What happens if you miss a connection?

Checked against the sources below on 20 October 2026

What the National Rail Conditions of Travel say when a late train makes you miss your next one: which train you can take on each kind of ticket, what happens with split tickets or when the last train has gone, and what compensation you can claim.

The short answer#

If a late or cancelled train makes you miss your connection, you can carry on with the ticket you have. On a ticket for specific trains you can take the next train of a company your ticket is valid with, without paying more. If you arrive late enough, you can also claim compensation.

If you missed the connection for some other reason, the answer depends on your ticket, and on an Advance ticket it can mean buying a new one.

If a delay made you miss it#

The key rule is Condition 9.4 of the National Rail Conditions of Travel:

“Where you are using a Ticket that is valid on a specific train service or train services and you are unable to make the booked service because a previous connecting train service was delayed or cancelled, you will be able to travel on the next train service provided by the Train Company(s) with which your ticket was valid without penalty.”

  • Advance tickets. National Rail’s Advance ticket terms say that if delays occur while you are travelling, “you will be allowed to take the next available train(s) to complete your journey”. National Rail adds that you must use a train of the same train company, and that a seat reservation will not carry over to a different train.
  • Anytime tickets. These have no time restrictions, so you can take any train on the route shown on your ticket.
  • Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak tickets. National Rail’s guidance is that you can board the next train to your destination “as permitted by your ticket”. The Conditions of Travel do not say that a delay makes an Off-Peak ticket valid on a train at a time it would normally be restricted, so if the next train is in a restricted period, ask staff before you board.
  • If your ticket runs out. If your ticket expires during the journey because your train was delayed, Condition 11.2 says you can still complete that journey without penalty.

During major disruption, National Rail says you are usually allowed to complete your journey by another reasonable route, and other train companies may accept your ticket. Check its status and disruption page when that happens.

If you missed it for another reason#

Condition 9.4 only covers a connection missed because a previous train was delayed or cancelled. Otherwise:

  • Advance tickets are valid only on the trains shown. National Rail’s terms say that if you miss the first train you are booked on “for any reason, a new ticket must be purchased”, and changes must be made before that first train leaves.
  • Anytime, Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak tickets are not tied to a particular train, so you can take a later one at a time your ticket is valid.

Split tickets#

You can make one journey on two or more tickets, as long as the trains you use stop at the stations where you change from one ticket to the next (Condition 14.2). Each ticket keeps its own terms (Condition 14.4).

The Conditions of Travel do not say whether Condition 9.4 carries across separate tickets, for example when a late train on your first ticket makes you miss the train booked on your second. Two things are clear: if a delay on any leg means you cannot complete the journey, Condition 29.2 entitles you to a full refund of all the tickets for it; and to claim compensation you need tickets valid for the whole journey (Condition 33.1).

If there are no more trains#

Condition 28.2 says that where disruption stops you completing your journey, “any Train Company will, where it reasonably can, provide you with alternative means of travel to your destination, or if necessary, provide overnight accommodation for you.” Ask a member of staff at the station.

If your train is delayed by more than 60 minutes, your train company may also provide food and drink where it can (Condition 28.6). Rail replacement buses and coaches count as part of the journey under the same Conditions (Condition 27.5).

Crossing London on the Tube#

A ticket for a journey across London is marked with a cross (+). It includes the Underground, DLR, Thameslink or Elizabeth line between the stations you need to change between. You cannot break your journey on the Underground, the DLR or the Elizabeth line through central London (Condition 16.5).

The Conditions of Travel do not say how a delay on that Underground part is treated. Transport for London runs its own refund scheme for Tube delays of 15 minutes or more that are within its control.

How much time to allow#

Condition 20 says you must allow enough time to change trains, and that train times shown by National Rail or by a train company’s or retailer’s journey planner will allow enough time. National Rail says its own journey planner includes the minimum time to change trains at each station. Where a station has no set figure, the industry’s default is 5 minutes.

National Rail is also clear that connections cannot be guaranteed: holding a train for a late one can delay other trains, though it says particular attention is given to infrequent services and the last trains of the day.

Compensation#

  • It is measured at your destination. Compensation is based on how late you arrive at the destination station compared with the timetable on the day, not on how late each train was (Condition 32.1). A missed connection that makes you an hour late counts as an hour.
  • 60 minutes or more, whatever the cause. Every train company pays at least 50% of the price paid for a single (Condition 33.3).
  • Delay Repay can pay sooner. Most train companies run Delay Repay, which pays from a 30-minute delay, or from 15 minutes with some companies.
  • Claim within 28 days (Condition 33.1). You can claim from any train company you travelled with, and it will pass the claim on if another company was responsible (Condition 32.1).

How RailPilot helps#

RailPilot watches every connection in your journey against the live running of both trains, so you know how long you will have to change before you get there, and which platform to head for. When a change gets tight, it shows a backup: the next train that still works from that station.

If a train you are on, or one you were due to change onto, is cancelled or will not reach your stop, RailPilot re-plans your journey straight away and tells you what changed and why (in the Android app, even with your phone locked). If your incoming train is going to arrive well after your connection has gone, it switches you to the next route while there is still time to plan it.

RailPilot cannot tell you what your particular ticket allows. If you are not sure, check with staff before you board.

Try RailPilot: it is free, with no account, and finds the train you are on from your location. How it works.

Sources#

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