Avanti West Coast paid out £20m in ‘delay repay’ passenger refunds this summer

In the summer of 2025, Avanti West Coast, an intercity train operator, paid out over £20 million in refunds to passengers due to train delays across Britain's main intercity rail network. This figure was nearly as much as the operator's annual profits from the previous two years. In a four-week period leading up to July, Avanti paid out £9.3 million, matching its annual profits for those two years.

The operator's compensation bill for delays continued to rise in the following weeks, with an additional £12.2 million paid out.

The cost of paying out refunds has been rising across the railway network, with Avanti West Coast being the biggest payer, although not at this scale before. Most train operators have not yet released their payouts for the year. According to the Department for Transport's latest published financial figures, the total passenger compensation for delays across the railway network reached £150 million in 2024-25, an 8% increase from the previous year. Avanti accounted for about 27% of this, paying out £40.5 million.

Factors contributing to the soaring compensation bill include fare inflation, efforts to make passengers aware of their rights, and the delays themselves. Compensation payments have become more automated, with some operators proactively refunding passengers who have been delayed. Avanti West Coast, which is expected to be taken into public ownership next year as part of Great British Railways, is projected to pay out more than £70 million this financial year.

The operator's peak payout period included a heatwave that saw fewer than half of its trains run on time, with passengers delayed by an average of 19 minutes. A notable incident during this period was a large herd of cows blocking the tracks for several hours on a Tuesday.