Consumer and banking · Travel · rail
Delayed or cancelled train in France: minimum compensation and your options
EU law sets a minimum for long-distance trains: from 60 minutes late at arrival, compensation of 25% of the ticket price, rising to 50% from 120 minutes (Regulation 2021/782, article 19). If a train is cancelled or expected to be at least an hour late, you choose between a full refund and another journey. Regional and suburban trains in France follow narrower rules.
- Official texts cited
- Sources checked on
- Drafted with AI assistance, our method
General legal information with official references and dated checks. It is not personalised advice: for a decision that commits you, have your situation checked by a qualified professional.
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Does SNCF’s G30 guarantee go further than the regulation?
On some trains, yes. SNCF offers a voucher from 30 minutes late on TGV INOUI, international TGV and Intercités, whatever the cause, and a bank transfer beyond an hour. The EU regulation only applies from 60 minutes.
Read the referencesYour train in France arrived late or was cancelled: I can work out the minimum compensation and tell you how to claim it.
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How much does the rail company owe you for this delay?
Enter the train, the price and the delay at arrival: the tool works out the EU regulation’s minimum compensation and flags the cases where none is owed.
Fictional example · minimum compensation
Minimum compensation of €44.50, 50% of the price, payable within a month of your claim, in cash if you ask.
- EU regulation rate
- 50%
- Minimum compensation
- €44.50
- Meals, hotel if needed
- Owed from 60 minutes
A legal minimum: companies’ own guarantees can be more generous.
Which share of the fare for each length of delay?
| Delay at arrival | Minimum compensation | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Under 60 minutes | None under the EU regulation | Regulation 2021/782, art. 19 |
| 60 to 119 minutes | 25% of the ticket price | Art. 19(1)(a) |
| 120 minutes or more | 50% of the ticket price | Art. 19(1)(b) |
| Delay announced before purchase | None | Art. 19(9) |
| TER, Transilien or RER alone | The region’s own scheme, outside the regulation | Transport Code, L2151-2 |
The percentage applies to the price actually paid for the delayed journey; for a return, to the price of the leg concerned.
Regulation (EU) 2021/782, articles 12, 18, 19, 20 and 28Code des transports, article L2151-2
How many minutes late before you are compensated?
From 60 minutes late at the final destination shown on the ticket: 25% of the price for 60 to 119 minutes, 50% from 120 minutes. It is worked out on the price actually paid for the delayed service.
For a return ticket, the price of the leg concerned counts, or half the ticket if each leg’s price is not shown. Season-ticket holders are also entitled to compensation.
Cancelled train: refund or another train?
You choose. As soon as a delay of 60 minutes or more is expected, or the train is cancelled, the company offers a full refund, rerouting as soon as possible, or rerouting later at your convenience, at no extra cost.
If no option is given within 100 minutes of the scheduled departure, you can take another train, coach or bus and claim the cost back. Refunds are paid within 30 days of the request.
Do TER and RER trains give a right to compensation?
Not under the EU regulation when taken on their own: the Transport Code applies only part of the regulation to them, without the articles on compensation and assistance. Each region sets its own scheme.
Exception: a through ticket that includes a TER connection gives the regulation’s rights to a refund, compensation and assistance.
Code des transports, article L2151-2Code des transports, article L2151-1Regulation (EU) 2021/782, articles 12, 18, 19, 20 and 28
What does article 19 of EU Regulation 2021/782 say?
Lorsque le retard n’a pas donné lieu au remboursement du coût conformément à l’article 18, le voyageur qui subit un retard entre le lieu de départ et le lieu de destination finale indiqués sur le billet ou billet direct a droit, sans perdre son droit au transport, à une indemnisation de la part de l’entreprise ferroviaire. Les indemnisations minimales pour cause de retard sont les suivantes: a) 25 % du prix du billet en cas de retard d’une durée comprise entre 60 et 119 minutes; b) 50 % du prix du billet en cas de retard de 120 minutes ou plus.
In plain English: Where the fare has not been refunded under article 18, a passenger delayed between the departure and final destination on the ticket keeps the right to travel and is entitled to compensation from the railway company: at least 25% of the ticket price for a delay of 60 to 119 minutes, and 50% for 120 minutes or more.
The same article requires payment within a month of the claim, in vouchers only if their terms are flexible, and in cash if the passenger asks.
Does a strike give a right to compensation?
Yes, if it is a strike by the company’s own staff: that is not one of the circumstances that exempt it. The company is only exempt if it proves exceptional outside circumstances, such as extreme weather or a natural disaster, the passenger’s fault, or a third party it could not prevent, such as people on the track or cable theft.
Acts of the infrastructure manager or of another company on the same network do not exempt it either.
How long do you have to claim, and how fast are you paid?
File your complaint within three months of the incident. The company gives a reasoned reply within a month, or tells you that you will get one within three months if justified. Compensation is paid within a month of the claim.
Without a satisfactory answer, you can take the case to a consumer mediator free of charge, at the latest a year after your written complaint. Breaching these rules exposes the company to an administrative fine of up to €15,000.
Regulation (EU) 2021/782, articles 12, 18, 19, 20 and 28Code de la consommation, article L612-1Code de la consommation, article L612-2Code des transports, article L2151-3
What else do passengers ask?
Does SNCF’s G30 guarantee go further than the regulation?
On some trains, yes. SNCF offers a voucher from 30 minutes late on TGV INOUI, international TGV and Intercités, whatever the cause, and a bank transfer beyond an hour. The EU regulation only applies from 60 minutes.
SNCF Connect: train delays and refundsRegulation (EU) 2021/782, articles 12, 18, 19, 20 and 28
Voucher or bank transfer: can you insist on money?
Yes. Compensation can be paid in vouchers if their terms are flexible, notably on validity and destination, but it is paid in cash if the passenger asks, with no transaction fees.
Missed connection on two separate tickets: who pays?
It depends on how you bought. Tickets bought in one transaction from one company form a through ticket: that company answers for the missed connection. If a seller combined the tickets on its own initiative, it refunds the lot and adds 75%. None of this applies if the tickets were shown, before purchase, as separate contracts.
Are meals and a hotel covered after a long delay?
Yes, from 60 minutes late or on cancellation: meals and refreshments in reasonable quantity, a hotel and transfer if you must stay the night, and transport if the train is stuck on the line. The hotel can be limited to three nights only in exceptional circumstances.
Which texts is this scale based on?
- Regulation (EU) 2021/782, articles 12, 18, 19, 20 and 28EUR-Lex
- Code des transports, article L2151-2Légifrance
- Code des transports, article L2151-1Légifrance
- Code des transports, article L2151-3Légifrance
- Code de la consommation, article L612-1Légifrance
- Code de la consommation, article L612-2Légifrance
- SNCF Connect: train delays and refundsSNCF Connect
Texts cited last checked: 17 October 2026