Train was delayed: how much you get back and how to file a claim

Train delayed by more than an hour? Then you are entitled to a partial refund of your ticket price. This guide covers Deutsche Bahn trains and German rules. The basic rule applies across Europe.

Passenger rights on railways are governed by a common EU regulation, not by an individual company. The rules have been tightened, and compensation is no longer paid for every delay. Below we break down the exact amounts, the list of grounds for refusal, what to do when a train is canceled, and how to file a claim. All figures have been checked against official sources.

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How much you get for a train delay

💡 In short:

• Delay of 60 minutes or more: 25% of the ticket price refunded; 120 minutes or more: 50%.
• The carrier pays only for causes within its area of responsibility.
• Pass holders receive fixed amounts, and amounts up to €4 are not paid out.
• Amounts and rules: 09/2026, checked on the Deutsche Bahn website and in EU Regulation 2021/782.

The amount of compensation depends on one factor: how late you arrive at the final destination on your ticket. Delays of individual trains along the route do not matter, because only the final destination on the ticket is counted.

These thresholds are set out in EU Regulation 2021/782 (full text on EUR-Lex). The base is calculated from the full ticket price for the entire route, and for a round-trip ticket half the price is used.

Small amounts are not paid out. The threshold is €4, so for a cheap ticket you may get nothing (as of 09/2026, Eisenbahn-Bundesamt data). The 60-minute threshold is the same for travel within Germany and abroad.

Let's look at a real example. The ticket costs €117, and you arrive 70 minutes later than scheduled. The delay is over an hour, so you get 25% of the price, about €29 (Eisenbahn-Bundesamt example). If the delay exceeded two hours, the share would rise to half the price.

Figures and rules were checked on 12.09.2026 on the carrier's official website.

What to do if your train is delayed or canceled

First, document the delay. Ask carrier staff to confirm the delay, as Deutsche Bahn recommends. Then keep the ticket itself and all receipts for additional expenses.

Remember the main point: the sooner you file a claim, the faster you get your money back.

What else passengers are entitled to

In addition to money, the carrier must offer assistance on the spot. On long-distance trains, a delay of 60 minutes or more entitles you to free drinks and food within reasonable limits (Eisenbahn-Bundesamt).

Another plus: in the event of a delay, the restriction to a specific train is lifted automatically. With a Sparpreis ticket, the passenger can take the next train on the same route.

This way you don't lose money and don't buy a second ticket.

When the carrier does not pay

Since June 7, 2023, payment is canceled for three groups of reasons (European rules):

• exceptional circumstances: extreme weather, major natural disasters, serious public health crises;
• actions of third parties: people on the tracks, cable theft, emergencies on the train, police actions, sabotage or a terrorist attack;
• the passenger's own fault.

Important: ordinary seasonal bad weather is not considered an exceptional circumstance; this refers specifically to natural disasters. An autumn storm by itself does not cancel payment, but a flood or a terrorist attack does.

When payment is made even in force majeure situations

Payment is retained in several cases where the cause appears to be outside the carrier:

• a strike by the carrier's own staff;
• acts or omissions of another company using the same infrastructure;
• acts or omissions of the infrastructure operator and the station operator.

Here the cause is linked to railway operations, so compensation is still paid.

Abandoning the journey and getting a refund

If the delay is clearly over an hour, you can abandon the journey. You then get the ticket price back or continue the route later.

If you abandon your trip en route, only the distance traveled is counted, and the remainder is refunded. The carrier also pays for the return journey to the departure station (regulation text).

You can continue your trip at the first opportunity or at a convenient time. A different route of comparable duration is also allowed.

Transfer to FlixTrain and FlixBus

Since June 7, 2023, a new option has been available. You can continue your journey with another public transport carrier, such as FlixTrain or FlixBus (new version of the regulation). Expenses are reimbursed under one of the following conditions:

• the carrier agreed to the transfer in advance;
• you were not informed within 100 minutes after the scheduled departure about how to continue your trip on an alternative route.

The 100-minute rule works in your favor, because the carrier's silence opens up the right to reimbursement.

Overnight stay at the carrier's expense

Can't leave until morning? Then the carrier must arrange alternative transport. If that is not possible, they must provide a hotel and transport to and from it (under EU regulations).

Even in exceptional circumstances, the right to accommodation remains, but the carrier may then limit it to three nights.

Taxi up to €120

Here, German national law is more favorable than European law. If the scheduled arrival falls between 0:00 and 5:00 and the delay is clearly more than an hour, you are allowed to take a taxi to your destination (according to a consultants' analysis, 09/2026).

The same rule applies if the last train of the day is canceled and you can no longer reach the required station by midnight. Expenses are reimbursed up to €120 (as of 09/2026, Deutsche Bahn on passenger rights), and before June 7, 2023, the limit was €80.

The rule covers all regional transport and Deutsche Bahn long-distance trains. Other long-distance carriers are not included in the scheme.

Regional ticket and long-distance train

With a ticket valid only for regional trains, you can switch to a long-distance train if the delay en route is already more than 20 minutes (official German authority).

The train must not require a reservation. You buy the IC or ICE ticket yourself first, and the money is refunded later. On the train, you show both tickets.

The rule does not apply to significantly discounted tickets. The list includes regional day tickets, the Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket, and the Quer-durchs-Land-Ticket (Fahrgastrechte reference, 09/2026).

