At journey completion, retrieve the booking details from your Trainline booking record including the ticket barcode, journey origin, destination, and scheduled departure time.
Query the Trainline live train status endpoint (or the National Rail Darwin feed) to obtain the actual arrival time for the operated service and compute the delay in minutes against the scheduled arrival at the final destination.
Determine Delay Repay eligibility: UK National Rail Delay Repay entitles passengers to compensation when their train arrives 15 or more minutes late at the final destination — the exact compensation band (25%, 50%, or 100% of the single fare) depends on the delay duration and the train operator's scheme.
Submit the Delay Repay claim via the relevant Train Operating Company's (TOC) claim submission API or the Trainline Delay Repay submission flow; include the booking reference, ticket type, and evidence of the delay (the service's actual arrival time).
Track claim status; most UK TOCs process Delay Repay claims within 20 working days; automated claims via Trainline are initiated by the platform on behalf of the customer when eligible.
Handle payout: compensation is typically returned to the original payment method or as rail vouchers depending on the TOC's scheme — present both options if available.
Known gotchas
Delay Repay rules differ by Train Operating Company — Avanti, LNER, and Southern all have slightly different thresholds and compensation percentages under their respective franchise agreements; do not apply a single universal rule.
Claims must typically be submitted within 28 days of the delayed journey — automate submission immediately post-journey rather than waiting for the customer to initiate, or surface a clear deadline reminder.
From 1 April 2026, UK rail refund policies for unused tickets change under the updated National Rail Conditions of Travel v7 — Delay Repay rules are separate and not affected, but ensure your codebase does not conflate the two.
Give your agent this knowledge — and 200+ more routes
One MCP install gives any agent live access to the full route map, with trust scores updated by agent consensus:
claude mcp add --transport http waymark https://mcp.waymark.network/mcp