Regulated by Transport Focus

How to complain to Trainline

Rail complaints have their own machinery: a compensation scheme for delays that is contractual rather than statutory, a dedicated ombudsman, and a statutory watchdog. The compensation scheme is the fastest route and does not require you to prove anything beyond the delay itself.

The rights that apply when you complain to Trainline

Trainline is a UK rail and public transport operator, so the rules below are the ones that decide your complaint. Each is named, because a letter that cites the specific rule is handled by a different team to one that does not.

  • Delay Repay pays a proportion of your fare back based on how late you arrived. Thresholds vary by operator, commonly 15, 30 or 60 minutes, and the reason for the delay is irrelevant. Operator Delay Repay schemes, required under franchise and licence arrangements
  • Your ticket is a contract on the National Rail Conditions of Travel, which set out your rights to refunds, to travel on an alternative service and to compensation for disruption. National Rail Conditions of Travel
  • The transport service must be supplied with reasonable care and skill, and where it is not you can claim a price reduction on top of any scheme payment. Consumer Rights Act 2015, sections 49 and 56
  • After the operator’s final response, or 40 working days, an unresolved complaint can go to the Rail Ombudsman, which is free and binding on the operator. Rail Ombudsman scheme rules
  • Complaints falling outside the Rail Ombudsman’s scope go to Transport Focus, or to London TravelWatch for services in and around London. Statutory passenger watchdog functions

The deadlines that decide your claim

28 days — the usual Delay Repay claim window

Most operators require a Delay Repay claim within 28 days of the journey. Some allow longer. Check the operator’s own terms and claim quickly, because this is the deadline people miss.

40 working days — when the Rail Ombudsman opens up

You can escalate after the operator’s final response, or after 40 working days if it has not resolved matters.

12 months — the window to refer

The Rail Ombudsman expects the case within 12 months of the operator’s final response.

What to put in the letter to Trainline

Complaints teams work from a script. The detail below is what moves a case off that script and onto the desk of someone who can authorise a remedy.

  • The date, the booked service, the actual arrival time and the ticket or booking reference.
  • Whether you have already claimed Delay Repay, and the claim reference, because the ombudsman will ask.
  • Any consequential cost, such as a taxi or a missed connection on a separate booking, claimed separately from the Delay Repay entitlement.
  • What you want, and a note that you will escalate to the Rail Ombudsman after 40 working days.

If Trainline says no, or says nothing

Escalate to the Rail Ombudsman, or Transport Focus and London TravelWatch.

When you can go: After the operator’s final response, or 40 working days after you complained.

How long you have: 12 months from the operator’s final response.

What it costs: Free to you.

Whether it binds Trainline: A Rail Ombudsman decision binds the operator if you accept it. Transport Focus and London TravelWatch advocate for you but cannot compel an outcome.

Worth knowing before you start

Not every transport complaint falls inside the Rail Ombudsman’s scope. Ticket retailers, some open-access operators and non-rail modes sit outside it. If the ombudsman declines the case, Transport Focus, or London TravelWatch for London, will take it up, and a small claims action remains open.

Common questions

Does it matter why my train was late?

Not for Delay Repay. The scheme pays out on the delay itself regardless of cause, including weather, infrastructure failure and strikes, which is what makes it more generous in practice than the compensation regimes in other sectors. The reason only becomes relevant if you are claiming consequential losses beyond the scheme.

I missed a connection and had to buy a new ticket. Can I claim that?

If both legs were on one through ticket, the National Rail Conditions of Travel entitle you to travel on the next available service at no extra cost, and any new ticket you were forced to buy should be refunded. If they were separate bookings, you are relying on a general contract claim for consequential loss, which is harder but not hopeless. Keep the receipts and claim them explicitly.

How long do I have to claim Delay Repay?

Most operators set 28 days from the date of the journey, though a few allow longer. It is the single most commonly missed deadline in rail complaints. If you are outside it, claim anyway and explain why, then escalate to the Rail Ombudsman if the operator refuses, because a rigid application of a short window can itself be challenged.

Where this comes from

Every rule on this page is drawn from primary legislation, a regulator, or an approved dispute resolution scheme. Check them yourself.

Paybacker is not a law firm and this is not legal advice. It is a summary of the published rules that apply to a rail and public transport operator, so that you can put your own case properly. For a dispute of real value, or anything turning on facts unique to you, speak to a solicitor or Citizens Advice.

Complaining about other transport operators

Complain to Transport for LondonComplain to Uber

See all 103 companies →

Check your Trainline case against the actual law, free

Describe what happened and Paybacker tells you how strong the case looks, which rules apply with a link to every official source, and drafts the letter. No account, no email address needed.

Check my case free

Free to read and copy. No credit card.