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UK's biggest rail strike in 30 years begins – here are your refund rights
Transport services across the UK will be disrupted this week as planned train strikes go ahead. Thousands of transport workers walked out on Tuesday (21 June) and will do so again on Thursday and Saturday, meaning many train services will be cancelled or delayed. See below for more, as well as what your refund rights are.
Workers are striking over disputes relating to pay, jobs and conditions. The thousands of employees striking are part of Network Rail, London Underground, as well as 13 train operators.
- Network Rail and the 13 train operators will walk out on Tuesday (21 June), Thursday (23 June) and Saturday (25 June).
- London Underground employees will walk out on Tuesday (21 June) for 24 hours.
We've provided a table in the drop-down below detailing all the train operator's plans for the strike days.
Ticket refund rights if your train is cancelled or likely to be cancelled
You've got two choices:
- You can use your ticket on another day up until 28 June: Single-use tickets for strike days can be used the day before the date on the ticket, or up to Tuesday of next week (28 June) – this excludes season tickets. If you want to swap single-use tickets for an alternative date later than 28 June, check with the rail company or the firm you purchased the tickets from.
- Or you can get a full refund if you cannot travel. Generally, if your train is cancelled or rescheduled, you are entitled to a full refund from the firm you were due to travel with for any ticket type, including advance tickets (see how to claim your money back). This includes where the train is cancelled due to strike action.
Ticket refund rights if your train is delayed
For single-use rail tickets:
If you have paid for a single-use ticket for this week, be it an advance ticket, off-peak ticket or anytime ticket, you should be eligible for a partial or full refund if your train is delayed due to the strikes.
What you are entitled to claim back depends on how long your train is delayed for. The majority of train firms now operate the 'Delay Repay' system, which means they pay out regardless of whether the delay was their fault. While the are some variations to how it works from company to company, in most cases it's as follows:
- If it's delayed by 15-29 minutes you'll get 25% back (12.5% off a return).
- If it's delayed by 30-59 minutes you'll get 50% back (25% off a return).
- You'll get 100% back for 60-119 minutes (50% off a return).
- You'll get 100% back off a single or return for 120+ minutes.
To see which companies offer Delay Repay, and how they operate it, see our Trains delays guide.
For season tickets:
Most season ticket holders can also claim for individual delays, but the rules vary and it's also worth checking if you can claim for continual delays. For full info, see our summary of season ticket rules.
How to claim for cancellations and delays
While the rules around refunds for train delays and cancellations are complicated, submitting your claim is usually straightforward and quick to do. Just follow these five steps to claim for delayed AND cancelled trains (providing you didn't use your ticket on another service):
Look up the train company running the service and find out how much you can get back. See our list of individual firms' policies.
Make a note of the delay and the reason for it (if you can't remember the length of the delay, use the Recent Train Times tool). Fill in the claim form – you can find it online (see a list of firms' websites) or request one from the station or by phone.
Keep hold of your tickets – you'll need to take a photo of them or scan them if applying online or post them to the train company if claiming that way. You need to claim directly to the train company, even if you purchased your tickets through a third party reseller.
Apply within the time limit of 28 days.
If you're rejected for compensation or a refund but still think you have a case, complain – you may be able to escalate your case to the Rail Ombudsmen or independent watchdog Transport Focus. See more in What to do if your claim's rejected.
Impacted by Tube or TfL delays or cancellations? You can't get a refund or compensation for strike action
You can't get a full or partial refund for any delays or cancellations on London Underground, London Overground, DLR or TfL Rail caused by strike action. This includes those using pay-as-you-go services and those with weekly, monthly or annual season tickets.
However, TfL does pay out for other delays – for full info, see our Tube delays guide.
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