Rail passengers faced chaos yesterday (Tuesday, June 21) as approximately 80% of train services were cancelled.

Fewer than one in five trains ran on Tuesday after members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) on Network Rail (NR) and 13 train operators staged the first of three walkouts, with strikes set to follow on Thursday and Saturday.

The joint action caused travel chaos across the UK, with journeys taking longer and roads rammed with traffic as people switched to cars or buses to get to work.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the turnout at picket lines on Tuesday was “fantastic” and had exceeded expectations in the union’s campaign for job security, defending conditions and a decent pay rise.

Craven Herald: Thousands of train will be cancelled over the strikes this week (PA)Thousands of train will be cancelled over the strikes this week (PA)

Those who bought a ticket for the day may well have had their train cancelled, and there is a way to apply for compensation for it if that is the case.

How to get a refund if your train was cancelled

The first step to getting a refund is to look up the train company that would have run your service had it not been cancelled and see how much you can get back.

You should keep hold of your tickets if you need to take a picture of them or scan them, and make a note of why your service was cancelled.


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Then find the claim form on the relevant train company's website to fill in (MoneySavingExpert.com have a full list on the website here).

You should have 28 days to apply for the refund.

Alternatively, single-use tickets for strike days can be used the day before the date on the ticket, or up until Tuesday next week (June 28).

As reported by MoneySavingExpert.com if you want to swap single-use tickets for an alternative date later than June 28, check with the rail company or the firm you purchased the tickets from.