Delay Repay rules
Delay Repay claim rejected: what to do
Independent site, not a train company or claims service. You claim only through your operator’s own form.
Pick the operator that refused your claim: the tool shows how many claims it approved and how fast, from the official statistics.
How an operator handles Delay Repay claims
Claims approved
75.4%
| Closed within 20 working days | 99.4% |
| Claims closed | 534,921 |
| Period | April 2025 to March 2026 |
Office of Rail and Road, Table 4410 (OGL v3.0). Where the ORR reports a group, the figure covers all its brands.
A rejected Delay Repay claim is not the end of the road. Across Great Britain, 80.5% of the claims closed in April 2025 to March 2026 were approved, according to the Office of Rail and Road, so most refusals concern a minority of claims with a problem the operator could not resolve: a train that its records show as on time or less late than stated, a ticket it could not match, a journey older than 28 days, or a claim already paid on the same ticket. Each of these can be answered. Reply to the operator, quote the claim reference, and give what was missing: the scheduled departure, your real arrival time, a clearer photo of the ticket or the reason you claimed late. If the operator does not change its answer, its final response, or 40 working days without one, opens the way to the Rail Ombudsman, which is free, independent and can make decisions the operator must follow if you accept them.
When can the Rail Ombudsman take my complaint?
Ombudsman from
21 December 2026
| Unless a final response comes first | then straight away |
| After a final response, within | 12 months |
| Claims above | £2,500 are outside its scope |
40 working days, weekends and England and Wales bank holidays skipped.
Schemes and rules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
The usual reasons for a refusal
| Reason given | What to send back |
|---|---|
| Train not late enough in our records | the train you caught, the arrival you saw, any photo or screenshot |
| Ticket not valid or not readable | a clear photo of both sides, the booking reference, the receipt |
| Claim outside the time limit | the date of submission or the reason for the delay; ask for goodwill |
| Already compensated | show that the two claims cover different journeys (outward and return) |
| Delay caused by another operator | ask the company to forward the claim under condition 32.1 |
| Refund already given for this journey | nothing: a refund and compensation cannot both be paid |
Approval rates by operator
The Office of Rail and Road publishes, every quarter, how many claims each operator received, closed and approved, and how many it closed within 20 working days. The tool at the top of the page reads the figures for one operator; the statistics page sets them side by side. A low approval rate does not prove that an operator is unfair, since claims vary, but a refusal from an operator that approves most claims is worth a second look.
Asking for a review
- Answer the refusal in writing, through the operator's claim account or its customer relations team, quoting the reference.
- State the facts in two lines: the date, the stations, the scheduled train, the minutes late at your destination, the ticket and its price.
- Point to the rule: the operator's band for that delay, and the Conditions of Travel minimum of 50% from 60 minutes regardless of fault.
- Ask for a final response if the operator keeps its decision.
National minimum against the operator’s scheme
Avanti West Coast pays
£50
| Conditions of Travel minimum | £25 |
| Minimum applies from | 60 min |
| Operator scheme starts at | 15 min |
Going to the Rail Ombudsman
The Rail Ombudsman takes complaints about train operators in England, Wales and Scotland once the operator has had its chance: after 40 working days from your complaint, or sooner if you have its final response. You then have 12 months to bring the case. It costs nothing. It first tries mediation; if that fails, an Ombudsman decides, and the operator must comply if you accept within 20 working days. It does not deal with claims above £2,500, business losses or complaints about strike action. Our Rail Ombudsman page covers the steps.
When the amount, not the decision, is wrong
Partial payments are often a band question: the operator paid for 15 to 29 minutes, you arrived 31 minutes late. Compare the amount with the calculator for your operator and ticket. A season ticket claim paid on the wrong divisor, or a return paid as if both legs were one, are other common slips. A short message with the arithmetic usually settles it.
Keeping a paper trail
Every exchange with the operator may later be read by the Ombudsman, so keep it in writing: the claim form, the refusal, your reply and any final response. Messages through the operator's online account are fine; a phone call should be followed by a short email recalling what was said. Dates matter for the 40 working days and the 12 months.