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Filing a complaint about a train journey 

You can file a complaint with the railway company operating the service. You should file the complaint as soon as possible. If your complaint to the railway company does not yield results, you can file a complaint with an authority.

  1. Long-distance trains
  2. Commuter trains

Your rights when a long-distance train is cancelled, delayed, you miss your connection

If it is reasonably to be expected that the train will arrive at its final destination at least 60 minutes late, you must immediately be given the opportunity to choose one of the following options without delay:

  • If you decide to cancel the journey, you are entitled to a full refund of the price stated on your ticket. However, you will not be entitled to a refund if you have been informed of the delay before purchasing the ticket. If you choose to discontinue your journey, for example due to a delay when changing trains, you are entitled to a full refund of the price stated on your ticket. You may also claim a refund of the price of your journey back to your original point of departure, if the original ticket is no longer useful for your journey as planned.

  • Rerouting your journey means choosing a different transport option that will enable you to reach your destination as quickly as possible by another train or some other mode of transportation, or alternatively at a later date convenient to you.

    If you are not informed of the available re-routing options within 1 hour 40 minutes from the scheduled departure time of the delayed or cancelled service or missed connection, you have the right to conclude such an agreement with other operators providing public transport services by rail, coach or bus. The railway company must reimburse the necessary, appropriate and reasonable costs incurred by you.

  • Continuing your journey by the delayed train gives you the right to claim compensation for the delay to your journey. You can also demand free meals and refreshments in a reasonable proportion to the waiting time, if they are available on the train or at the station. If accommodation is necessary and can be arranged, you can demand a hotel room or other accommodation, as well as transportation between the railway station and the place of accommodation.

Special situations

  • Track faults

    Your rights when a long-distance train is cancelled or delayed, or you miss your connection

    If a long-distance train service is cancelled or delayed by at least 60 minutes due to a railway fault, you can always demand one of the following options:

    • Rerouting. The railway company must offer you a new route to your final destination at no additional cost at the earliest opportunity. Rerouting may also be organised by some other means of transport such as buses, but, in practice, replacement connections cannot always be arranged.
    • Alternatively, you may choose to re-route to your destination under similar terms of transport later at no additional cost.

    OR

    • Cancellation of the trip. You are entitled to have the ticket price refunded.

    If you choose to discontinue your journey due to, for example, a delay when changing trains, you are entitled to a full refund of the price stated on your ticket for each uncompleted section of your journey. Moreover, if the journey is no longer useful in view of your original travel plan, you can also demand a refund for the ticket prices for the sections you have already travelled and, if necessary, for returning to the first place of departure as soon as possible. Refunds shall be paid within 30 days of receipt of the claim.

    Follow the information provided by the railway company on the situation and on the timetable of your train service.

    • The railway company must keep passengers informed of the situation and actively share information on the estimated departure and arrival time of the connection or replacement service. In practice, the railway company must state, for example, what has happened, can the journey be continued, or if the train connection has been cancelled.
    • If your train connection has been cancelled or delayed, and you are not informed of the available rerouting options within 1 hour 40 minutes of the scheduled departure time of the delayed or cancelled service or missed connecting service, you have the right to make alternative travel arrangements with other transport services, such as a bus company. The railway company must refund you for the resulting necessary, appropriate and reasonable costs.

    Delays of more than one hour entitle customers to care

    When a long-distance train is delayed by at least 60 minutes, you can demand free services, including the following:

    • meals and refreshments in a reasonable proportion to the waiting time, if they are available on the train or at the station or can reasonably be delivered there
    • if accommodation is necessary and can be arranged, you can demand a hotel room or other accommodation, as well as transportation between the railway station and the place of accommodation.

    Depending on the cause of the railway fault, you may be entitled to a standard compensation due to the delay.

    Compensation for losses

    You may be entitled to compensation for damages caused by a delay in the train service, such as necessary taxi or accommodation costs. However, compensation can only be granted for verified costs. You are obligated to minimise the losses through your own actions.

    Your right to compensation is assessed on a case-by-case basis with due consideration of issues such as the duration and reason of the delay. The railway company is not obligated to compensate you for damages if:

    • it can be presumed within reason that you could have prepared for the delay  in advance based on the nature of the service, weather conditions, time needed for transferring to another transport mode, or other conditions related to the transport. Minor delays do not entitle you to compensation.
    • it seems that the railway company has taken all reasonable measures to avoid the damage. Faults in the track system or equipment are independent of the railway company’s operation, and the railway company may not be able to avoid delays and damages through its own actions.

