Southeastern

Company Overview

What customers complain about

Complaint categories

1. 1
   Punctuality and reliability

   Delays and cancellations are consistently the single largest source of rail complaints. For Southeastern's high-frequency London, Kent and East Sussex commuter services this typically drives Delay Repay claims alongside service complaints.

   Punctuality and reliability was the most common complaint category across Great Britain in April-September 2025 (17.5% of all complaints), per ORR. Category shares by individual operator are published by ORR in Table 4133.
2. 2
   Crowding - room to sit or stand

   Insufficient room for all passengers is a recurring complaint on busy commuter routes into London, particularly at peak times.

   'Sufficient room for all passengers to sit or stand' was the second most common complaint category across Great Britain in April-September 2025 (11.0% of all complaints), per ORR.
3. 3
   On-board facilities

   Complaints about the condition and facilities of trains, such as toilets, seating and cleanliness.

   'Facilities on board' was the third most common complaint category across Great Britain in April-September 2025 (7.1% of all complaints), per ORR.
4. 4
   Ticketing and refunds policy

   Complaints about fares, ticket types, refunds and how compensation is calculated - including Delay Repay outcomes.

   'Ticketing and refunds policy' accounted for 6.7% of all complaints across Great Britain in April-September 2025, per ORR.

Contact methods

• Customer Services (complaints and enquiries)0345 322 7021
• Text Relay (for passengers with hearing impairments)18001 0345 322 7021
• Customer Services by postSoutheastern Customer Services, PO Box 8625, Swadlincote, DE11 1HZ (address from Southeastern's Complaints Handling Procedure, April 2023).
• Delay Repay compensationClaim compensation for delays of 15 minutes or more; claims accepted up to 28 days after the journey.
• Rail Ombudsman (independent escalation)0330 094 0362

Complaint journey

1. 1

   Contact Southeastern Customer Services

   Raise your complaint with Southeastern first.

   Typical responseWithin 10 working days
   What happens

   Make your complaint through Southeastern's online 'Contact Us' form, by phone on 0345 322 7021 (Text Relay 18001 0345 322 7021), or by post to Southeastern Customer Services, PO Box 8625, Swadlincote, DE11 1HZ. You can also speak to frontline staff at a station or on a train. Southeastern defines a complaint as any expression of dissatisfaction about service delivery or company/industry policy, and aims to answer calls within 30 seconds and to provide a full written response within 10 working days. If it needs longer to investigate, it will tell you within 10 working days when to expect a reply.

2. 2

   Ask for your complaint to be reviewed

   If you are unhappy with the first reply, ask for a review.

   Typical responseVaries
   What happens

   If you are not satisfied with Southeastern's first response, let it know. A team member new to your case, or a more senior member of Customer Services or a manager, will review the response and your specific concerns. All responses are also reviewed by Southeastern's quality team.

3. 3

   Get a final response or deadlock letter

   Southeastern issues its final position on your complaint.

   Typical responseVaries
   What happens

   Southeastern will provide a final response. If it cannot take your complaint any further but you remain unhappy, it may issue a 'deadlock' letter. Its final substantive responses also signpost the independent passenger watchdogs, Transport Focus and London TravelWatch, who can review complaints that fall outside the Rail Ombudsman's scope.

4. 4

   Appeal to the Rail Ombudsman

   Escalate free to the binding, independent adjudicator.

   Typical responseAfter deadlock or 40 working days
   What happens

   You can appeal to the Rail Ombudsman if you have received a deadlock letter, or if Southeastern has not resolved your complaint within 40 working days of receiving it, and no more than 12 months have passed since Southeastern's final response. The Rail Ombudsman is free, independent of the rail industry and binding on Southeastern: if you accept its decision, Southeastern must act on it. Contact 0330 094 0362, info@railombudsman.org, or FREEPOST - RAIL OMBUDSMAN. Some issues (such as service design, industry policy, or the way fares are set) are out of scope and are handled instead by Transport Focus or London TravelWatch.

Response times

If your complaint isn’t resolved

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

• Rail OmbudsmanRail
• AviationADRFlights

Recent news

• 5 February 2026

  ORR complaints data for April-September 2025 showed Southeastern at 16 complaints per 100,000 journeys (down 9% year on year, below the GB average of 18) and responding to 100% of complaints within 20 working days.

  Read more
• 12 December 2025

  ORR's first benchmarking report on rail passenger assistance ranked Southeastern among the operators with the highest reliability for delivering booked assistance, alongside LNER and Network Rail.

  Read more
• 18 June 2025

  Southeastern and Network Rail's Kent Route were brought under a single leadership team, operating as 'South Eastern Railway', an integration of track and train ahead of Great British Railways.

  Read more

Earlier cases

• 17 October 2021

  Historic: The Department for Transport terminated the franchise of London & South Eastern Railway after finding more than £25m of taxpayer money had not been declared over about seven years, and handed Southeastern's services to the government's Operator of Last Resort (SE Trains Limited).

  Read more

Know your rights

• National Rail Conditions of Travel (NRCoT)

  The NRCoT is the contract between you and Southeastern when you travel. It sets out your rights to compensation for delays and cancellations and to refunds on unused tickets, and underpins the Delay Repay scheme. This is general information, not legal advice.

• Consumer Rights Act 2015

  Rail travel is a service, so it must be performed with reasonable care and skill. Where a service falls short, the Act can support a claim for a suitable remedy. In practice most delay claims are handled first through Delay Repay and the rail complaints process. This is general information, not legal advice.

• Rail passenger rights (assimilated Regulation (EC) 1371/2007, as retained in UK law)

  UK-retained rail passenger rights rules set minimum standards on information, assistance and compensation for delays. Southeastern publishes a Rail Passenger Rights and Obligations policy reflecting these. This is general information, not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions