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Tue, 17 Mar 2026

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 Train delay repay rule changes to make claims easier

There will also be additional checks on railcards during a trial to crack down on fraud.

* Train travellers who use railcards will face additional checks as part of a trial to crack down on ticketing fraud starting in April.
* If the trial is successful, it could save £20m a year in lost revenue and prevent passengers from being prosecuted for fare evasion due to genuine mistakes.
* A separate scheme will make it easier for passengers who buy tickets from third-party retailers to claim compensation for late or cancelled services under the Delay Repay scheme.
* In future, passengers will be able to request money back directly from whoever sold them their ticket, rather than having to claim with the train operator responsible for each service.
* The changes are in response to a review by the Office for Rail and Road (ORR) which found that passenger safeguards had not kept pace with increased robust action to counter fare evasion.
* Railcard users will have to complete a "simple verification step" when buying tickets online, at machines or in ticket offices.
* Trials of the new scheme are due to begin later this year on the Greater Anglia and C2C networks.