Seeking Advice: Refund for Disrupted Trains – Sept 22 & 24

Maya07

Hi everyone,

I recently returned from a trip and am hoping for advice on requesting a refund for two seriously disrupted journeys:
• Sept 22 – Zürich HB to Milan Central: The train unexpectedly stopped at Chiasso, two stops early, with no prior notice. I had to arrange my own transport to Milan at significant cost.
• Sept 24 – Milan Central to Zürich HB: The train was completely cancelled without any prior warning.

I was traveling alone, and both situations caused considerable stress and unexpected expenses.

Has anyone successfully requested a refund in situations like this? What’s the best approach to ensure SBB takes the disruption and associated costs seriously?

Thanks so much for any guidance!

Maya

RolandP

Hello Maya07

The train was cancelled due to the severe weather conditions. It has been communicated on multiple channels.

Please contact the company from which you have purchased the ticket for a possible refund.

Kind regards,
Roland

Danhiel

Hello Maya07

Please note that only the tickets could be refunded, but not the associated costs, because the transporter (which is Trenitalia, not SBB) was not responsible for this situation.

Kind regards
Danhiel

Maya07

Hello Roland and Danhiel,

Thank you for your responses. I’m not fully understanding because I booked my tickets through SBB directly.

It was not disclosed prior to my leaving Zürich HB station that the final stop would be Chiasso station.

It was only mentioned that the train would be stopping at the Chiasso station just ONE stop before Chiasso station.

If I had known before, leaving Zürich, I could have made other arrangements or skipped my trip altogether to avoid the stress of travelling and navigating alone.

Kind regards,

Maya

Danhiel

Maya07

On what time did you leave Zürich? According to Gemini the first significant rainfall began around 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM. It then intensified during the evening and night. The line was probably not interrupted when you left Zürich, otherwise this information would have been announced.

EDIT I asked again the AI: it indicates an interruption in Como at 7:30 PM.

In such cases you always have the option to interrupt your trip and return to your departure station. A full ticket refund is guaranteed.

Krist

I am wondering. When you contacted the staff at the station in Chiasso, or on the train, what instructions did you get? Because railways are obligated to take care of you, even in cases where the interruption is beyond their control.

Danhiel

Krist Because railways are obligated to take care of you, even in cases where the interruption is beyond their control.

Yes, you’re right, but the staff has 100 minutes to take care, and, in this particular case, it was not possible to organize replacement buses. It would still have been possible to reach Milan via Varese, but I don’t know if the line was open. It is probably better to search immediately alternatives and not to wait for staff support when hundreds of persons are affected, but I can understand that not everyone has the knowledge to do this.

Maya07

Hello Danhiel,

My train departed Zürich at 10:55 AM and was scheduled to arrive in Milan at 13:50, so the interruption took place much earlier than the evening issues being mentioned.

Also, as someone traveling alone in another country, I did not sit and wait; I immediately acted on my own. That said, it’s not fair to assume all passengers know alternate rail routes or should arrange everything themselves without proper guidance especially in a country where English is not the first language.

Krist – they only provided a shuttle from Chiasso to Como. After that, we were all told to manage on our own, and there were hundreds of us stranded. At Chiasso station, they did mention that there were no trains running, and no taxis running… the suggestion was to take the shuttle to the station in Como and figure out what to do from there.

The problem isn’t that a disruption occurred, but that there was no prior information and no continued assistance.

I’m only trying to get clarity on refunds in situations like this.

Danhiel

Hello Maya07

The problem was not due to the flooding as we thought, it was probably due to a strike:

https://www.italiaoggi.it/economia-e-politica/attualita/sciopero-22-settembre-2025-treni-taxi-e-mezzi-pubblici-fermi-in-tutta-italia-fasce-orarie-e-servizi-garantiti-aawda5j7

This is different because Trenitalia is responsible, but I think that it is impossible to offer assistance in this situation. The only obligation in Italy is to offer a limited service at the peak times (18:00 - 21:00).

The EU rules are the following:

Where it is reasonably to be expected, either at departure or in the event of a missed connection or a cancellation, that arrival at the final destination under the transport contract will be subject to a delay of 60 minutes or more, the railway undertaking operating the delayed or cancelled service shall immediately offer the passenger the choice between one of the following options, and shall make the necessary arrangements:

(a) reimbursement of the full cost of the ticket, under the conditions by which it was paid, for the part or parts of his or her journey not made and for the part or parts already made if the journey is no longer serving any purpose in relation to the passenger’s original travel plan, together with, when relevant, a return service to the first point of departure at the earliest opportunity;

(b) continuation or re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to the final destination at the earliest opportunity;

© continuation or re-routing, under comparable transport conditions, to the final destination at a later date at the passenger’s convenience.

Where, for the purposes of points (b) and © of paragraph 1, comparable re-routing is operated by the same railway undertaking or another undertaking is commissioned to perform the re-routing, this shall not generate additional costs to the passenger. This requirement also applies where the re-routing involves the use of transport of a higher service class and alternative modes of transport. Railway undertakings shall make reasonable efforts to avoid additional connections and to ensure that delay in the total travel time is as short as possible. Passengers shall not be downgraded to transport facilities of a lower class unless such facilities are the only re-routing means available.

Without prejudice to paragraph 2, the railway undertaking may allow the passenger, at his or her request, to conclude contracts with other providers of transport services which enable the passenger to reach the final destination under comparable conditions, in which case the railway undertaking shall reimburse the passenger for the costs that he or she incurs.

Where the available re-routing options are not communicated to the passenger within 100 minutes from the scheduled departure time of the delayed or cancelled service or the missed connection, the passenger shall be entitled to conclude such a contract with other providers of public transport services by rail, coach or bus. The railway undertaking shall reimburse the passenger for the necessary, appropriate and reasonable costs that he or she incurs.

If you think that you could obtain a refund and/or to claim about the poor information in Switzerland, you can submit a complaint here:

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

Kind regards
Danhiel