If before the departure of the train it seems likely that the train will be delayed by more than 60 minutes when reaching its final destination, you can choose between the following options:
Compensation for a delay in your journey: If the train is delayed when arriving at your destination, you may be entitled to a standard compensation. The minimum compensation paid is EUR 4, and the sum is payable within one month of the submission of your claim. The compensation is not applicable if you have been informed about the delay prior to purchasing the ticket. The minimum compensations are:
Passengers who are affected by repeated delays and cancellations during the validity of a train pass or a season ticket can claim compensation according to the compensations system applied by VR.
The right to standard compensation available to passengers of long-distance train service effective by virtue of the Railway Transport Act and the Regulation on rail passengers' rights and obligations does not apply to capital area commuter train service operating under alphabetical codes (regional train service from Helsinki to Kirkkonummi, Karjaa, Vantaankoski, Riihimäki and Lahti and between Lahti and Riihimäki) .
In the commuter train service of the capital area, it is possible to claim price reduction for your season ticket when the service delivered by VR does not correspond to the promises made, for example due to repeated delays and cancellations.
Yet, all delays and cancellations do not automatically constitute deficient service. Considering the nature of train traffic, the consumer should prepare for delays, cancellations and changes in train service caused by factors such as weather conditions even in the case of commuter train service. In order to constitute deficient service that would justify a price reduction, e.g. for season tickets, the delays must be repeated and exceptionally difficult.
Deficiency in service must be verified. To claim a refund, passengers with season tickets must have information about which train services they have been using as well as specific information about the delays they have been affected by.
If you are travelling on regional or commuter trains using tickets from a service provider other than VR (for example Helsinki City Transport Travel Card), it can be useful to contact the company from whom you have purchased the ticket for instructions.
If you have suffered financial loss due to a delay or cancellation in train service, you may be entitled to compensation. This applies to both long-distance train service and commuter train service in the capital area. You may claim compensation for additional costs you have incurred through having missed a connection.
The claim must contain sufficient evidence of the financial loss, e.g. by enclosure of a receipt of the additional expenses. Compensation for a delay or cancellation in train service cannot exceed EUR 5000 per passenger.
The claim for compensation is not justifiable if the passenger can be reasonably assumed to have been able to prepare for the delay in advance, for example due to weather conditions, or if VR would seem to have taken all reasonable precautions to avoid the loss. VR can avoid liability if it is able to prove that the delay was caused by a defect in the track or in its equipment that the company could not reasonably have been expected to foresee. A defect in rolling stock does not exempt VR from liability.
You may claim compensation for financial loss even having received the standard compensation for long-distance train service for the same delay. The amount of standard compensation is not deducted from the amount of compensation for financial loss.