LNER

Company Overview

What customers complain about

Complaint categories

1. 1
   Delays and cancellations on the East Coast Main Line

   Punctuality and reliability is the single most common cause of rail complaints nationally, and disruption on the East Coast route drives Delay Repay claims and complaints to LNER.

   The ORR's October 2024–March 2025 release found punctuality and reliability was the top complaint category across operators (20.8% of all complaints); LNER directs delay compensation claims to its Delay Repay scheme.
2. 2
   Crowding and seat reservations

   On busy long-distance services, complaints centre on having sufficient room to sit or stand and on reserved-seat problems.

   'Sufficient room for all passengers to sit or stand' was the second most common national complaint category (12.4%) in the ORR's Oct 2024–Mar 2025 statistics.
3. 3
   On-board facilities and ticketing

   Complaints about facilities on board (including catering and Wi-Fi) and about ticketing, refunds and the compensation-claims process feature prominently.

   The ORR reported 'facilities on board' (7.4%), 'ticketing and refunds policy' (6.0%) and 'compensation claims process' (4.8%) among the top five national categories for Oct 2024–Mar 2025.

Contact methods

• LNER Customer Solutions — phone03457 225 333
• LNER Customer Solutions — emailcustomers@LNER.co.uk
• LNER Customer Solutions — post (Freepost)LNER, Freepost RTUH-TUGH-GCLZ, Cramlington, NE23 1WG
• LNER online complaint / feedback form
• Rail Ombudsman (independent escalation)0330 094 0362

Complaint journey

1. 1

   Contact LNER Customer Solutions

   Raise it directly with LNER by phone, email, online form or Freepost — or with staff at the station.

   Typical responseWithin 10 working days
   What happens

   Speak to LNER staff on the day if you can — they will try to resolve it on the spot. Otherwise contact the Customer Solutions team by phone (03457 225 333), email (customers@LNER.co.uk), the online feedback form, or Freepost RTUH-TUGH-GCLZ, Cramlington, NE23 1WG. Every complaint gets an acknowledgement and a reference number. LNER aims to respond within 10 working days.

2. 2

   Allow time for a full investigation

   Complex cases take longer; LNER should keep you updated while it investigates.

   Typical responseUp to 20 working days
   What happens

   If your complaint is complex it may take up to 20 working days, with a progress update within 10 working days. LNER states it is committed to responding to at least 95% of correspondence within 20 working days, in line with ORR guidance.

3. 3

   Ask for a senior manager review

   If you are unhappy with the reply, ask LNER to escalate it internally.

   Typical responseVaries
   What happens

   If you are not satisfied with the response, you can ask for your case to be escalated within LNER. It will be reviewed by a senior manager who will make further contact to try to reach a resolution.

4. 4

   Get a final response ('deadlock letter')

   This is LNER's final answer, or the point 40 working days have passed — the trigger to escalate externally.

   Typical responseUp to 40 working days
   What happens

   You can go to the Rail Ombudsman once you have LNER's final response (sometimes called a 'deadlock letter'), or once 40 working days have passed since LNER received your complaint. You have up to 12 months from the final response to appeal.

5. 5

   Appeal to the Rail Ombudsman

   Free, independent dispute resolution whose decision binds LNER.

   Typical responseBinding decision
   What happens

   The Rail Ombudsman resolves ongoing complaints between passengers and rail companies free of charge, based on the evidence. Contact it on 0330 094 0362, info@railombudsman.org or railombudsman.org. If your complaint is out of scope for the Ombudsman (for example, about industry policy or how a service was designed), it is passed to the watchdogs Transport Focus or London TravelWatch. LNER must act on the Ombudsman's binding decision.

Response times

If your complaint isn’t resolved

If LNER can’t put things right, you can escalate — free of charge — to an independent body:

• Rail OmbudsmanRail
• AviationADRFlights

Recent news

• 5 November 2025

  The Railways Bill was introduced to Parliament to establish Great British Railways (GBR), a publicly owned body combining track and train; publicly owned operators such as LNER are set to move under GBR.

  Read more
• 14 December 2025

  LNER introduced a new East Coast Main Line timetable adding tens of thousands of extra seats per week, alongside plans for a new Class 897 fleet (branded 'Serenza') to succeed the Azuma trains.

  Read more
• 4 December 2024

  LNER's owner, DfT OLR Holdings Limited, was renamed DfT Operator Limited (DFTO) following the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, reflecting its expanded role bringing operators into public ownership.

  Read more

Earlier cases

• 24 June 2018

  Historic: the InterCity East Coast contract was returned to public control after Virgin Trains East Coast (Stagecoach/Virgin) ran into financial difficulty, and London North Eastern Railway began operating the route as the operator of last resort.

  Read more

Know your rights

• Consumer Rights Act 2015

  LNER's own complaints booklet cites the Act, which requires a service to be performed with reasonable care and skill. Where a rail service falls short, this can support a claim — separate from Delay Repay, which is a contractual compensation scheme. This is general information, not legal advice.

• National Rail Conditions of Travel

  The industry-wide contract between passengers and operators governs tickets, refunds and compensation on LNER services; LNER handles compensation in line with these conditions and its Passenger's Charter.

Frequently asked questions