Train delayed or cancelled

  • More than 60 minutes late? 
  • Missed your connecting train? 
  • Train cancelled?

What can I do? 

  1. Do not continue your journey, take the return trip free and apply for a (prorata) refund of the ticket price. The railway company will in such cases be obliged to refund the ticket price without charges for the part of the journey not taken or for the entire journey if the delay has made continuation of the trip pointless. 
  2. Continue the journey without additional costs and under comparable conditions (insofar as possible). 
  3. Postpone the trip to later (within a reasonable period). The tickets' validity must also be extended or must be made valid for alternative transport routes where necessary (e.g. for train-bound SparSchiene tickets). 
  4. Stay overnight in a hotel or get a taxi because you've missed the last connecting train. The maximum compensation for overnight hotel accommodation is 80 euros per person and 50 euros per person for taxi journeys. We always recommend that you get in touch with the respective company beforehand. 
  5. Passengers must also be offered meals and refreshments to a reasonable extent if available and possible at the location when delays exceed 60 minutes.

The legal basis is Art. 15, 16 and 18 of Regulation (EC) No. 1371/2007 and Paragraph 2 and Paragraph 8 of the Eisenbahnbeförderungsgesetz (EisbBFG – Railway Transport Act).

Passengers must as far as possible be adequately informed about interruptions, delays and train cancellations and their probable effects. The information must be provided through the available information channels (e.g. counters, ticket machines, notices, screens, etc.).

Tip:
Ask the railway company to issue confirmation about the delay or the cancelled train.


 

Single, weekly or monthly tickets

What rights do I have in regard to single, weekly or monthly tickets?

 

Annual ticket

What are my rights in regard to annual tickets? What can I do?