Delay Repay compensation is available on all Southern and Thameslink services if:
- The Train is delayed by more than 15 mins
- Either departing or on route
- Including if you miss your conenction
- The Train is cancelled
- Strike Action removed the service
We also advise you claim if your train was over crowded and you could not board. Claim this as ‘other reason’ and provide additional information.
You must claim for your delayed journey within 28 days of the journey taking place.
Always claim against the published timetable. Southern/Thameslink have a habit of deleting trains from the online planners/apps etc. But still claim for them even if they have been deleted.
You should keep your own personal records of what trains were delayed (especially if you are to claim enhanced compensation as you will need this information). If you need specifics http://www.recenttraintimes.co.uk/ is very helpful for looking up historical train running information.
You can claim Delay Repay compensation if you have Single, Return, Season Ticket (Weekly, Monthly, Annual), or used Oyster/Contactless. If you’re delayed more than 12 times within a reporting period you can also claim enhanced compensation.
How much Delay Repay compensation will I receive?
The compensation you receive will depend on the amount of your delay and the ticket you have.
RRDRUA urges ALL members and travellers from the area to claim for all delays they experience, even if they are only delayed by 15 min.
- 15 – 29 mins*: 25% of single / 12.5% of return ticket price
- 30 – 59 mins: 50% of single / 25% of return ticket price
- 1 hour or more: 100% of single / 50% of return ticket price
- 2 hours of more: 100% of single / 100% of return ticket price.
*You can not currently claim a 15-29 min delay on Great Western Railway.
With a weekly, monthly, annual season ticket the amount of your compensation will be based on the daily cost of your season ticket which Southern calculate as:
- Annual 1/464 x total ticket price
- Quarterly 1/120 x total ticket price
- Monthly 1/40 x total ticket price
- Weekly 1/10 total ticket price
You can recieve the compensation as either
- Payment to your bank account**
- E-Voucher to use to pay for tickets online**
- PayPal**
- Credit/Debit card**
- A National Rail voucher
- Cheque
** payment by these methods only available if you claim online
How do you claim Delay Repay compensation?
However you choose to claim, we recommend that you claim directly from the relevant train operating company (which may be academic as Southern Thameslink, Gatwick Express are all ‘Govia Thameslink Railway’).
You will need your ticket information so make sure you retain it. For Season Ticket holders you will need your photo card number, and your season ticket number.
If you’ve used contactless or Oyster to pay for your journey you will need to download the journey receipt from the TFL website.
The easiest way to claim is online. This is fast and simple, and you will receive email confirmation when it’s submitted, and updates on what is happening with your claim (such as accepted, more info needed, or rejected). You upload a photograph of your ticket/season ticket as part of the process.
- Thameslink online Delay Repay
- Southern online Delay Repay
- Gatwick Express online Delay Repay
- Great Western Railway Delay Repay
You can also claim by collecting a form from a station or downloading a copy directly from their website using the links below.
- Thameslink information & forms
- Southern information & forms
- Gatwick Express information & forms
- Great Western Railway information & forms
Enhanced Compensation
If you are a Season Ticket holder, you may be entitled to claim enhanced compensation. If your train is delayed by 30 minutes or longer for 12 times or within a reporting period you can submit an additional claim.
You do this by filling in a form and posting it back to the train operating company. You can receive a either:
- 2x day-return tickets from anywhere on the Govia Thameslink Network valid for 12 months
- National Rail Vouchers that for a single journey between the stations covered on your season ticket.
If you choose vouchers, the website says you can convert them to cash at any Southern/Great Northern/ Gatwick Express or Thameslink ticket office – however we’ve had reports of them not being accepted (they are slightly darker green than the standard delay repay vouchers).
For Govia Thameslink Railway (covering Thameslink/Southern/Gatwick Express) the periods are as below:
| Business Period | Period Dates |
|---|---|
| Period 1 | 1 April to 28 April 2017 |
| Period 2 | 29 April to 26 May 2017 |
| Period 3 | 27 May to 23 June 2017 |
| Period 4 | 24 June to 21 July 2017 |
| Period 5 | 22 July to 18 August 2017 |
| Period 6 | 19 August to 15 September 2017 |
| Period 7 | 16 September to 13 October 2017 |
| Period 8 | 14 October to 10 November 2017 |
| Period 9 | 11 November to 10 December 2017 |
| Period 10 | 9 December 2016 to 5 January 2018 |
| Period 11 | 6 January to 2 February 2018 |
| Period 12 | 3 February to 2 March 2018 |
| Period 13 | 3 March to 31 March 2018 |
To claim enhanced compensation you need to be able to record the 12 journeys that were delayed by over 30 minutes.
You complete the form available on their website and post it off. You need to include your tickets with the claim (or a copy of your season ticket/Oyster or Contactless statement).
It’s the same form for Thameslink/Southern/Gatwick Express/Great Northern.