We know it’s important to you to know your rights when you are traveling by train and what to do if things go wrong.

So we’ve put together a quick summary for you to clarify your rights.

In general you can claim either; COMPENSATION or A REFUND. This is underpinned by the National Rail Conditions of Travel.

In a nutshell, if you travel but are delayed by 15 minutes or more getting to your final destination, you can claim compensation from the train operator where the first delay occurred, regardless of the reason.

E.g. if you travelled from London to Milford Haven and the train was late leaving Paddington, meaning you missed a connection, the claim would go to GWR.

If the GWR arrived on time but your TfW connection was late then the claim goes to TfW here.

If your train is cancelled and you do not use the ticket, you can claim a refund from the original retailer of the ticket - this could be TfW or an online retailer such as The Trainline.

The most important thing to remember is keep hold of your ticket to support any claims or refunds.

 

Periods of disruption

During periods of disruption such as flooding on the line, we know your plans may change and that’s understandable. So we’ve put together some hand Qs and As on some of these:

  • I wanted to go away for the weekend and bought two advanced tickets. The train going up was cancelled so we drove instead. Can I claim for both tickets?

    • Yes - if only one leg of your journey is affected, we can offer a fee-free refund or change of journey for both legs of your trip. This also applies if you have two single tickets that together form a return journey and of course any full return tickets.

  • What if I travel half-way but disruption is so bad that I give up and go home or get someone to pick me up?

    • If you are unable to complete your journey due to disruption you can return to your point of origin and still claim a refund on the ticket.

  • I had an advance ticket but the train was cancelled, so I took the next one. Do I still get compensation?

    • Yes, you would still get compensation based on the difference between the time you were expected to arrive compared to the time the later train arrived.

  • I had an advance ticket but the train was cancelled so I got on the earlier one because I had enough time to do so. Do I still get compensation?

    • You wouldn’t automatically be entitled to compensation as you elected to take an earlier service however we are happy to look into the specifics of any individual case.

  • I saw my train was cancelled so I changed my plans but I found out later that it ran. Can I claim a refund.

    • Yes, if your ticket is not used and it was initially cancelled then you can still claim for a full refund.

  • I saw there were a lot of cancellations because of the weather so I elected not to travel because I didn’t want to be caught up in travel chaos. My trains all ran in the end - would I be entitled to anything?

    • If the trains you were booked on ran then you could still claim a refund on an unused ticket however this would be subject to an admin fee of £5. However we will consider every case on its individual circumstances.

  • I was due to travel with several operators, however when I went to make a connection I discovered that operator had industrial action on so I had to make other arrangements. What am I entitled to?

    • It would depend on how far in advance you booked your tickets. Unions must give 14 days notice if they intend to hold industrial action. If you booked your tickets before any notice was given, you would be able to claim a full refund without any admin fees. If you booked to travel after industrial action had been announced then it is your own responsibility to check services are running. You would still be able to claim for any unused tickets but it would be subject to an admin fee.