A late train in Sweden is worth money, but only if you claim it, and only if you claim from the right place. This page walks through the whole process, from the screenshot on the platform to the consumer-disputes board.
When you need this
Your train has just arrived late and you want to know whether a claim is worth the effort. Or it’s running late right now and you’re wondering whether to jump in a taxi. Or you bought a regional ticket in an app and can’t work out who to claim from, or the operator has offered a voucher and you’d rather have money.
Which rules apply to your train
Sweden has two sets of delay rules, and the dividing line is the length of the train’s route, not the length of your ride. Domestic services whose route is shorter than 150 km fall under Sweden’s own passenger law, Lag (2015:953) om kollektivtrafikresenärers rättigheter. Everything else runs under EU Regulation 2021/782. Konsumentverket, the consumer agency, describes the split the same way: it’s about the tågsträcka (train route).
So a 60 km hop on a Stockholm–Gothenburg train is an EU journey. And any trip from Sweden to another EU country is covered by the EU rules, whatever its length.
| Train route 150 km or more, or cross-border (EU rules) | Domestic route under 150 km (Swedish law) | |
|---|---|---|
| Compensation | 25% of the fare at 60–119 min late; 50% from 120 min | 50% after 20 min; 75% after 40; 100% after 60 |
| Your own alternative transport | Other train, coach or bus only if no rerouting is offered within 100 min | Taxi or own car if a delay of more than 20 min is expected, up to a cap |
| Meals, hotel | Owed at 60 min or more | Not part of the Swedish law |
| Deadline | Two months in operators’ terms; EU complaint window is three months | Two months is always in time |
The delay is measured at your final destination. On a return ticket, each leg is compensated against its own price, or half the ticket price if no leg price is shown.
How to claim, step by step
- Record the delay. Screenshot the departure board or app with the planned and actual times. Keep your ticket or booking confirmation.
- Check which rules apply using the train’s full route, as above.
- Decide about a taxi before you take one. See the next section: getting this wrong can leave the taxi bill with you.
- Find the right claim address. This depends on who sold the ticket:
- Long-distance operators (SJ, VR, Snälltåget) handle their own tickets. At Snälltåget, go to My Journey, log in with your booking number and email, and choose “Delayed?”.
- Regional tickets belong to the regional transport authority (länstrafikbolag), not the train company. For a pre-booked single, claim from the authority in the county where your trip started. For an app or ticket-machine ticket, claim from the authority that sold it.
- Resplus tickets, which combine several operators, go through the Resplus claim form.
- Send it in writing. Use the operator’s online form or the EU common form, which every operator must accept and may not reject just because you didn’t use their own. It’s available in every EU language, including an accessible PDF. Include your booking reference, date, train number, planned and actual arrival, the price paid, any receipts, and how you want to be paid.
- Wait a month, then chase. EU compensation is due within one month of your claim.
Claim on the day if you can. The details are fresh, the screenshot is on your phone, and you’re well inside the two-month window that both regimes treat as safe.
Taking a taxi
The two sets of rules part ways here.
On a service under 150 km, if a delay of more than 20 minutes can reasonably be expected, you may take a taxi or drive, and claim reasonable costs. The cap is one-fortieth of Sweden’s price base amount, which works out at 1,480 kr in 2026. Some regional authorities are more generous: Västtrafik states 1,500 kr per passenger. Driving is compensated at the Swedish Tax Agency’s tax-free mileage rate, within the same cap. Keep the original receipt, because Västtrafik requires it.
There’s a catch that almost no guide mentions. Under the Swedish law you get either the taxi costs or the percentage refund, not both. Claim whichever is larger.
On an EU journey, ask staff for rerouting first. If no rerouting option is given within 100 minutes of the scheduled departure, you may book another train, coach or bus yourself and claim the costs. The regulation doesn’t list taxis, so a taxi fare on a long-distance delay may be refused unless the operator agreed to it.
At a delay of 60 minutes or more on an EU journey you’re also owed meals and refreshments in proportion to the wait, a hotel if you have to stay overnight, and transport to it. You can choose a full refund instead of continuing, but a refund ends the trip and excludes delay compensation on top.
Getting paid
Under the EU rules the operator may offer vouchers, but it must pay in money if you ask. It has to pay within one month, may not deduct bank fees, and may not set a minimum payout above €4 per ticket.
Regional authorities pay through channels built around Swedish bank accounts:
| Authority | How it pays | Visitor snag |
|---|---|---|
| Mälardalstrafik (Mälartåg) | Swish, Swedbank’s SUS register or manual bank transfer | Swish and SUS need a Swedish bank |
| Västtrafik | Voucher code or money, via SUS or a mailed payment notice | The digital form requires Swedish BankID |
If you have no Swedish bank account, ask for a transfer to your IBAN. Without BankID, use Västtrafik’s phone line or send a written claim instead of the online form.
When there’s no compensation
Under the EU rules, the operator owes no compensation if it can prove the delay came from:
- Extraordinary events unconnected with running the railway: extreme weather, major natural disasters, major public-health crises
- Third parties it couldn’t guard against: people on the track, cable theft, on-board emergencies, police action, sabotage or terrorism
- Your own fault
What doesn’t count as an excuse: strikes by the operator’s own staff, another train company on the same tracks, or failures by the infrastructure manager. Even when compensation is excluded, your rights to a refund, rerouting, meals and a hotel remain.
