Can I get a refund for a delayed Transport for London journey? Train delay repay rule explained

Businesses worldwide were affected by a significant IT outage on Friday (July 19) due to an upgrade from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, impacting trains, flights, as well as many other things.

About half of the Great Northern and Thameslink trains through Barnet, Enfield, and Haringey, all of which are a part of the Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), have been cancelled since early this morning.

While Greater Anglia reports that several of its stations are impacted, there were no indications that trains on its West Anglia route via Tottenham and eastern Enfield were experiencing delays. London Overground and London Underground both seem to be unaffected.

GTR said in a statement: “We are currently experiencing widespread IT issues across our entire network. Our IT teams are actively investigating to determine the root cause of the problem. We are unable to access driver diagrams at certain locations, leading to potential short-notice cancellations, particularly on the Thameslink and Great Northern networks. Additionally, other key systems, including our real-time customer information platforms, are also affected.

“We will provide additional updates when we can. In the meantime, please regularly check your journey before you travel.”

George Kurtz, president of CrowdStrike, stated in a post on X that a "defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts" was the root of the issue. He said: “This is not a security incident or cyber attack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed.”

Customers may not realise that it is also possible to get money back for Transport for London journeys - including for delays on the Tube and Overground.

Here is what you need to know.

Can I claim a refund after a delay to Transport for London services?

You may be eligible for a refund if your journey was delayed for 15 minutes or more, according to Transport for London.

But there is a strict criteria for what does and does not count as a valid reason to make a claim.

TfL rules that you cannot claim if the delay is due to factors outside its control, including strikes, security alerts, bad weather, customer incidents and engineering works.

It does not explicitly list “swans on the line”, but this is thought to be implied as well. The birds are famously protected by the monarchy but cannot be controlled by TfL, you’d be aghast to find out.

On Monday, major disruption was felt due to a casualty on the tracks but this is a type of incident that would leave customers unable to seek compensation.

But if your delay is seen to be TfL’s own fault you could make a claim. Keep reading to find out how.

How to make a claim

If your claim is successful, you'll be refunded the value of a single pay as you go fare for the delayed journey.

• If you used pay as you go or a Travelcard on Oyster, refunds are given as pay as you go credit or by transfer into your bank account.

• If you used a Travelcard on Oyster or a National Rail smartcard the equivalent pay as you go single fare for the delayed journey is refunded.

• If you used a contactless method, refunds are given on the card used.

• If you used a paper ticket or National Rail smartcard, refunds are made by transfer into your bank account.

To make your claim, visit the TfL website here, but you will need to make your application within 15 days of the incident.

You can also apply for money to be refunded if you have touched out on the wrong card or failed to touch in or out.

What if your claim is unsuccessful?

If your claim is unsuccessful you can appeal by calling 0343 222 1234.

The line is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm.

You can seek further guidance here.