As Transport services across the UK have been disrupted by the strike of thousands of transport workers, which began today, the 21st of June and will occur again on Thursday the 21st of June and Saturday the 25th of June, you may well have been left stranded, and may yet, and so it's good to know your refund rights for any tickets you may have purchased for an affected trip.
Generally, if your train is cancelled, you'll be able to claim a full refund from the company you booked with, including advance tickets. This includes where the train is cancelled due to strike action. Some 3rd party rail ticket providers may charge an admin fee, but generally, you should receive a full refund of your ticket price.
If the industrial action has delayed you, you claim up to 100% of the cost of your ticket. The train companies generally will pay compensation based on:
If a trip is delayed by 15-29 minutes, you'll get 25% back (12.5% off a return).
If a trip is delayed by 30-59 minutes, you'll get 50% back (25% off a return).
You can claim 100% back for 60-119 minutes (50% off a return).
You can claim 100% back off a single or return for 120+ minutes.
Most train companies will offer you a refund/compensation, with TFL being a notable exception, who are offering no compensation of any kind for delayed journeys, and who have been very determined not to provide any assistance during this industrial action; last week, it's straight-out refusal to suspend the charges for motorists to enter the city, on strike days, to help alleviate the number of people affected by the lack of trains, causing some backlash and negativity towards TFL and the Mayor of London!
These train companies offer compensation for single-use tickets on a case-by-case basis. Ensure you keep your tickets and note down the delay information, as this will be needed to make a claim:
Avanti West Coast (formerly Virgin Trains)
c2c
Caledonian Sleeper
Chiltern Railways
CrossCountry
East Midlands Railway
Eurostar
Grand Central
Gatwick Express
Greater Anglia
Great Western Railway
Great Northern
Heathrow Express
Hull Trains
Island Line (part of South Western Railway)
London North East Railway (formerly Virgin East Coast)
London Northwestern Railway
Merseyrail
Northern
ScotRail
South Western Railway
Southeastern
Southern
Stansted Express (part of Greater Anglia)
Thameslink
Translink
TransPennine Express
Transport for Wales Rail (formerly Arriva Trains Wales)
West Midlands Railway
You can find claim links on the rail company's websites.
Most season ticket holders can also claim for individual delays, but the rules vary, and it's also worth checking if you can claim for multiple delays.
Workers are striking over disputes relating to pay, jobs and conditions. The thousands of striking employees are part of Network Rail, London Underground, and 13 train operators, making it the biggest rail strike in 30 years.
London Underground employees will walk out on Tuesday (21 June) for 24 hours.