The train is delayed — the carrier pays three percent for each hour.

The train is stopped, the board shows the same departure time, and you're calculating how late you'll be for your connection. Few people know that compensation is due for this, and the rule is clearly written in the charter.

Three percent per hour

Article 110 of the Railway Transport Charter: For a train departure delay or a delay in arrival at the destination station, the carrier shall pay the passenger a penalty of three percent of the fare for each hour of delay.

There's a cap: no more than the cost of the ticket. This means that after a thirty-three-hour delay, the amount stops increasing, but by that point, you'll be refunded the full ticket price.

This is considered separate from, and not instead of, a refund. Furthermore, the charter explicitly reserves the passenger's right to claim compensation for other incurred damages in the usual manner — for example, if a reservation was lost due to the delay.

It does not apply to electric trains.

An important exception, and one that resolves half the questions: the rule does not apply to suburban transport. A train delay does not fall under Article 110.

So, we're talking about long-distance trains, from the Sapsan to the platzkart. For the MCD and regular suburban routes, the mechanism is different.

When the carrier doesn't pay

The charter lists the cases in which the carrier is exempted from penalties, if they can prove them:

force majeure

troubleshooting vehicle malfunctions that endanger the life or health of a passenger, but only if the malfunction was not caused by the carrier's fault;

other circumstances beyond the carrier's control.

⚠️ Please note the distribution of roles: the carrier must prove these circumstances, not you. By default, a penalty is imposed, and the refusal must be justified.

How does this look in practice

Let's take a ticket for 4,000 ₽ and a four-hour delay. Three percent is 120 ₽ per hour, so for four hours, that's 480 ₽. The amount isn't mind-blowing, and that's precisely why most passengers don't claim it.

But on long routes, the picture is different. A delay of one day on a ticket for ₽6,000 is already ₽4,320, and after a day and a half, you hit the ceiling and get the full ticket price.

The procedure for paying a fine is determined by the rules for providing passenger transportation services—that is, you need to contact the carrier, not look for a separate authority.

If the train is completely canceled

A different rule applies here - Article 83 of the same charter. It grants the passenger the right to receive the full fare from the carrier for the un-traveled distance, regardless of the ticket's return deadline, in case of train departure cancellation or delay.

Keywords: "regardless of return period." The usual return scale, where everything is refunded eight hours before departure, and less than two hours only the ticket price without the reserved seat, does not apply in this situation. Cancellation of a flight by the carrier shifts the rules in favor of the passenger.

The same article adds two more grounds for a full refund: a delay due to the carrier's fault to a scheduled train at the transfer point and the termination of the journey due to a disruption in train service.

A fine and a refund are not the same thing

They are often confused, and these are two different requirements that are not mutually exclusive.

A refund is money for an unrendered service: you didn't go anywhere or didn't travel the full distance.

The penalty under Article 110 is a sanction for violating the deadlines themselves, and it's calculated based on the fare cost for each hour, regardless of whether you ultimately traveled or not.

If you waited for a delayed train and traveled, there will be no refund, and you will be fined. If the train was canceled, there will be a refund, and this does not cancel your right to claim damages.

What to do on the road

First. Record the delay. A photo of the departure board with the time, a stamp on the ticket, an announcement in the carriage - anything showing a deviation from the schedule will work.

Second. Keep the ticket. Without it, there will be no discussion about the fare percentage.

Third. Look at the message type. Suburban—Article 110 is not working. Long-distance—it is working.

Fourth. If you incurred actual losses due to the delay — missed a connection, paid for a hotel night — this is no longer a fine, but damages, and you can claim them separately.

Коротко

Three percent of the fare for each hour, with the ticket price as the ceiling; suburban service is not included. The carrier can be exempted only by proving force majeure or a malfunction not caused by their fault. Losses exceeding the penalty are recovered separately.

Photo: Jorge Láscar, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.