Complain to Trainline
Rail and coach ticket retailer - complaints about refunds, booking fees, and e-tickets
RailHow to complain to Trainline
Trainline has no complaints email that we could find on its own site. Use its official online form instead.
How to complain to Trainline, step by step
Complain to Trainline in writing
Use Trainline’s online complaints form. Trainline publishes no complaints email. Say what went wrong, what you want back, and keep a copy.
Give them time to answer
If Trainline has not sorted it after 40 working days, the independent route opens. If it says no sooner, ask for a final response in writing, because that opens it early.
Escalate if they say no
Take it to the Rail Ombudsman. It is free, and independent of Trainline.
Common Trainline complaints
Delayed or Cancelled Train
Claim Delay Repay compensation, often from 15 minutes late
Refund Refused
Ticket refund or fee dispute after a cancellation or change
Overcrowding or Poor Service
No seat reservation honoured, filthy carriage, or missing facilities
Penalty Fare or Ticketing Dispute
Unfair penalty fare or a ticket machine that wouldn’t sell the right ticket
Disruption Expenses
Taxi, hotel, or onward-travel costs after your train was cancelled
Trainline ombudsman & regulator routes
Which ombudsman handles Trainline complaints?
Rail Ombudsman. Once Trainline’s own complaints process is exhausted (after 40 working days), you can take your complaint there for free. Go to the ombudsman.
Can you complain to the Office of Rail and Road about Trainline?
Not for individual disputes: the Office of Rail and Road sets the rules for the sector but does not resolve personal complaints or award compensation. Complain to Trainline directly first and keep written records, then escalate to the Rail Ombudsman if it stays unresolved after 40 working days. You can still report Trainline to the Office of Rail and Road to flag systemic problems, but that will not get your own money back.
Laws that protect you
National Rail Conditions of Travel
The contract between you and the train operator. Sets out your rights to refunds, compensation, and assistance when trains are delayed or cancelled.
Consumer Rights Act 2015
Rail travel is a service that must be provided with reasonable care and skill. A service that falls short entitles you to a price reduction.
Delay Repay scheme
The industry compensation scheme. Most operators pay out from 15 or 30 minutes of delay, regardless of the cause, on a sliding scale up to a full refund.
Tips for Trainline complaints
- Claim Delay Repay for every delay - most operators pay from 15 or 30 minutes, whatever the cause
- Keep your ticket, or the confirmation email for e-tickets, until the claim is settled
- Your rights come from the National Rail Conditions of Travel, so quote them when you complain
- If a cancellation left you stranded, keep receipts for reasonable taxi or hotel costs
- If the operator doesn’t resolve it within 40 working days, escalate free to the Rail Ombudsman
If Trainline doesn't respond
- 1
Train Operator
Allow 20 working daysComplain to the operator that ran (or should have run) your train, quoting your ticket details and the National Rail Conditions of Travel
- 2
Formal Complaint
Ask for a final response in writing if the first reply doesn’t resolve it, and keep every reference number
- 3
Rail Ombudsman
40 working daysFree, independent escalation once the operator sends a final response or 40 working days pass
Visit website - 4
Transport Focus
For complaints that fall outside the Rail Ombudsman’s remit (such as policy or timetabling), the passenger watchdog can take them up
Visit website
How to complain to Trainline
Trainline has no complaints email that we could find on its own site. Use its official online form instead.
When you can escalate
After 40 working days, you can take it to the Rail Ombudsman.
Ready to fight back?
Create a professional, legally-backed complaint in minutes.
Start my Trainline complaintFree to start • No credit card required
Frequently asked questions
Tools & guides for your Trainline complaint
Free calculators and explainers that strengthen the case you make to Trainline.
- Christmas order not delivered in time? Your rightsThe retailer, not the courier, must deliver. Under the Consumer Rights Act the default is 30 days, and an agreed date lets you cancel. How to get a refund before Christmas.
- Telecoms ombudsman: escalate after 6 weeks, not 8Ofcom cut the telecoms ADR wait from 8 weeks to 6 on 8 April 2026. When you can escalate a broadband or mobile complaint, to which ombudsman, and how to skip the wait.
- Klarna & Clearpay complaints: your new rights from 15 July 2026BNPL comes under FCA regulation on 15 July 2026: affordability checks, real support in hardship, and Financial Ombudsman escalation. What changes and how to use it.
- 6 ways to get your money back when a company refuses a refundA refusal isn’t the end. Six free routes to your money - Consumer Rights Act letters, chargeback, Section 75, ombudsmen, small claims - and when to use each.
Not sure what the law actually entitles you to? Start with our UK consumer rights guide - refunds, faulty goods, and how to enforce your rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Other Rail companies
Work at Trainline? Reply to complaints here.
Don't let Trainline ignore you
Read your Trainline letter first: it cites the law that applies, sets a deadline, and says what happens when it passes. No account until you want to keep the draft and track what they do next.
Free to draft • The letter is yours either way
Disclaimer: NoReply is an independent consumer advocacy platform. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Trainline or any of the companies listed on this site. Where an address is marked verified, we read it on Trainline’s own site or a complaint sent to it arrived. Addresses marked not verified have not been checked, and ones marked bounced do not reach Trainline. This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.