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The Timetable on the Day Is the One That Counts
Delay Repay is measured against the timetable in place on the day you travel. The National Rail Conditions of Travel say that where a replacement timetable is in place, for example because of pre-planned engineering work, emergency repairs or forecast poor weather, compensation is based on that replacement timetable (condition 32.1).
Train companies treat the timetable as settled at 22:00 the evening before. Northern advises checking the published timetable before 10pm the day before you travel.
- Changed by 22:00 the evening before: the new times are the timetable. A slower journey, a train taken out or a planned bus isn't a delay on its own.
- Late or cancelled on the day: it counts like any other delay, measured against the timetable that was in place.
Planned Engineering Works
Engineering works are planned weeks ahead. Greater Anglia and TransPennine Express say they publish details at least 12 weeks before, ScotRail at least eight weeks before, and Transport for Wales puts the changes in journey planners 6 weeks ahead. By the day, the slower times are the timetable.
Several companies say plainly that the extra time from planned works isn't paid: Greater Anglia, West Midlands Railway, London Northwestern Railway, GWR, Stansted Express and Gatwick Express. Hull Trains says the same, unless the replacement services run late against the revised times or are cancelled.
Works often mean a bus for part of the way. A planned bus is measured against the bus timetable: see Delay Repay on a rail replacement bus.
Emergency engineering work announced on the day is different. If it wasn't in the timetable by 22:00 the evening before, your train's delay counts from its normal times.
Bad Weather, Storms and Snow
When a storm, snow or extreme heat is forecast, train companies may run an emergency timetable with fewer or slower trains. If it is published in advance, your delay is measured against it: c2c, Northern, CrossCountry, TransPennine Express, West Midlands Railway and South Western Railway say so. ScotRail aims to warn by 16:00 the day before.
Weather that disrupts trains on the day, with no emergency timetable published, counts like any other delay. Most companies pay whatever caused it: GWR, Greater Anglia, Northern, South Western Railway, Southern, Thameslink, Gatwick Express and Transport for Wales say so in their own words.
The Conditions of Travel let a company refuse a delay under 60 minutes whose cause was entirely outside the rail industry's control, but only where its Passenger's Charter sets out the exclusion (condition 33.4). A delay of 60 minutes or more is compensated regardless of fault (condition 32.1).
Signal Failures and Other Problems on the Day
A signal failure, a broken-down train, a fault with the track or overhead wires, or a tree on the line is unplanned disruption. Delay Repay pays on how late you reached your destination, whatever the cause. If your train is cancelled, see Delay Repay for a Cancelled Train.
If You Decide Not to Travel
If your train is cancelled, delayed or rescheduled and you don't travel, you get a full refund with no administration fee from whoever sold you the ticket, including an Advance ticket (condition 30.1). That's a refund, not Delay Repay, and you can't have both: see a refund when you didn't travel.
If your trains ran and you chose not to travel because of the weather, it's an ordinary refund. Transport for Wales charges a £5 admin fee for that.
Strike days follow the same timetable rule: see Delay Repay on Strike Days.
What Each Train Company Says
| Train company | Engineering works | Bad weather | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| c2c | c2c measures your arrival against the time in the timetable or the amended timetable. | c2c says that if it introduces an emergency timetable in advance, for example for extreme weather, compensation is measured against it. | Guide |
| CrossCountry | Not stated: the timetable on the day counts | CrossCountry says that if it introduces an emergency timetable, compensation is based on it. | Guide |
| Gatwick Express | Gatwick Express pays from 15 minutes late, except when the delay is caused by planned engineering work. | Not stated: the timetable on the day counts | Guide |
| Greater Anglia | Greater Anglia says delays are worked out against the planned, advertised timetable, so compensation is not usually offered during pre-planned engineering works and when replacement bus services are used. Its charter says it publishes engineering details at least 12 weeks before you travel. | Not stated: the timetable on the day counts | Guide |
| GWR | GWR says delays are worked out against the planned and advertised timetable, so compensation is not usually offered for longer journey times caused by pre-planned engineering works. | Not stated: the timetable on the day counts | Guide |
| Hull Trains | Hull Trains doesn't pay for changes to its normal timetable when it has published a revised timetable or offered other routes for planned engineering work, unless the replacement services run late against the revised times or are cancelled. | Hull Trains' charter lists severe weather among events not considered for compensation. A delay of 60 minutes or more is compensated regardless of fault (condition 32.1). | Guide |
| London Northwestern Railway | London Northwestern Railway says delays are worked out against the planned, advertised timetable, so compensation is not usually offered during pre-planned engineering works and when replacement bus services are used. | Not stated: the timetable on the day counts | Guide |