Standard compensation for lost time

If a long-distance train is delayed when arriving at your destination, you may also be entitled to a standard compensation. The minimum compensation paid is EUR 4, and the sum must be paid within one month of the submission of your claim. However, you will not be entitled to a compensation if you have been informed of the delay before purchasing the ticket.

The minimum compensations are as follows:

  • 25% of the price of your ticket if the train is delayed by one hour or more at your destination.
  • 50% of the price of your ticket if the train is delayed by two hours or more at your destination.

When do you not have the right to compensation?

You will not have the right to compensation if the delay, missed connection or cancellation of the journey was caused directly by, or was inherently linked to the following situations:

  • The railway company is not obliged to pay compensation if the delay, missed connection or cancellation was due to extraordinary circumstances which the railway company, in spite of having taken the care required in the particular circumstances of the case, was unable to avoid and the consequences of which it was unable to prevent. Such extraordinary circumstances, that are not connected with the operation of the railway, include extreme weather conditions, major natural disasters or major public health crises.

  • The railway company is also not obliged to pay compensation if the delay, missing a connection or cancellation was the passenger’s own fault.

  • The railway company is also not obliged to pay compensation if the delay was due to the behaviour of a third party. Such situations include, for example, persons on the track, cable theft, on-board emergencies, law enforcement activities, sabotage or terrorism, which the railway undertaking, in spite of having taken the care required in the particular circumstances of the case, was unable to avoid and the consequences of which it was unable to prevent.

    However, situations caused by third-party behaviour do not include strikes by the personnel of the railway undertaking, acts or omissions by another undertaking using the same railway infrastructure and acts or omissions of the infrastructure and station managers. In such a situation, the passenger is entitled to compensation.

Passengers who are affected by repeated delays or cancellations during the validity of a season pass or other similar ticket can claim compensation according to the compensation system applied by VR.

Your rights in commuter train traffic

Commuter train services are not subject to the same right to standard compensation for delays as long-distance trains. Commuter trains are identified by letters. The commuter rail connections are defined in the Government Decree.(In Finnish)

In the commuter train services, you can claim a price reduction for your season ticket when the service delivered by VR does not correspond to the promises made, for example due to repeated delays and cancellations.

However, the delays and cancellations do not automatically constitute deficient service. Train passengers should be prepared for delays, cancellations and changes in the train service caused by factors such as the weather conditions, even in the case of commuter train services. Therefore, the delays must be repeated and exceptionally difficult to constitute deficient service that would justify a price reduction.

The deficiency of the service must always be verified. To claim a refund, passengers with season tickets must have specific information about the train connections they have used and about the delays in the service. In the case of a strike, season ticket holders can claim compensation for the unused days left on their ticket.

If for example you are using an HSL season ticket in local or commuter traffic, please submit your claim to HSL. Since the HSL season ticket includes the possibility of using other means of transport besides the train, the actual possibility of using bus and coach services to replace delayed and cancelled train connections is also considered in the assessment of the service deficiency.

Special situations

  • Track faults – your rights in commuter train traffic

    Commuter trains are identified by letters.

    Commuter train services are not subject to the same right to rerouting or standard compensation for delays as long-distance trains.

    Right to a refund for single commuter train tickets sold by VR

    If a commuter train connection operated by VR cannot be implemented as agreed due to a railway fault:

    • you are usually entitled to a refund for a single ticket purchased for a specific day. In practice, when the railway company cancels a train journey purchased for a certain day, this constitutes a substantial breach of contract.
    • the obligation to pay refunds is based on the principles of consumer protection and general contract law, according to which a contracting party has the right to cancel the contract and recover the price paid if the other contracting party has committed a substantial breach of contract.

    Right to a price reduction

    In commuter train services, you can claim a price reduction for your season ticket if the delivered service does not correspond to the promises made by the railway company. The right to a price reduction applies to season tickets sold by both VR and HSL.

    If you are using an HSL season ticket in local or commuter traffic, please submit your claim to HSL. Since the HSL season ticket includes the possibility of using other means of transport besides the train, the actual possibility of using bus and coach services to replace delayed and cancelled train connections is also considered in the assessment of the service deficiency.

