If your Trenitalia train reaches your destination 60 to 119 minutes behind schedule, you are entitled to 25% of the fare back; from 120 minutes it rises to 50%. On Frecciarossa, Frecciargento and Frecciabianca services there is an extra bonus of 25% for a ritardo of 30 to 59 minutes. If you expect to reach your destination an hour or more behind schedule before you set off, you can instead ask for a full refund. What counts is when you get to the end of your journey, not when you left.
Refunds, indennizzo and rerouting are different things
The vocabulary causes more confusion than the percentages. On Trenitalia forms you will see indennizzo for compensation (you traveled, but got there behind schedule) and rimborso for a refund (you gave up the journey, or part of it).
- Indennizzo: you complete the journey and get part of your ticket price back.
- Rimborso: the disruption is serious enough that you decide not to travel or not to continue, and the unused journey is refunded without the usual cancellation penalties.
- Riprotezione: you still want to get there, so the railway puts you on another service or an alternative route.
These rights apply even to cheap, non-refundable Economy and Super Economy fares. A promotional fare does not remove your rights under EU Regulation 2021/782 when the railway lets you down.
How much you get back
| Behind schedule at destination | Frecce, Intercity, international | Regional trains |
|---|---|---|
| 30 to 59 minutes | 25% bonus on Frecce only, for future travel | Nothing |
| 60 to 119 minutes | 25% of the fare | 25%, if the single fare was at least €16 |
| 120 minutes or more | 50% of the fare | 50%, if the single fare was at least €8 |
The percentage is based on what you actually paid, and amounts under €4 are not paid. Customer service at the station can check the figure for you. The 30 to 59 minute Frecce bonus is valid for 12 months on a new booking, is never paid as cash and cannot be combined with the 60-minute payment. Trenitalia sets out the current rules on its official compensation page.
Worked examples
To see how the numbers play out, take a €60 Frecciarossa ticket from Rome to Florence. If the train reaches Florence 40 minutes behind schedule, you get a €15 bonus toward future Trenitalia trains. At 75 minutes behind you are entitled to €15 back, and at two hours or more to €30, paid as a bonus, cash or a refund to your original payment method as you prefer.
A €13 regional ticket from Turin to Milan works differently. At 75 minutes behind schedule you get nothing, because 25% would fall below the €4 minimum; at two hours or more you get €6.50. If the train is cancelled before you set off, you can simply take a train refund for the full fare instead.
When to ask for your money back instead
The key question is what was expected before you finished the journey. If a cancellation, a missed connection on the same booking or a ritardo means you are expected to reach your destination at least 60 minutes behind schedule, you can choose to:
- abandon the journey and get a refund for the unused part;
- get a refund for the whole journey, plus a free return to your starting point, if the journey no longer serves any purpose;
- continue on the next available service under comparable conditions; or
- travel later, at a date that suits you.
Imagine you booked Florence to Bologna for a timed event and a cancellation means you would get there hours after it ends. You do not have to take whatever runs next just to protect your rights. A refund may simply be the better choice. You can ask for the refund at the ticket office before leaving the station, or send a refund request online afterwards.
Missed connections and how you booked
A problem on your first leg does not automatically protect every later leg. Protection for missed connections applies when the trains are on a single booking or through ticket, for example a Trenitalia journey with a change sold as one solution. In that case the delay is measured at the final destination.
Two tickets bought separately are different. A Frecciarossa booking followed by a separately bought Italo ticket is not a single protected journey, so Italo can apply its normal fare rules to the departure you missed. Keep the actual PDFs and booking codes, not just a booking site’s itinerary email. Our Italy by train beginner’s guide explains how operators and fares fit together.
What to do at the station
- Keep your ticket. Save the PDF, PNR or booking code, and do not delete it after boarding.
- Record the train number and the minutes behind schedule. A screenshot of the app or a photo of the departures board helps. Look for ritardo (running behind) and soppresso (cancelled).
- Ask before spending your own money. Go to Assistenza or the ticket office, or speak to the crew on board.
- Keep every receipt, especially if staff authorize a bus, a hotel or a meal.
Trenitalia compensation for delayed trains does not cover knock-on losses such as a missed flight on a separate booking, so check your travel insurance too.
No alternative after 100 minutes
If Trenitalia has not offered an alternative within 100 minutes of the scheduled departure, EU rules let you arrange comparable public transport yourself (rail, coach or bus) and ask Trenitalia to reimburse reasonable costs. A late-night taxi is not automatically covered, so try to get staff approval first.
Meals and hotels
When a train is an hour or more behind schedule or cancelled, you are entitled to reasonable meals and refreshments where available, and to a hotel and transfer if an overnight stay becomes necessary. Ask the assistance desk before booking anything yourself. If a disruption forces you to sleep somewhere else, you can rebuild your Italy itinerary once you know how and when the railway will get you there.
How to apply
For Frecce, Intercity and Intercity Notte journeys you can send a refund request or ask for compensation in several ways:
- the online form on the Trenitalia website (“Richiedi indennizzo”);
- the Trenitalia app or Smart Refund, for ticketless bookings;
- any Trenitalia ticket office, or the travel agency that sold the ticket;
- by mail to the operator’s complaints office in Rome.
You have 12 months after the journey to apply, and the operator must pay within a month. For an hour or more behind schedule you can choose a bonus for future tickets, cash if you paid cash, or a credit back to the payment method you used.
Automatic payment on digital regional tickets
Digital regional tickets bought directly from Trenitalia get an automatic refund to the card you paid with when the journey qualifies, so you do not need to request compensation separately. Paper regional tickets and journeys that do not qualify go through the online form, and you should keep the original until the case is closed.
Season ticket holders on regional services
Monthly and annual pass holders are entitled to 10% of a monthly pass (or a twelfth of 10% of an annual pass) when at least 10% of scheduled trains on their route in a month ran more than 15 minutes behind or were cancelled. Rules vary by region.
How Italo handles delays
Italo, the private high-speed operator that competes with Trenitalia on the main routes, pays the same 25% for 60 to 119 minutes and 50% from 120 minutes, but has no 30-minute bonus. It usually emails qualifying passengers automatically; if nothing arrives within 30 days, use Italo’s claims form. Italo also offers a choice between a refund and rerouting when it expects a service to be an hour or more behind schedule, so its refund rules for cancelled trains broadly mirror Trenitalia’s.
When the railway can refuse to pay
Reaching an hour behind schedule does not guarantee payment in every case. EU rules let the railway refuse compensation if the disruption was caused by extreme weather, a major natural disaster, a serious public-health crisis, the passenger’s own fault, or unavoidable third parties such as people on the tracks or cable theft. Ordinary bad weather does not automatically qualify, and strikes by the railway’s own staff are not an excuse.
You also lose the percentage payment if you knew about the problem before you booked, or if rerouting gets you there less than an hour behind schedule. And if you take a full refund, you cannot also receive 25% or 50% on top for the same journey.
If Trenitalia rejects your request
Start with Trenitalia’s own complaints page, giving the train number, date, booking code, scheduled and actual times, and exactly what you are asking for. The railway must answer within a month (up to three in justified cases), and there is also a free conciliation procedure.
If the answer is unsatisfactory or does not come, you can complain to the national transport regulator, ART, through its SiTe portal. Residents log in with SPID or CIE, while foreign travelers can register with an email address and an ID document. Attach your original complaint, any reply and your ID.
Trenitalia refunds FAQ
What is the cancellation policy?
For delays, you get 25% of the fare for 60 to 119 minutes and 50% for two hours or more, plus a 25% bonus on Frecce for 30 to 59 minutes. Voluntary cancellations depend on the fare: Base fares can be refunded with a deduction, while Economy and Super Economy fares cannot, unless the railway causes the disruption.
Do I get anything for 45 minutes behind schedule?
Only on a Freccia, as the 25% bonus for future travel. Regional, Intercity and Italo services pay nothing below an hour.
How long does payment take?
Payment of a refund or compensation is due within a month of your request. Digital regional tickets are refunded automatically to your card.
Are there any train delays in Italy today?
Check the Trenitalia app or the “Infomobilità” section of the official website for live running information, and the station boards for your train.
Is there a luggage limit on the Frecciarossa?
There is no weight limit, but luggage must fit in the racks above or behind your seat, and very large items may not be accepted. Pack so you can lift your own bags.