The Swedish law has a similar exception for causes outside the operation that the operator couldn’t avoid. As written, it removes only the percentage refund and doesn’t mention the taxi costs.
Other situations with no payout:
- You knew before you bought. No EU compensation if you were told about the delay before buying, or if rerouting kept you under 60 minutes late.
- Announced timetable changes. On short services, if a retiming or cancellation was published at least three days ahead, the delay is judged against the new time, unless your ticket states the arrival time.
- Delays outside the EU. Time the operator can show was lost in Norway, on a Narvik trip for example, doesn’t count toward EU compensation.
If your claim is refused
Ask for a written, reasoned answer. Under the EU rules the operator must reply within one month, or explain why it needs longer, up to three months. Then:
- ARN (Allmänna reklamationsnämnden), the national consumer-disputes board, rules on the dispute. Filing costs 150 kr, English is accepted unless the company objects, and your complaint must reach ARN within a year of first complaining to the company. A decision takes about six months. ARN issues recommendations rather than binding rulings, but most companies follow them.
- ARN’s value floor is 750 kr for disputes under EU passenger-rights rules and 1,500 kr for other travel disputes. Most short regional claims fall below it.
- Konsumentverket is where EU journeys can be reported within three months of a rejection, or after three months without an answer.
- Konsument Europa, Sweden’s European Consumer Centre, gives free help with cross-border problems within the EU, Iceland and Norway, and is part of a network with offices in 29 countries.
A claim under the Swedish law can go to court for up to three years. You don’t need a paid claim service at any stage: the operator’s form and the EU common form are free.
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Which rules | Train’s route under 150 km (domestic): Swedish law; otherwise EU rules |
| EU compensation | 25% at 60–119 min; 50% from 120 min |
| Swedish compensation | 50% after 20 min; 75% after 40; 100% after 60 |
| Taxi cap, short services | 1,480 kr in 2026 (Västtrafik: 1,500 kr per passenger) |
| EU self-rerouting | Other train, coach or bus after 100 min without an offer |
| Payment | Within one month; money on request; no fee deductions |
| Maximum minimum-payout threshold | €4 per ticket |
| Claim deadline | Two months is safe under both regimes |
| ARN | 150 kr fee; floor 750 kr (EU passenger rights) or 1,500 kr |
FAQ
How do I claim compensation for a delayed train in Sweden?
Claim in writing from whoever sold your ticket. Long-distance operators such as SJ, VR and Snälltåget handle their own tickets online; regional tickets go to the regional transport authority, and Resplus tickets through the Resplus form. Include your booking reference, train number, date, planned and actual arrival, receipts and payment details. The EU common form works with any operator.
How long do I have to claim?
Two months is the safe limit. Under the Swedish law for short services, a claim within two months of the trip is always in time, and later claims must be within a “reasonable time”. Operators such as Snälltåget set two months for EU journeys too. The EU regulation itself gives three months for a complaint. Claim on the day if you can.
Can I get cash instead of a voucher?
Yes, on EU journeys: the operator may offer vouchers, but it must pay compensation in money if you ask, within one month, and without deducting bank fees. Regional authorities usually pay by Swish, Swedbank’s SUS register or bank transfer, all built around Swedish accounts, so visitors should ask for an international transfer to their IBAN.
Do I get compensation if the delay was caused by weather?
Usually not under EU rules: extreme weather counts as an extraordinary circumstance, as do people on the track, cable theft or sabotage, if the operator can prove it. Staff strikes and track faults do not count. You still keep the right to a refund, rerouting, meals and a hotel. Short services have a similar exception under Swedish law.
Can I claim for a taxi when my train is late?
On a service under 150 km, yes: if a delay of more than 20 minutes is expected, Swedish law covers reasonable taxi or driving costs, up to 1,480 kr in 2026, instead of the percentage refund. On longer EU journeys, ask staff first; you may book another train, coach or bus yourself only after 100 minutes without a rerouting offer.
What if the train company rejects my claim?
Ask for a written, reasoned answer, then take it to ARN, Sweden’s consumer-disputes board. Filing costs 150 kr, English is accepted unless the company objects, and the claim must reach ARN within a year of your first complaint. EU passenger-rights disputes need at least 750 kr at stake. ARN’s decisions are recommendations, but most companies follow them.
Does the 150 km rule depend on my trip or the train’s route?
On the train’s route. Sweden exempts only domestic services whose route is shorter than 150 km from the EU rules. A short hop on a long-distance train is therefore an EU journey: compensation starts at 60 minutes, not 20. Any trip from Sweden to another EU country is covered by the EU rules whatever its length.
Related guides
- Train travel in Sweden: who runs which trains and how reliable they are
- Buying train tickets in Sweden: through-tickets and Resplus protect your connections
- Night trains to Lapland: the long ride where meals and hotels come into play
- Taxis in Sweden: what the taxi you claim for should cost
- Travel insurance for Sweden: what compensation doesn’t cover, like a missed flight
Facts verified 2026-09-24. Sources: Sveriges riksdag (Lag 2015:953), EU Regulation 2021/782 on EUR-Lex, the European Commission, Konsumentverket, Transportstyrelsen, Allmänna reklamationsnämnden, Konsument Europa, Samtrafiken, and the operators and authorities Snälltåget, Mälardalstrafik and Västtrafik. The full list is in this topic’s source file. The taxi cap changes every January, and this page is due for review in early January 2027. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.