Delay Repay — what you can and can't claim for

Most delayed UK train journeys qualify for compensation. The catch is that the rules are full of holes, and the operators don't rush to point them out. You can claim if you arrived 15 minutes or more late at your destination — 30 minutes for CrossCountry, LNER, and ScotRail. You can't claim if you knew about the delay before you bought your ticket, if you decided not to travel, or if you missed a connection on a separate booking. This guide walks through the common scenarios, the grey areas, and the excuses operators use to say no.

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Delay Repay is a national scheme that compensates you when your train is delayed or cancelled. The rules are fairly straightforward — but there are edge cases where it's less obvious whether you qualify. This guide walks through the common scenarios.

For a step-by-step guide on how to actually submit a claim, see our how to claim Delay Repay article. For operator-specific thresholds, see the full operator breakdown.

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What definitely qualifies

Your train arrived 15+ minutes late at your destination

This is the most common claim. If your destination arrival is 15 minutes or more behind schedule, you can claim. The percentage depends on how late you were:

Delay at destination	Compensation (DR15)	Compensation (DR30)
15–29 minutes	25%	— (not claimable)
30–59 minutes	50%	50%
60+ minutes	100%	100%

The delay is measured at your final destination, not your boarding station or an intermediate stop. A train that left 30 minutes late but recovered to arrive 10 minutes late is not claimable.

Your train was cancelled

When your train is cancelled, you have two options:

Option 1 — abandon your journey: You can claim a full refund of the unused ticket. This applies whether it's a single, return, or the unused portion of a return. You don't need to travel to claim this — the cancellation itself is enough.

Option 2 — travel on the next available service: If you choose to complete your journey on a later train, standard Delay Repay rules apply. Your compensation is based on the difference between your scheduled arrival time and the time you actually arrive on the replacement service. If the next train gets you there 20 minutes late, you get 25% (DR15) — not 100%. You only get 100% if you arrive 60+ minutes late.

The key point: cancellation alone does not guarantee 100% compensation. What counts is how late you arrive at your destination.

You missed a connection on a single through ticket

If you booked a through journey (one ticket covering the entire route) and a delay on the first leg caused you to miss your connection, the delay at your final destination determines your compensation. The fact that the first train was only 10 minutes late doesn't matter — what counts is the total lateness at the end of your journey.

What doesn't qualify

Delays under 15 minutes (DR15) or 30 minutes (DR30)

For most operators, 14 minutes is not claimable even if it meant missing a connecting bus or event. For CrossCountry, LNER, and ScotRail, the threshold is 30 minutes — a 25-minute delay earns nothing.

Pre-purchased disruption awareness

If a delay or cancellation was published before you bought your ticket, you can't claim Delay Repay. For example, if you buy a ticket knowing that weekend engineering works will add 30 minutes to your journey, that's not a claimable delay — you chose to travel despite the known disruption.

However, if you bought your ticket and the disruption was announced afterwards, you can typically still claim. The key question is: did you know when you bought the ticket?

Separate tickets for connections

If you booked two separate tickets (e.g., a Bristol to London ticket and a separate London to Cambridge ticket) and the first train's delay caused you to miss the second, the second ticket is not covered by Delay Repay on the first operator. The first operator is only responsible for the delay on their own leg.

Split tickets booked through the same retailer as a single journey are different — they're treated as a continuous journey and the missed connection is covered.

Events outside the operator's control

Each operator has their own policy on what counts as "outside their control." Common exclusions include:

• Severe weather — floods, snow, and storms that the operator could not have prevented
• Trespass and vandalism — cable theft, objects on the line, and deliberate damage
• Emergency services incidents — police requests and medical emergencies on board
• Strike action — industrial action is generally not covered, though some operators offer goodwill compensation

For these events, some operators still pay out (it varies by TOC), and others may offer a goodwill gesture even if the formal scheme doesn't require it.

You didn't actually travel

If your train was delayed but you decided not to travel — or switched to another route before departure — you don't have a claimable delay. Delay Repay compensates for time lost on the journey you actually made.

Grey areas and common questions

"I arrived at the station on time but the train had already left"

This is not covered by Delay Repay. The scheme covers delays experienced on the journey, not early departures. If a train departed early from its origin, it may be subject to a separate performance penalty against the operator, but passengers can't claim compensation for it.

"I chose to wait for a later train because the first one was crowded"

Voluntarily choosing a different service does not trigger Delay Repay. The scheme applies when the train you intended and were scheduled to take was delayed or cancelled.

"The delay caused me to miss a flight or event"

Delay Repay compensates for the train delay itself — not consequential losses. You can claim the train fare back, but not flight rebooking fees, hotel costs, or lost event tickets. For consequential loss, you'd need to pursue the operator through their complaints procedure or the Rail Ombudsman.

"My train was delayed but I don't have the ticket anymore"

You'll need some proof of purchase — an email confirmation, a booking reference, a bank statement showing the transaction, or a photo of the ticket. If you have none of these, the operator may still be able to find your booking if you remember the date, route, and approximate time.

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How to find your eligible claims with Railly

Rather than manually checking every journey, use the Delay Repay tool on Railly. Set up a commute profile with your regular origin, destination, and departure time, choose a date range — last 7, 14, or 28 days — and the tool shows every delayed and cancelled train with the exact arrival delay and whether it's eligible. Tap through to the operator's claim portal to submit.

Return journeys work the same way — add a return leg to your commute profile and the tool scans both directions. If a claim deadline is approaching (within 7 days), you'll see an amber warning on that journey.

The tool works without creating an account — all commute profiles are saved on your device.

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A note on limits

Delay Repay is a statutory scheme under the National Rail Conditions of Travel. What you're entitled to depends on the operator, the type of delay, and the specific circumstances of your journey. This guide covers the general rules — individual operators may vary.

For claims where the operator rejects a submission you believe is valid, you can escalate to the Rail Ombudsman for an independent review. For more on how the industry measures punctuality — and why the headline '87% on time' figure doesn't tell your story — see how train punctuality is measured.

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— Based on the National Rail Conditions of Travel and individual operator policies. Last checked June 2026. If an operator rejects a claim you think is valid, the Rail Ombudsman can review it for free.