Chilternrailways Avis 

On multiple occasions their service/trains are delayed or late. This is not uncommon with rail providers however what is truly unique with Chiltern is how they handle such situations in terms of compensation.

Whilst trying to catch my return train from London Marylebone to Gerrards Cross I arrived at the station to find all trains from Marylebone cancelled and was then informed by the station team that all trains were cancelled for the evening. I checked this with two different staff members.

Having to get back to pick up my son from nursery I had no other choice other than to book an Uber for £56.

When trying to seek compensation from Chiltern I was offered £6 against my original return ticket of £24! Their rationale is that train services returned an hour later!

I've tried to dispute this provided full evidence including a picture of the board at London Marylebone showing all cancelled and their only reply now is to go to the Ombudsman.

This has taken a week of back and forth and despite flagging the fact I was instructed no trains would depart that evening they just ignore it.

Truly the worst customer support and service!

I caught the 9.36 from Marylebone to Birmingham Snow Hill and the air conditioning was on full blast. It was absolutely FREEZING cold. Everyone was cold. The train was old and had loud vibrating noises that were difficult to deal with. Absolutely awful train. I’ve never written a review about a train service before but having shivered for 1hr 30 mins, I felt people should be warned to put your winter coat on if using this service during the summer. I expect it’s just as bad in the winter!

If I could give -10 I would . Every single day cancellation or delayes not mention how dirty these trains are . On high wycombe station no timetables I guess they are saving on energy while charging passengers 43 pounds per day for travel card. People go to work , have hospital appointments , important meetings and we have to deal with this crap every single day . Today what i see is people running from platform to platform because again trains cancelled or delayed. Someone should take responsibility for this mess

I travelled by train from London Marylebone to Warwick Parkway on Thursday 10th July - it had been a long and stressful journey from France for my 87 year old mother but when we arrived at Warwick Parkway - a young lady called Sam greeted us and helped my Mum off the train (it's a long step to the platform), took her down in the lift and then waited with her while I got the car. We had not booked help but I was very impressed by the caring, courteous nature of this young lady - she went out of her way to help us. Excellent customer service. We were also advised that we can call ahead for help when we are on the train.

I've complained before about the pit of inadequate software development that is the Chiltern Railways App. Today however, it is their baffling electromechanical mess that is the ticket machine. Why do I have to type in a massive complicated code to get my tickets. A code printed in tiny, weeny letters in the App. Can't the app talk to the machine and say what tickets I want. Or how about using my payment card to identify me. I have to have it scanned to get the ticket anyway? Oh and on that...why does the machine not recognise the same card in Google Wallet? And if you use the wrong card, why doesn't it let you try again? Why oh why ??

I have to give some credit here - although two failed payments online but the money taken out of my account - I called them, got through to very helpful person based in the UK and money was refunded within 24hours . Quite refreshing compared to other companies where you end up on hold for ages/talk to a computer/someone clueless!

I would do so if I were allowed to give 0 star. Chiltern railway keeps cancelling trains. You can see minor and major disruptions all over a month, as if they are part of the schedule. When I file a complaint, they just said “you should plan your journey beforehand because we already informed you on the website”. Does it mean that I have to stay at home all weekends because their train is the only means reaching London? I don’t even dare to gather with friends during weekend. It’s frustrating.

They suck. Don't use them unless you have to. Slow, unreliable, uncomfortable, hot, crowded and overpriced.

We travelled at 30C degrees without an AC... end of the sentence!

I travel by train across the UK quite a bit, so when I say Chiltern Railways is the worst operator by a country mile, I say it with the wearied authority of someone who’s suffered through them all.

Yes, UK rail is generally a national embarrassment, but Chiltern isn’t just joining the shambles — it’s leading the parade. Consider the highlights:
• Trains routinely over capacity. Need a seat? Try arriving half an hour early and sacrificing a goat to the scheduling gods.
• Carriages older than most Gen Zs — complete with the charm of tired upholstery and the hum of failing air con.
• Speaking of air con… it’s more of a conceptual feature than a functional one.
• Eye-watering ticket prices that make you wonder if you’re funding a space program, not a rail journey.
• Delays and cancellations so frequent, they feel like part of the timetable.
• No seat reservations — it’s Hunger Games with briefcases.
• WiFi that works about as well as carrier pigeons in a tunnel.
• “Workspace” apparently designed by someone who’s never seen a laptop.

I was inspired to write this while standing, sweltering, for 90 minutes from Warwick to London. £50 for the privilege of being packed in like a human croissant in a sauna.

