.
Claiming compensation is easiest through auto delay repay, offered by Avanti West Coast, GWR, LNER, Lumo and TransPennine Express. If you opt in, you automatically receive a partial refund when the operator knows you were delayed. This is most useful for advance tickets. Alternatively, one-click delay repay lets you confirm a claim online. For other tickets, you must submit a manual claim within four weeks of the journey, providing details of the train, delay length, fare paid, and ticket reference.
The Department for Transport has announced that from March 2026, delay repay will be available through retailers when Great British Railways takes control of the network, expected in the first half of 2027. Currently, passengers who buy through third parties like Trainline must apply to the train operator directly. Season ticket holders should contact their rail firm for specific arrangements.
