SJ Delay – We help you get compensation

If the journey is over 150 km

If your SJ train is delayed by more than 60 minutes and your destination is more than 150 km away, you are entitled to compensation under EU law. You have the right to choose between:

• Continuing the journey with the same ticket.
• Being rebooked on the next available departure, including replacement buses.
• Rebooking to another day at no extra cost. In that case you waive your right to receive any money back for the original ticket.
• Interrupting the journey and receiving a full refund for the part you did not complete, plus a free return trip to your original departure station if needed.

It doesn't matter whether you travel within Sweden or internationally—the same rules apply as long as you travel with SJ.

If the journey is under 150 km

If the total distance of the trip is shorter than 150 km and SJ cannot guarantee you will arrive with less than a 20-minute delay, you have the right to choose between:

• Continuing the journey and receiving compensation in the form of a price reduction.
• Being rebooked on an alternative route.
• Interrupting the journey and receiving the full ticket price back.
• Taking an alternative mode of transport (e.g. taxi) with a cap of SEK 1,470.

If the journey is over 150 km

If you choose to continue to your final destination and do not rebook the ticket for another day, you are entitled to get money back for your train ticket:

• 60–119 minutes delay: 25% of the ticket price in compensation
• 120 minutes or more: 50% of the ticket price in compensation

If the journey is under 150 km

If you continue to your final destination you are entitled to the following price reductions:

• 20–39 minutes delay: 50% of the ticket price.
• 40–59 minutes delay: 75% of the ticket price.
• 60 minutes or more: 100% of the ticket price.

If the journey is over 150 km

For delays of 60 minutes or more, SJ must offer meals and refreshments proportional to the waiting time, provided they are available on the train or at the station. Keep receipts if you have to buy food yourself.

If the journey is under 150 km

There is no statutory right to food and drinks for delays on routes shorter than 150 km. SJ's travel terms also do not give any explicit guarantee of receiving food or drinks for short-distance delays.

If the journey is over 150 km

If a delay or cancellation means you cannot continue your trip on the same day, SJ must offer you a hotel room or other accommodation when an overnight stay is necessary.

This only applies if the delay is caused by the train operator and not by extraordinary circumstances (such as extreme weather or sabotage).

Save receipts for all expenses related to the delay—SJ must reimburse reasonable costs.

If the journey is under 150 km

There is no statutory right to accommodation for delays on routes shorter than 150 km.

If the journey is over 150 km

For trips over 150 km the rules for alternative routes are somewhat unclear. Only if SJ cannot offer you a suitable rebooking within 100 minutes of the scheduled departure do you have the right to book other transport to reach your destination.

The compensation must cover necessary, appropriate, and reasonable costs, assessed case by case. For these long journeys there is no fixed statutory cap in the EU regulation.

SJ often applies a cap of around SEK 1,470 even for these journeys. If the cost is higher you need to justify why the full amount was a “necessary and reasonable” measure. Always talk to SJ before booking alternative travel so you don't risk being denied compensation.

If the journey is under 150 km

If the train risks being delayed by at least 20 minutes to your final destination and the train company cannot arrange suitable replacement transport, you have the right to arrange other transport yourself.

• You may then use another bus, your own car, or a taxi.
• You can claim these costs afterwards, but with a maximum of SEK 1,470 per trip. Always keep the receipt.

All rights regarding alternative transport (taxi), food, and accommodation apply to you as described above. The difference is how your financial compensation (price reduction) is calculated, because you do not have a ticket price for a single journey.

To calculate your compensation, an average ticket price per trip is used, based on the price of your season ticket and the number of travel days or journeys it is meant to cover.

If the season ticket covers journeys over 150 km

Let's say you have an SJ 30-day pass for a route over 150 km that costs SEK 6,600. SJ usually divides the price of a 30-day pass by 22 to arrive at the average price per single journey.

In this case SEK 300 is the ticket price used for the rules below:

• 60–119 minutes delay: 25% of the average ticket price.
• 120 minutes or more: 50% of the average ticket price.

If the season ticket covers journeys under 150 km

Let's say you have an SJ 30-day pass for a route under 150 km that costs SEK 5,500. SJ usually divides the price of a 30-day pass by 22 to arrive at the average price per single journey.

In this case SEK 250 is the ticket price used for the rules below:

• 20–39 minutes delay: 50% of the average ticket price.
• 40–59 minutes delay: 75% of the average ticket price.
• 60 minutes or more: 100% of the average ticket price.