International travel

The same regulation and the same threshold apply abroad. Compensation is calculated from 60 minutes of delay, just as for domestic trains (conditions for international journeys).

Tickets for international routes are often issued by different carriers. You submit the claim to the company that sold the ticket. If the trip was purchased in Germany, Deutsche Bahn accepts the claim, even when another operator runs the train.

Deutschlandticket and long-distance trains

The Deutschlandticket is officially classified as a significantly discounted ticket. This was decided on August 8, 2023, in paragraph 3, section 4 of the EVO transport regulations (legal reference, 09/2026).

This means that if the delay exceeds 20 minutes, you cannot switch to an IC or ICE and get a refund. If you want to leave sooner, you buy the ticket at your own expense.

There are still exceptions. You can switch to a long-distance train if the last service of the day, arriving before 24:00, is canceled (exception details). Or if the delay is more than an hour with a scheduled arrival between 0:00 and 5:00. The limit is the same as for taxis (Deutsche Bahn rules).

The Deutschlandticket price from January 2026 is 63 € per month (as of 09/2026, official Deutschlandticket portal). For travel within the country, it is still a good deal.

Rail passes and BahnCard 100

Monthly and annual passes (Zeitkarten) also entitle you to compensation, but under different rules (information on rail passes, 09/2026). Each delay is recorded, and at the end of the month you submit everything at once to the passenger rights center.

Fixed amounts per delay:

Amounts under €4 are not paid out, so you need to accumulate several delays (as of 09/2026, Deutsche Bahn on rail passes). The maximum across all passes is 25% of the cost of the card itself, and cases of 20 minutes or more are added up over the card's validity period (section on rail passes).

With BahnCard 100, the rules are even simpler. For each delay of 60 minutes or more, you get a fixed €10 in second class or €15 in first class (BahnCard data, 09/2026). The upper limit is the same: no more than 25% of the card's cost.

Single ticket and journey chain

This is where the main trap lies. Your rights apply to the entire journey if the connections are booked on one ticket. Specialists call this a journey chain (Reisekette).

Example. You are traveling from Mettmann to Hamburg: first on a regional train to Düsseldorf, then on an IC. If both trains are on one ticket, your rights apply to the entire route. In that case, if the regional train is canceled, the passenger simply switches to another train and continues the journey.

But if you traveled to Düsseldorf on a Deutschlandticket and bought the IC ticket separately, there is no chain (connection example, 09/2026). You will get nothing for a missed connection. So for important connections, get a single ticket for the entire journey on Trip.com.

Do they pay or not: a quick cheat sheet

Thresholds and percentages are the same for all railway companies (conditions table).

How to file a claim

Online tickets are linked to your DB account and visible in the DB Navigator app (DB account). From there you can file a claim in a couple of minutes, and no paper form is needed (according to the consumer protection center, 09/2026).

Receipts for taxis or hotels are usually uploaded digitally. If that option is not available, documents are sent by mail together with the claim form.

Compensation is transferred to your bank account. If you prefer, you can get a DB voucher valid for 3 years (carrier data, 09/2026). For cash refunds on taxi receipts, a voucher is not offered.

You can also submit a claim in person at a DB Reisezentrum. The response will then arrive by mail.

Where your rights do not apply

Compensation is only available for rail journeys, from regional trains to ICE (DB rules). You won't get money back for delays on the subway, tram, bus, or taxi, even if they caused you to miss a connection.

If your ticket included both a bus and a train, compensation is calculated only for the rail portion. A delay caused by the bus does not increase the payout.

Keep this in mind when planning a connection between a bus and a train. The passenger bears the risk here.

⁉️🤔 Frequently asked questions

How much will I get for a 70-minute delay?

70 minutes falls into the 60-119 minute range. You get 25% of the ticket price for the entire route (as of 09/2026, authority data). They calculate the full trip price, not the price of an individual segment. Small amounts up to €4 are not paid out.

The train was delayed due to a storm. Will I get my money back?

A regular autumn storm is not considered an exceptional circumstance, so the payout still applies (regulation provisions). The carrier is only exempt from payment in the event of a natural disaster or another emergency. A strike by its own staff also does not cancel your compensation.

Can I take a taxi at the carrier's expense?

Yes, if the scheduled arrival is between 0:00 and 5:00 and the delay is clearly more than an hour (according to Verbraucherzentrale, 09/2026). Expenses are reimbursed up to €120 (as of 09/2026, Deutsche Bahn). Keep the receipt, otherwise the amount cannot be verified.

I have a Deutschlandticket. Can I switch to an ICE?

Not if the delay is more than 20 minutes. Deutschlandticket is classified as a significantly discounted ticket (according to Deutschlandticket description, 09/2026). The only exception is for the last service of the day and for arrivals between 0:00 and 5:00.

What should I do with a monthly pass?

Record every delay of 20 minutes or more and submit everything at once at the end of the month (according to pass rules, 09/2026). For a single delay on regional transport, you get €1.50 in second class and €2.25 in first class (as of 09/2026, Deutsche Bahn). You need to accumulate delays until you reach the €4 threshold.

In short: what's worth booking

First decide what matters more: price or full passenger rights. Deutschlandticket is cheaper, but it strips you of some compensation when connections are involved. For complex routes with transfers, get one ticket for the entire trip on Trip.com.

If your train is delayed, record the time and submit a claim in the DB Navigator app. Keep receipts for taxis and hotels. Check your rights in advance, and you'll get your money back without disputes.