By contrast: Avanti from Coventry to London? £28, guaranteed seat, working air con, gets you there in an hour. Longer journey, lower price, and you can breathe. Imagine that.

Chiltern, you’re not just behind the times — you’re holding the timetable hostage

This is my reply in response to Chiltern Railways request for feedback.
The train - 16.24 from Solihull to MYB on 19.06.25 - had 3 carriages - it needed twice as many. It was hot, overcrowded and late. Some people had to stand all the way from Birmingham to London. We were lucky as we got a seat at Leamington; we still had to stand Solihull to Leamington and we are both over 70 years of age. Chiltern Trains are frequently overcrowded (I noticed that the trains leaving Marylebone at 18.30 on 19.06.25 were packed like sardines). The rolling stock is tatty and largely needs refurbishment. The only good thing is the staff who are generally friendly and helpful. They deserve better than the useless management of Chiltern Railways. Thank God it won't be run by the same people soon.

Afterthought: just read a pathetic explanation from Chiltern: "The average age of our fleet of trains is thirty years old". That's because you've creamed off the profits and not invested in new rolling stock. It explains all; when I first used Chiltern to travel from Leamington to London 25 years ago, the trains were fairly fresh and new. Now they are knackered. And tough s..t on the customers. It is appalling.
Just read the reviews below by David Williams: I agree 100%: in the early 2000s Chiltern was the star of the UK rail network; now Arriva have screwed it up and screwed every penny they can out of it. For God's sake Starmer, get rid of these shysters now!

Awful service

2 HUGE ISSUES HERE

Been on this train service lots of times and the seating is absolutely NONE EXISTENT for most passengers
Standing for 1.5 hours for £100 is an absolute joke, you should be held accountable for such a terrible service.

Also making CHILDREN PAY ADULT PRICES when they are at school AND HAVE NO JOB IS DISGRACEFUL
In the UK you aren’t classed as an adult for ANYTHING UNTIL YOU ARE 18 unless you’re travelling with chiltern railways !!
But for some reason you think you can charge kids the same as adults who most likely work or can at least pay their way ( just for us all to stand up for 1.5 hours) 🤬🤬

I am a regular commuter and within the last 2 months, there have been 4/5 occasions where there is major fault on trains..
Each time the carriages 100% filled up with grey smoke where, causing many people to suffocate, unable to breathe, coughing etc - each time it takes me hours after to recover from the exposure…
The burning smell/smoke is resulting from the brakes and no idea if this is harmful…

First time the staff were useless, pulled up to the station and didn’t open the door for 10 mins to allow people to breathe!!

It is outrageous how the train continues to be in service and has this repeated episodes of smoke filled carriages, the staff are either not reporting things properly or maintenance people are not doing their job….

I will be escalating this to the highest level and public for this gross negligence.

I chose the train so I could travel and work!! Two of the last three trips. Plug sockets not working! One of the trips had really old substandard rolling stock with no tables either
Come on Chiltern
I am not the only one here complaining about the plug sockets that do not work
Is this symptomatic of the overall maintenance on this service?

I travelled from London to Oxford yesterday. It was an awful trip — packed with people and the air conditioning was broken. The heat and lack of air was almost unbearable.

I complained to Trainline, asking for a refund of my ticket. They of course shirked responsibility and told me to contact Chiltern, which I did. Chiltern was even worse, telling me that everything is perfect and, if it wasn’t on this occasion, they’re sorry but there could be no refund. Basically, they couldn’t care less.

What a pathetic response - unable to hold themselves accountable and showing contempt for their customers. Instead of refunding £15, they alienate me and make me not want to travel with them ever again. I know it’s naive to think they would care since they know they have a captive audience and many people don’t have a choice…

I will ask to reverse the charge with my credit card company.

If you can, avoid! They don’t deserve anyone’s business.

Abin was really helpful and kind

Delayed trains. Engineering work or whatever excuse is used almost every single weekend. Train journeys taking extra 30-40min each way or bus replacement, but of course they won't reduce already extortionate ticket price. You want us to take trains more often, reduce price and improve service because this is appalling. I am actually considering moving to different area of country because how bad train service is here.

Train delayed 45 minutes. Only advice was to make own arrangements. Deflecting and trying to make you unboard the train so you are not their responsibility anymore. Disgusting.

Always delayed and poor service. Trains dirty and always failing.

Terrible service staff are extremely unaccommodating and go out of there way to make a trip unpleasant.