Ticket Refund Inquiry Due to Train Delay and Rerouting

christinemarieq

Hi everyone,

Yesterday, my international train (booked via SBB) was delayed by 80 minutes due to a “technical issue caused by a train” (as stated in the app). Since it was late in the evening, I was concerned the train might be canceled and didn’t want to risk being stranded. I chose to take an alternative route and purchased separate tickets to complete my journey.

Am I eligible for a refund on the original ticket? I have proof of purchase for both the original and alternative tickets.

The trip crossed two country borders—Germany and Austria—before entering Switzerland, but again, the original ticket was purchased through SBB.

I’d appreciate any guidance on how to proceed. Thank you!

RolandP

Hello christinemarieq

As we are not the customer service, we cannot give ultimate advice. We do not have sufficient information such as the fare conditions.

As a basic principle, it is the responsibility of the railway company at the point where you missed your connection to offer you alternative transport for your onward journey or to return to your point of departure.

In such situations, it is advisable to discuss alternative travel plans with the railway company before taking actions on its own, especially if the latter is based on an assumption and not on a fact. Perhaps the railway comany has had foreseen measures to avoid a cancellation.

You might be able to get a refund for the ticket you did not use, but the non-use needs to be confirmed by the staff, normally.

You can find more information here:

Can I organise my onward journey independently in the case of a missed connection or cancellation?

Please kindly contact the SBB customer service for a definite answer:

https://www.sbb.ch/en/help-and-contact/customer-service/praise-comments/reklamation.html

Kind regards,
Roland

christinemarieq

RolandP Thank you for your reply. You are always really helpful and thorough!

I understand the gist of your advice, but the technical failure happened suddenly, a train was vacated and all trains for that route were immediately stopped. The app was saying that there was a chance of cancellation of the train completely. Even though the app reported an 80-min delay, the train did eventually run and arrived just short of an hour delay (55-minutes). Caught between needing to be at my destination in order to work the next day and waiting for any instruction from SBB or ÖBB (since this segment of the ticket was run by them) I had to make my priority getting there.

The train itself was an SBB train, but the malfunction of the train that prompted the stop and evacuation of all passengers from the train took place in Germany…no alternatives were offered on the app by SBB or ÖBB…

I will try the other links that you provided. Thanks again for your help!

Krist

christinemarieq The train itself was an SBB train, but the malfunction of the train that prompted the stop and evacuation of all passengers from the train took place in Germany…no alternatives were offered on the app by SBB or ÖBB…

I think you may have misunderstood a bit how train travel works. If this was in Germany this was a DB train. That it might have SBB logo’s on the outside is immaterial. You were travelling on DB, and it was up to DB to provide you with an alternative. So you should have asked them. Also you did not need to buy new tickets. If you were able to find atleratnive trains you could have just gotten on those trains with your existing ticket.

Tickets are for a route, not a train. So if you have a ticket from <unknonwn place you are not telling us> to <other unknown place you are not telling us> than you can take that ticket, and board alternative services if the original service you booked is not, or no longer running. Never should you have to pay extra because of something the railway did.

I would try to get a refund for the ticket you erronously purchased under the assumption that you needed it, as you obviously did not need it and hence it is still unused.

And when coming here do not be shy. You can tell us which train it was. That helps us giving better advise.

christinemarieq

Update:

I wanted to say thank you for all the helpful information shared here — it really made a difference. I wanted to report back with SBB’s response to my situation, in case it helps someone else in the future.
1. Case-by-case basis: Since my journey involved different train lines across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, SBB confirmed there’s no universal protocol in such cases. However, because the delay (80 minutes) and possible cancellation caused a significant disruption, the cost of my alternative route was considered a refundable inconvenience. SBB fully reimbursed me for the extra tickets I purchased.
2. Advice for next time: If a similar situation arises, it’s best to find the ticket controller before they reach you on any alternative trains. Explain the delay and ask how they’d prefer to handle the situation. While there is a risk of being fined for boarding without a valid ticket for that specific train, proactively explaining might help avoid that. That said, because penalties for traveling without a ticket can be quite steep, buying a new ticket in advance — even if you hope to get it refunded later — might be the safer route.
3. Standard delay refund policy: Per SBB policy, delays of 60+ minutes entitle you to a 25% refund. For delays of 120+ minutes, it’s 50%. I received the 25% refund for the delayed train in addition to the alternative ticket reimbursement.

SBB was really helpful and guided me through the entire process. I wouldn’t have known how to approach this without the advice from this community — thank you again!