Complain to TransPennine Express
TransPennine Express complaints about delays, cancellations and refunds: the customer relations email address, Delay Repay from 15 minutes, and free escalation to the Rail Ombudsman.
RailContact emails
tpecustomer.relations@tpexpress.co.uk
Complaints
TransPennine Express handles complaints through its official online form.
How to complain to TransPennine Express, step by step
Complain to TransPennine Express in writing
Email tpecustomer.relations@tpexpress.co.uk, or use TransPennine Express’ online complaints form. Say what went wrong, what you want back, and keep a copy.
Give them time to answer
If TransPennine Express 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 TransPennine Express.
Common TransPennine Express 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
TransPennine Express ombudsman & regulator routes
Which ombudsman handles TransPennine Express complaints?
Rail Ombudsman. Once TransPennine Express’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 TransPennine Express?
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 TransPennine Express directly first and keep written records, then escalate to the Rail Ombudsman if it stays unresolved after 40 working days. You can still report TransPennine Express 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 TransPennine Express complaints
- Email tpecustomer.relations@tpexpress.co.uk, or use the form TPE links from its own contact page. Customer Relations also takes calls on 0345 600 1671 from 06:00 to 23:00, seven days a week
- Delay Repay starts at 15 minutes late into your final destination, and the claim has to be in within 28 days of the journey
- Bought an Advance ticket on tpexpress.co.uk or in the TPE app? Automated Delay Repay may have paid out already, so check before you claim again
- Did not travel at all because of the disruption? That is a refund rather than Delay Repay, and the two are separate claims
- Keep the ticket or the booking confirmation - TPE works the amount out from what you paid
- After a final response, or 40 working days with nothing resolved, the Rail Ombudsman is free and its decision binds TPE
If TransPennine Express 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
Contact emails
tpecustomer.relations@tpexpress.co.uk
Complaints
TransPennine Express handles complaints through its official online form.
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 TransPennine Express complaintFree to write. £1 if you want us to send it, free if you send it yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Tools & guides for your TransPennine Express complaint
Free calculators and explainers that strengthen the case you make to TransPennine Express.
- 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 TransPennine Express? Reply to complaints here.
Don't let TransPennine Express ignore you
Read your TransPennine Express 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 TransPennine Express or any of the companies listed on this site. Where an address is marked verified, we read it on TransPennine Express’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 TransPennine Express. This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.