How to claim a refund if your train is delayed or cancelled as passengers hit by major delays due to power outage

COMMUTERS are facing a second day of major disruption after a power failure caused widespread train delays and cancellations. Trains across northwest England and the Greater Manchester area were cancelled or severely delayed yesterday after the failure at a rail operating centre in Manchester. Services from Birmingham and London were also affected. Many people still face disruptions today, with National Rail saying it expected delays in the northwest to last until midday. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! If you’ve been affected, you may be entitled to compensation. You might be able to get a full refund from the retailer you bought your ticket from if you weren’t able to travel at all. If you completed your journey but were delayed, you can get compensation from the train company that caused the delay. National Rail says different train companies have different schemes, but all offer some form of compensation through the Delay Repay scheme. This is a national scheme that gives passengers refunds if their trains are delayed or cancelled. The amount you receive may depend on the type of ticket you have. Most read in Money For example, you might get more or less for a single-day ticket than for a season ticket. If you have a season ticket, you should get back a proportion of your overall pass cost for delays. It will also depend on the length of the delay, as longer delays usually mean you’ll get more compensation. You might be entitled to either all or part of the ticket cost, depending on how long you were delayed. Am I entitled to compensation? You can usually get compensation if your train journey was delayed by 15 minutes or more Credit: 2021 Nathan Stirk If you’re applying for compensation through the Delay Repay scheme, you’ll need to know what time your train arrived at your destination. Whether you’re entitled to compensation will depend on what time you arrived, rather than how late your train left. To check exactly what time you got there, put the journey details into recenttraintimes.co.uk. Each company has its own compensation threshold. For example, Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway will give compensation if your journey has been delayed by 15 minutes or more. The London Overground and Elizabeth line will only refund you if your journey was delayed by 30 minutes or more. If your train is delayed or cancelled and you chose not to travel or couldn’t complete your journey, you can still get a refund. In this case, you’ll need to apply for a refund from the retailer you bought the ticket from. For example, this could be Trainline, National Rail or TrainPal. Tickets bought from self-service vending machines at stations should provide information on how to refund a ticket. How to make a claim Claim compensation by heading to the train company’s website and filling out a form Credit: PA:Press Association You’ll need to request compensation directly from the train company you used. You can search for your train company’s website here. Claims can be made online, or by post using a form you can download from the train company’s website. You can also ask train staff for the form if you’re at a station. Make sure you claim compensation as soon as possible, as there’s often a time limit on when you can apply. Can I appeal if I’m denied compensation? You might still be able to get your money back even if your claim is rejected the first time Credit: EPA If your claim is rejected and you still think you’re owed compensation, you can appeal. You can submit an appeal directly to the train company with any additional information to support your claim. Your case will then be investigated further. You’ll usually have one month to submit an appeal for a claim. Comment now