Complaints

Unfortunately, sometimes you will not receive the high standard of service that we aim to provide.

If you want to complain about or comment on a train journey, please contact the train company directly. Visit our Find a Train Company page to find contact details. They will be able to help with problems such as compensation for delays, reservations, or your train service.

If you want to complain about or comment on a station or ticket office, please contact the station operator directly. Visit our Find a Station page and enter the station you want. You will then find the details of who manages the station listed at the top of the Station Information section. They will be able to help with topics including problems at stations, available facilities, and ticket machines.

For complaints about the National Rail website, please contact us.

Rail Ombudsman

If you are not satisfied with the response from the train company, station operator or National Rail, you can appeal to the Rail Ombudsman.

The Rail Ombudsman is an independent organisation that offers a free service to help with unresolved complaints between rail service providers and their customers. 

You can appeal to the Rail Ombudsman if:

• you are unhappy with a participating rail service provider’s final response to your complaint

• the rail service provider has not resolved your complaint within 40 working days of receiving it

• no more than 12 months have passed since the service provider sent you its final response

They will not be able to help with complaints about the way services have been designed, industry policy, or if your complaint relates to an event which took place before the Rail Ombudsman service was established. 

For more information, visit the Rail Ombudsman website.

Independent watchdogs

If your complaint does not meet the eligibility criteria of the Rail Ombudsman, they will transfer your complaint to another organisation that will be able to help you further.

Transport Focus and London TravelWatch are the independent consumer watchdogs for the rail industry. They can review your complaint and, where appropriate, follow things up on your behalf.