| Northern | Northern compensates against the revised journey times when engineering work was advertised in advance, and advises checking the published timetable before 10pm the day before you travel. | Northern says emergency timetables may be needed at short notice, for example for extreme weather, and compensation is based on the published emergency timetable. | Guide |
| ScotRail | ScotRail says it publishes engineering details online at least eight weeks in advance, and claims are measured against the temporary timetable. | ScotRail aims to warn by 16:00 the day before when the forecast means fewer trains. Claims are then measured against the temporary timetable. | Guide |
| South Western Railway | Not stated: the timetable on the day counts | South Western Railway measures delays against the temporary timetable when one is in force for severe weather or planned engineering works. | Guide |
| Southern | Not stated: the timetable on the day counts | Southern's charter says that if it needs a temporary timetable, for example when heavy snow is forecast, it puts the details on its websites and social media as soon as possible. | Guide |
| Stansted Express | Stansted Express says claims are not normally accepted when the delay was told in advance, such as planned engineering. | Not stated: the timetable on the day counts | Guide |
| Thameslink | Not stated: the timetable on the day counts | Thameslink's charter says that if it needs a temporary timetable, for example when heavy snow is forecast, it puts the details on its websites and social media as soon as possible. | Guide |
| TransPennine Express | TransPennine Express says it publishes engineering details at least 12 weeks in advance, and the delay is normally measured against the revised timetable. | TransPennine Express says that if it introduces an emergency timetable with full details on its website, Delay Repay is normally measured against it. | Guide |
| Transport for Wales | Transport for Wales says engineering timetable changes are in journey planners 6 weeks ahead. On a planned replacement bus, it pays if the bus arrives late, rather than the train it replaced. | Transport for Wales states no weather exclusion. If your booked trains ran and you chose not to travel, it refunds an unused ticket with a £5 admin fee. | Guide |
| West Midlands Railway | West Midlands Railway says delays are worked out against the planned, advertised timetable, so compensation is not usually offered during pre-planned engineering works and when replacement bus services are used. | West Midlands Railway says that where an emergency or amended timetable is in place, for reasons such as engineering work or severe weather, delays are worked out against it. | Guide |
From each company's own Delay Repay pages and Passenger's Charter. Companies not listed don't add anything; the Conditions of Travel rule applies.
Elizabeth Line, London Overground and the Tube
Transport for London (TfL) has its own delay refunds and only refunds delays within its control. It doesn't refund delays caused by bad weather or engineering works. More in TfL service delay refunds.
What Railhop Does
Railhop shows the claim-by date for every delay it finds, and the app reminds you 3 days before it runs out. More on how Delay Repay works.
Questions
Can I claim Delay Repay for engineering works?
Not for the slower plan. Planned works are in the timetable on the day, so the extra time isn't a delay. If your train or replacement bus runs late against the revised times, or is cancelled, that counts.
Can I claim Delay Repay for bad weather?
Yes, if your train is late against the timetable in place on the day. If an emergency timetable was published in advance, the delay is measured against it. A delay of 60 minutes or more is compensated regardless of fault.
Does Delay Repay pay for a signal failure?
Yes. A signal failure is disruption on the day, and Delay Repay pays on how late you reached your destination, whatever the cause.
What is the 22:00 rule?
Train companies treat the timetable as settled at 22:00 the evening before. A train taken out before then isn't a cancellation; one cancelled after it is.
My train was taken out of the timetable for engineering works. Can I get a refund?
If your train is cancelled, delayed or rescheduled and you decide not to travel, you get a full refund with no administration fee from whoever sold you the ticket.
Do TfL delay refunds pay for bad weather?
No. TfL only refunds delays within its control, and doesn't refund delays caused by bad weather or engineering works.
Sources
- National Rail Conditions of Travel (30 July 2026)
- Rail Delivery Group: performance metrics code of practice (the 22:00 timetable)
- Gatwick Express: Delay Repay
- Greater Anglia: Delay Repay
- Northern: Delay Repay
- ScotRail: Delay Repay
- Stansted Express: Delay Repay
- Transport for Wales: Delay Repay
- c2c: Passenger's Charter (March 2026)
- CrossCountry: Passenger Charter
- GWR: Passenger's Charter (April 2026)
- Hull Trains: Passengers' Charter, April 2026
- South Western Railway: Passenger's Charter (April 2026)
- TransPennine Express: Passenger's Charter April 2026
- West Midlands Railway: Passenger's Charter (June 2026)
- TfL: service delay refunds
Train company terms checked 6 October 2026. Terms change: if something here doesn't match the train company's own page, the company's page is right. Tell us and we'll fix it. Railhop fills in the train company's own claim form, and you check it and submit it yourself. Railhop is not affiliated with any train company, TfL or National Rail.