Your rights when a train is delayed

Two different texts can apply to the same delay, and they are not equal: one is a commercial promise the carrier can change, the other is European law it cannot. Here is what each one says.

Commercial commitment by SNCF Voyageurs

The G30 guarantee

It is the more generous of the two, and the one we build claims on: it starts at 30 minutes of delay, where the European regulation waits 1 h. In exchange, it is a promise the carrier made alone and can change alone.

30 min to 1 h 59 late: 25% of the ticket price.
2 h to 2 h 59: 50%.
3 h and over: 75%.
Below 1 h of delay the carrier only offers a voucher; a bank transfer is available from 1 h onwards.
Claims stay open for 90 days after the journey. After that they are refused without review.

Guide: the G30 guarantee in detail

European law, in force since 7 June 2023

European regulation 2021/782

It sets a floor the carrier cannot go below. On most delays the G30 guarantee is more favourable and is what applies — but this regulation is what protects you if the commercial promise ever changes, and it carries rights the G30 does not cover at all.

From 1 h of delay: 25% of the ticket price.
From 2 h: 50%.
Beyond compensation: assistance at the station, meals and accommodation where the wait requires it, and either continued travel or a full refund, your choice.
Those are not the rights we handle today: we build compensation claims, not assistance requests.

The two do not add up

One delay opens one compensation, not two. The more favourable text applies, and on an SNCF delay that is almost always the G30 guarantee. A platform that promises you both is quoting a figure it will not pay.

What we are not

We are not SNCF, we are not mandated by SNCF, and we are not a law firm. This page describes public rules; it is not legal advice, and a dispute headed for court is beyond what we do.