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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →If a delayed or cancelled European train puts your connection at risk, first check how late you are expected to reach the final destination on your ticket—not just how late the first train is. If that arrival is expected to be at least 60 minutes late, EU rules generally give eligible passengers a choice of a refund or rerouting. Whether the connection is covered can depend on whether the journey was sold as a through-ticket, and some services may be exempt from the rules.
What to do first
- Check the expected delay at your final destination. The key figure is your expected arrival delay under the transport contract, including the effect of a missed connection. A delay of at least 60 minutes is the threshold for the EU refund-or-rerouting choices when the rules apply. Regulation (EU) 2021/782 sets that threshold.
- Confirm whether your connecting journey is a through-ticket. Before purchase, the seller must tell you whether a journey with connections is sold as a through-ticket. The European Commission explains that missed-connection rights apply to a through-ticket. Separate tickets do not carry the same EU missed-connection protection, although carrier arrangements such as HOTNAT (“Hop on the next available train”) or AJC (“Agreement on Journey Continuation”) may help. Do not assume an arrangement applies: ask the railway or seller. See Your Europe’s rail passenger-rights guidance.
- Ask the railway what it can offer and keep a record. Save your ticket or booking confirmation, proof of ticket status, disruption alerts, messages with the railway, scheduled and actual arrival information, and itemised receipts. These records can help support a request; the list is practical advice, not a statement that every item is legally required.
- Choose whether to seek a refund or continue by rerouting. If the expected final-arrival delay is at least 60 minutes and the rules apply, the railway must offer the options described below.
- Ask for care during a long wait or overnight disruption. Meals and refreshments must be provided in reasonable relation to the waiting time when they are available or can reasonably be supplied. If an overnight or additional stay becomes necessary, accommodation and transport between the station and accommodation are included when physically possible.
- Keep compensation separate from your refund or rerouting choice. If you continue the journey and arrive late, you may also qualify for delay compensation. Submit a request to the railway using its claim process or the EU common form.
Refund or rerouting: choose the outcome that suits the trip
For an expected final-destination delay of at least 60 minutes, eligible passengers can choose among these remedies under Regulation (EU) 2021/782:
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- Refund: Reimbursement for the part of the journey not made. If the trip no longer serves its original purpose, you can also seek reimbursement for portions already travelled, with return to the first departure point where relevant.
- Rerouting at the earliest opportunity: Travel to the final destination under comparable conditions. The railway should make reasonable efforts to avoid extra connections and keep the total travel delay short.
- Rerouting on a later date: Travel under comparable conditions at a date convenient to you.
Rerouting arranged under the regulation should not cost you extra. Compare the alternatives by expected arrival time, number of connections, and travel conditions, rather than looking only at the departure time of the next train. The railway may use another operator or, where appropriate, another mode of transport.
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If the railway has not communicated rerouting choices within 100 minutes of the scheduled departure of the delayed or cancelled service, or of the missed connection, you may make a contract with another public rail, coach, or bus provider. Reimbursement is limited to necessary, appropriate, and reasonable costs. Keep evidence of when you asked the railway for options, any response or lack of response, and what you paid.
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Can you claim compensation as well?
Delay compensation is separate from a refund or rerouting. Under the EU minimum, eligible passengers who keep travelling may claim 25% of the ticket price for a final-arrival delay of 60–119 minutes, or 50% for a delay of 120 minutes or more. The railway must pay compensation within one month after you submit the request.
Compensation may not be due if you chose a refund, were told about the delay before buying the ticket, were rerouted and arrived less than 60 minutes late, or the railway proves qualifying extraordinary circumstances. Those circumstances affect compensation; they do not remove the separate rights to refund or rerouting and assistance. Your Europe lists examples such as extreme weather, major natural disasters or pandemics, third-party incidents, and law-enforcement activity. It says strikes by railway-company staff do not count as extraordinary circumstances.
How to file a claim and escalate a complaint
- Submit your request to the railway undertaking. Use the carrier’s claim process or the EU common form established by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/949. The form is available but not mandatory; a carrier cannot reject a request solely because you did not use it. The European Commission links to the form from its rail passenger-rights page.
- Check the operator’s deadline and submission channel. There is no single claim deadline established here for every route, operator, or type of request. The carrier’s terms and national rules may provide more favourable rights, so check the applicable conditions.
- Complain to the railway if the claim is unresolved. Your Europe says to complain within three months of the incident. The railway generally must give a reasoned response within one month; in duly justified cases, it may take up to three months.
- Contact the relevant national enforcement body if needed. If the railway’s response does not resolve the matter, the official guidance describes escalation to the enforcement body for the relevant country. Its process is expected to take up to three months, or six months for complex cases.
Does EU rail passenger law cover your service?
EU rules generally apply to rail journeys and services within the EU, but Member States may exempt specified services. Possible exceptions include urban, suburban, regional, and domestic services, as well as trains run strictly for historical or touristic purposes. Cross-border rail journeys between EU countries cannot be exempted. Because the actual service and national exemptions matter, check the Commission’s guidance and national information if coverage is unclear. National law or a railway’s conditions may give you more favourable rights.
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Keep these details for your records
- Ticket or booking confirmation, including any notice that the itinerary is or is not a through-ticket.
- Disruption alerts and messages with the railway or seller.
- Scheduled and actual arrival information for the final destination covered by the contract.
- Receipts for expenses and alternative transport you paid for.
- Any payment or bank details requested as part of the carrier’s claim process.
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