Why train passengers are missing out on £80 million a year in compensation

Trainline has launched a petition calling on the Government to enable “one click” claims to be made by all online ticket buyers

Train passengers are missing out on over £80 million annually in compensation for delayed journeys, a new analysis has revealed.

The shortfall has been blamed on an "unacceptable" claims processes.

Online ticket retailer Trainline, which produced the data, has called for rail reform that "focuses on what matters" to passengers.

While customers who purchase tickets directly through a train operator’s website or app can often access "one-click" compensation claims via the delay repay scheme for service disruptions, this streamlined process is unavailable to a significant portion of travellers.

Approximately one in four passengers, those who use independent ticket retailers such as Trainline, are instead forced to navigate more complicated and manual procedures to obtain their rightful payouts.

Trainline has launched a petition calling on the Government to enable “one click” claims to be made by all online ticket buyers.

Trainline has called for rail reform that "focuses on what matters" to passengers (PA)

The company’s chief executive Jody Ford said: “Six minutes of form-filling after a delayed train is unacceptable.

“With years of innovation and industry cooperation, we’ve made huge progress in simplifying ticket buying, but compensation must be just as easy when journeys are disrupted.

“Passengers want rail reform that focuses on what matters to them, and ‘one-click’ delay repay is a practical change the industry and Government can do together.”

A survey of 2,000 UK adults commissioned by Trainline indicated 29 per cent of train passengers failed to claim disruption compensation they were entitled to last year.

Some 58% of claimants said their most recent application took at least six minutes to complete, while 43% described the process as frustrating and time-consuming.

Ben Plowden, chief executive of pressure group Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Making compensation easy and consistent would help rebuild confidence in the railway and show passengers that their time and money are valued.”

The Government is introducing widespread reforms of the rail industry, including simplifying ticketing.

The Department for Transport and the Rail Delivery Group were approached for a comment.

Trainline commissioned research company YouGov to conduct the survey in December 2025.