Trainline Delay Repay: what it does and who you claim from

By Journey Radar Team · Last checked against official sources on

Trainline does not pay Delay Repay. It is a ticket retailer, so compensation always comes from the train company whose service made you late, and you claim from that company. What Trainline offers is an alert: its app tracks your train and, if you may be owed money, it notifies you after the journey and links you to the operator’s claim site, where you submit the claim yourself. How much you get and the threshold depend on that operator: most pay from 15 minutes late, but some, such as LNER and CrossCountry, only from 30 minutes.

What Trainline’s Delay Repay feature actually does

According to Trainline’s own Delay Repay page and help article:

  • the app follows your train in real time
  • after the journey, if the delay looks long enough, it sends you a push notification or email
  • the alert links to the train company’s Delay Repay site
  • you make and send the claim there

It is not an automatic claim, and Trainline does not decide anything. The train company checks the delay and sets the amount. Trainline’s page does not mention charging a fee.

Ten of the 14 train companies run by the Department for Transport now offer automated or one-click claims of their own, according to a ministerial written answer of 4 August 2026. Those schemes usually need the ticket to be bought from the operator directly, so a Trainline booking will normally mean a manual claim.

Which tickets does Trainline’s feature cover?

Trainline says its alerts work for Flexible and Advance tickets on single-leg trips. It does not cover:

  • open returns
  • season tickets

You can still claim Delay Repay on both. You just have to go to the operator yourself, without a Trainline prompt. Trainline’s page also notes that if a delay makes you miss a connection on a single ticket, you can take the next train run by the same company at no extra cost.

Who do you claim from when you booked on Trainline?

Claim from the train company whose train was late. Under the National Rail Conditions of Travel (condition 32.1), compensation comes from the operator responsible for the delay, but you may send your claim to any operator whose trains you used and it will forward it. The delay is measured at your final destination against the timetable in force that day.

The threshold and bands are the operator’s, not Trainline’s:

Train company Pays from Our guide
Avanti West Coast 15 minutes Avanti Delay Repay
CrossCountry 30 minutes CrossCountry Delay Repay
LNER 30 minutes LNER Delay Repay
GWR 15 minutes GWR Delay Repay
South Western Railway 15 minutes SWR Delay Repay
East Midlands Railway 15 minutes EMR Delay Repay
Thameslink 15 minutes Thameslink Delay Repay
Southern 15 minutes Southern Delay Repay
Greater Anglia 15 minutes Greater Anglia Delay Repay
Northern 15 minutes Northern Delay Repay
Southeastern 15 minutes Southeastern Delay Repay
TransPennine Express 15 minutes TPE Delay Repay

Every operator in the table sets a 28-day limit. Sources differ on whether the 28 days run from the day of travel or the end of the journey, so we advise counting from the day you travelled. For the full rules, see our Delay Repay guide.

When you claim, have your Trainline booking to hand. Operators differ on proof: EMR, for example, wants the ticket reference and a photo of the booking confirmation for e-tickets, and won’t accept screenshots, while Southeastern needs the ticket or its reference rather than a receipt.

Split tickets bought on Trainline

Split tickets means covering one journey with two or more tickets. If you booked them on Trainline, the same national rules apply as anywhere else. Under the Conditions of Travel (condition 14.2), the set is valid as long as your train stops at the station where one ticket ends and the next begins.

Because Trainline describes its alert as covering single-leg trips, expect to claim a split-ticket journey yourself. How operators handle the tickets varies:

  • SWR asks you to upload every ticket and pays on the value of each one
  • GWR asks for all the tickets covering the full journey
  • EMR wants the whole journey entered, including legs that were not EMR or not late, and bases compensation on the total cost
  • CrossCountry‘s Passenger Charter says it compensates the whole journey when you hold a combination of tickets
  • Southeastern asks for one claim with all the tickets in a single image

One trap: Thameslink and the other GTR brands only pay for a missed connection if you allowed enough time to change and held a through ticket. If your split tickets make you miss a connection, read the operator’s rules before you claim.

Cancelled trains: refund from Trainline, Delay Repay from the operator

If you travelled and arrived late, that is Delay Repay, from the operator. If you didn’t travel because the train was cancelled or badly delayed, that is a refund, and it comes from whoever sold you the ticket. The Conditions of Travel (condition 30.1) make that refund fee-free, so for a Trainline booking you ask Trainline. You can’t have both for the same journey (condition 33.5).

Will Trainline handle Delay Repay claims in future?

Possibly. On 17 March 2026 the Department for Transport announced a single Delay Repay service under Great British Railways. It will merge today’s separate claim systems, which DfT says are spread across 14 train companies, into one service, and passengers will be able to claim from wherever they bought their ticket, including third-party retailers such as Trainline. DfT gave no start date, and none had been published when we last checked this page. Until then, the claim still goes to the operator.

Frequently asked questions

Does Trainline claim Delay Repay for me automatically?

No. Trainline tracks your train and alerts you by app notification or email if you might be owed compensation, then links you to the train company's own claim site. You fill in and submit the claim yourself.

Does Trainline charge a fee for Delay Repay?

Trainline's Delay Repay page does not mention any fee. The compensation itself is paid by the train company, which also decides whether you qualify and how much you get.

Who do I claim Delay Repay from if I bought my ticket on Trainline?

The train company whose train caused the delay, not Trainline. If you are unsure, the National Rail Conditions of Travel let you send the claim to any operator whose trains you used, and it will pass the claim on.

Can I claim Delay Repay on a Trainline open return or season ticket?

Yes, but not through Trainline's alert feature, which does not cover open returns or season tickets. Claim directly on the train company's Delay Repay site using its rules for returns or season tickets.

Can I get a refund from Trainline if my train was cancelled and I didn't travel?

Yes. A journey you didn't make because the train was cancelled or badly delayed is a refund, not Delay Repay, and under the Conditions of Travel it comes fee-free from the retailer that sold you the ticket, which here is Trainline. You cannot claim a refund and Delay Repay for the same journey.

When will I be able to claim Delay Repay through Trainline?

Not yet. The Department for Transport announced on 17 March 2026 that a single Great British Railways Delay Repay service will let passengers claim from wherever they bought their ticket, including retailers like Trainline. No start date has been published.

Does Trainline Delay Repay work for split tickets?

Trainline describes its feature as covering single-leg trips, so on a split-ticket journey plan to claim yourself. Each train company has its own rules for split tickets; most ask you to upload every ticket for the whole journey.

Sources

Checked 25 October 2026.