Delay Repay rules
Rail Ombudsman: taking a complaint further
Independent site, not a train company or claims service. You claim only through your operator’s own form.
Enter the day the train company received your complaint: the tool counts the working days until the Ombudsman can take it.
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.
The Rail Ombudsman is the free, independent service that settles complaints passengers could not resolve with a train company or station operator in England, Wales and Scotland. You can go to it once the company has had 40 working days to deal with your complaint, or earlier if it has sent you a final response, sometimes called a deadlock letter, that you are not happy with. Unless circumstances are exceptional, you must bring the case within 12 months of that final response. The Ombudsman first tries mediation; if no agreement is reached, an Ombudsman decides. The decision binds the company if you accept it within 20 working days, and the company then has 20 working days to comply, or 10 for a refund. It does not bind you: you can refuse and go to court. It aims to complete cases within 40 working days, and it will not take claims above £2,500, business losses or complaints about strike action.
Ticket compensation against your other costs
Delay Repay
£35
| Other costs claimed separately | £120 |
| Industry scheme limit | price of the ticket |
| Beyond that | goodwill or Consumer Rights Act |
You cannot recover the same money twice (Conditions of Travel, condition 32).
Schemes and rules read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Before the Ombudsman: the company's own process
The Ombudsman only steps in after the train company has had a fair chance. Start with the company's own complaints process, in writing, quoting your claim reference. Condition 35 of the National Rail Conditions of Travel points passengers who are not satisfied with the outcome of a claim to the Rail Ombudsman. Keep everything the company sends you, especially a message saying it will not change its position: that is the final response that opens the way immediately.
| Step | Time limit |
|---|---|
| Delay Repay claim to the operator | 28 days after the journey |
| Operator pays an agreed claim | 14 days after agreeing it |
| Ombudsman can take the complaint | 40 working days after your complaint, or at the final response |
| Bring the case to the Ombudsman | 12 months after the final response |
| Operator answers the Ombudsman | 10 working days expected |
| Accept a decision | 20 working days |
| Operator complies | 20 working days, 10 for a refund |
What it covers and what it does not
The Ombudsman looks at train delays and cancellations, refunds and ticket sales, customer service, overcrowding and other safety issues, information about journeys and engineering work, station facilities, on-train services, and assistance for disabled passengers. It judges the service against what the company committed to and your consumer rights.
It leaves aside transport policy and the running of the industry, strikes, the effect of a line on nearby homes, penalty fares and parking fines, issues outside the company's control, cases already decided by a court, an offer you have already accepted, business losses, or claims above £2,500. When a complaint is outside its remit, it says why and may pass it to Transport Focus or London TravelWatch.
Mediation, then a decision
Stage one is mediation: the Ombudsman reviews the evidence and tries to get you and the company to agree, by phone, email or letter. Stage two is adjudication: an Ombudsman decides on the evidence. The decision is binding on the company if you accept it, and never binding on you. Once the case is decided it is closed, but you keep the right to go to court.
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.
Working days, counted
The tool counts working days from the day the operator received your complaint, skipping weekends and the bank holidays of England and Wales published on GOV.UK. Scotland has different bank holidays, which can shift the date by a day or two there. If the operator replies with a final response before the date, you do not need to wait.
Claims beyond the ticket
Delay Repay is capped at the price of the ticket under the industry arrangements. For other losses, a missed flight or a hotel night, the operator decides at its discretion, and your rights under the Consumer Rights Act remain. The Ombudsman can look at such a complaint if it is under £2,500 and not a business loss. Our page on consequential losses explains how to build that claim.