    The deficiency of the service must always be verified. To claim a refund, passengers with season tickets must have specific information about the train connections they have used and about the delays in the service.

    • If you are unable to use your season ticket due to a railway fault, you can claim compensation for the unused days. The railway company cannot invoke force majeure in order to avoid granting price reductions for the affected train connection if the service is not organised as agreed.
    • You may be entitled to compensation for damages caused by a delay in the train service, such as necessary taxi or accommodation costs. However, compensation can only be granted for verified costs. You are obligated to minimise the losses through your own actions.

    Compensation for losses

    Your right to compensation is assessed on a case-by-case basis with due consideration of issues such as the duration and reason of the delay. The railway company is not obligated to compensate you for damages if:

    • it can be presumed within reason that you could have prepared for the delay  in advance based on the nature of the service, weather conditions, time needed for transferring to another transport mode, or other conditions related to the transport. Minor delays do not entitle you to compensation.
    • it seems that the railway company has taken all reasonable measures to avoid the damage. Faults in the track system or equipment are independent of the railway company’s operation, and the railway company may not be able to avoid delays and damages through its own actions.

Compensation for financial losses in commuter and long-distance traffic

If you have suffered financial losses due to a delay or cancellation in train services, you may be entitled to compensation. This applies to both the long-distance train service and commuter train service in the Helsinki Region.

The compensation is based on and covers the actual losses caused by the delay. You may claim compensation for additional costs you have incurred by having missed a connection, for example.

The claim must contain sufficient and reliable evidence of the financial loss, such as a receipt of the additional expenses. The compensation paid for a delay or cancellation in train service can be at most EUR 5,000 per passenger.

No compensation is paid if it can be presumed within reason that the passenger could have prepared for the delay in advance based on, for example, the prevailing weather conditions, or if it seems that VR has taken all reasonable measures to avoid the damage. VR can avoid liability by demonstrating that the delay was caused by a fault in the track system or equipment, for which it is not reasonable to expect the company to be prepared. A defect in rolling stock does not exempt VR from liability.

You may claim compensation for financial losses even if you have received the standard compensation for the same delay in the long-distance train services. The amount of standard compensation is not deducted from the amount of compensation for financial losses.

Filing a complaint about a train journey

When you are notified that your train service is cancelled or delayed, first ask a representative of the railway company to enforce your rights.

If the matter is not resolved, submit a written complaint to the railway company. You should file the complaint as soon as possible.

  • The complaint must clearly indicate who is filing the complaint, who the recipient is, which train service is involved, and what the reasons for submitting the complaint are. You should also explain what your demands are and what they are based on.
  • In the case of foreign railway companies, check the language of the customer service. Most European railway companies are unable to process complaints in Finnish or Swedish.
  • Attach a copy of your ticket and of the costs of meals and similar services to your complaint. Do not send any original documents.
  • Save a copy of your complaint. If you submit a complaint by using the company’s complaint form, save a copy for yourself.
  • The company shall give its reply or indicate a later date for the reply within one month after receiving the complaint. The final answer must be given within no more than three months after receiving the complaint.
  • If you do not receive a reply or are not satisfied with it, you can contact the Consumer Advisory Services if the case involves a Finnish railway company, or the European Consumer Centre in cases involving a foreign company.

  • Consumer Advice Telephone Service

    Service time normally Monday–Wednesday and Friday 9 am – noon, Thursday noon – 3 pm.

    NOTE! The telephone service is closed Thu 21 - Fri 22.11.2024. The online contact form is closed on Wednesday 20th November at 3 pm – Monday 25th at 9 am.

    09 5110 1200 (only in Finnish)

  • European Consumer Centre Finland

    Service time Mon–Thu from 9 am –12 pm

    European Consumer Centre Finland help consumers with problems related to cross-border trade. Our main themes are travel ande-commerce.

    +358 29 505 3090

Take your claim to the Consumer Disputes Board or report a violation of the law to the authorities

If a carrier violates your rights as a passenger, you can file a complaint with the relevant enforcement authority. Each EU country has an authority that enforces passenger rights under the EU Regulation.

If your train journey took place in another EU-country, send the complaint to the authority of the country where the incident occurred. You should file your complaint in English or in the language of the Member State in question.

Contact details of enforcement authorities in the EU countries

The supervisory authorities in Finland are the Consumer Ombudsman within the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority and the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom.