Missed connecting train, and took the train after the next?

[ThrowAway10101]

How does delay repay work for this? We decided to just eat out but it took longer than expected so we missed the next train. Do I just put it as if i took the next train? Doesn't feel right to claim for a longer delay.

 

[jfollows]

How does delay repay work for this? We decided to just eat out but it took longer than expected so we missed the next train. Do I just put it as if i took the next train? Doesn't feel right to claim for a longer delay.

Correct, you don’t.
Your claim will be validated and if there was an earlier train it should be rejected.
Unfortunately if you choose to delay yourself then you can’t claim a hypothetical earlier train you missed. Delay Repay is for actual delays incurred because of late or cancelled trains.
In this case I’d say you have no claim.

 

[saismee]

If you broke your journey then I'd say it could be considered two journeys. If your first train was delayed enough to qualify for delay repay then I'd be inclined to suggest submitting a claim for that journey to the station where you missed the connection. As you got a later train rather than the next available, I agree with @jfollows and say that the second leg isn't eligible.

 

[AlterEgo]

The perils of asking questions online!

Just put in the claim for the delay you would have suffered had you taken the next available train. Having dinner doesn't extinguish your rights to that, although you don't of course get to claim for the extension to the delay having made that choice.

 

[ThrowAway10101]

Thanks, that is what i plan to do. I didn't mind the delay only because it was at birmingham new street and there are loads of food places within walking distance. Anywhere else and it would've been a long 40 min wait.

I guess it depends what break of journey means because if it means i forfeit the right to delay repay as the 2 journeys are split i wouldn't have done it (it was expensive for a group). I'll just submit it as if we took the next train.

 

[Haywain]

We decided to just eat out but it took longer than expected so we missed the next train. Do I just put it as if i took the next train?

How is this the fault of a train company?

 

[AlterEgo]

How is this the fault of a train company?

They mean they took the train after the next having missed their booked connection - they were delayed beyond threshold already, and decided to do something in that time which extended their delay.

 

[Bletchleyite]

They mean they took the train after the next having missed their booked connection - they were delayed beyond threshold already, and decided to do something in that time which extended their delay.

In this case (where I wouldn't have broken my journey were it not for the delay*) I claim based on the train I could have taken but didn't.

* Always best to take the SECOND train out in the event of delay/cancellation. Less crowded, usually.

 

[saismee]

In this case (where I wouldn't have broken my journey were it not for the delay*) I claim based on the train I could have taken but didn't.

* Always best to take the SECOND train out in the event of delay/cancellation. Less crowded, usually.

The perils of asking questions online!

Just put in the claim for the delay you would have suffered had you taken the next available train. Having dinner doesn't extinguish your rights to that, although you don't of course get to claim for the extension to the delay having made that choice.

If this is considered to be a valid claim then I'd agree with this option. It definitely seems more reasonable as you wouldn't have broken the journey without the delay.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If this is considered to be a valid claim then I'd agree with this option. It definitely seems more reasonable as you wouldn't have broken the journey without the delay.

It's a bit questionable by the letter, but in my view it is easily morally defensible.

 

[Belperpete]

Correct, you don’t.
Your claim will be validated and if there was an earlier train it should be rejected.
Unfortunately if you choose to delay yourself then you can’t claim a hypothetical earlier train you missed. Delay Repay is for actual delays incurred because of late or cancelled trains.
In this case I’d say you have no claim.

Agreed that a voluntary break of journey is not a delay, so for example, if you have been delayed by 40 minutes, and then choose to have another hour's break of journey, you have still only been delayed by 40 minutes. Importantly, the DR form only asks for your original itinerary and how much you were delayed in getting to your destination. It doesn't ask what train you actually caught or what time you actually arrived. So if you choose to make an extra break of journey after being delayed (and provided that your ticket allows it) it is irrelevant to the claim.

In my experience, if a TOC thinks that you have mis-stated the delay, they don't reject the claim, but simply pay out for the delay they think you are entitled to.

 

[ThrowAway10101]

In this case (where I wouldn't have broken my journey were it not for the delay*) I claim based on the train I could have taken but didn't.

* Always best to take the SECOND train out in the event of delay/cancellation. Less crowded, usually.

Thanks! And great tip.

 

[Egg Centric]

It's a bit questionable by the letter, but in my view it is easily morally defensible.

It's morally defensible absolutely, but my own view as someone who enjoys gaming delay repay is more aligned with @jfollows - better to be scrupulously honest than in any sense misrepresent anything. It works out better in the long run even if it means a scenario like this might end up with nothing.

In practice in this case this could be achieved with most TOCs for most delays by filling out the form perfectly accurately - perhaps with a note as to what occurred if the form allows it. They'll then automatically substittue their calculated delay time which will presumably be the half hour and then @ThrowAway10101 can take the automated payment from that. Of course if they overpay based on the longer delay in the form he/she would need to get in touch with them, but that's not how it tends to work in practice.

(I understand why others would disagree, as I say I think your viewpoint is perfectly defensible too)

 

[Belperpete]

It's morally defensible absolutely, but my own view as someone who enjoys gaming delay repay is more aligned with @jfollows - better to be scrupulously honest than in any sense misrepresent anything. It works out better in the long run even if it means a scenario like this might end up with nothing.

In practice in this case this could be achieved with most TOCs for most delays by filling out the form perfectly accurately -

I agree that you should be honest and accurate, but what do you mean by that in this case? Remember that the DR form does not ask what time you got to your destination, it only asks how long you were delayed getting to your destination. In my view, claiming a longer delay time because you decided to break your journey would be dishonest.

The OP was delayed by the time between his planned arrival time, and the time he would have got if he had taken the next train. The fact that he didn't actually catch that train is irrelevant, as the DR form doesn't ask that. If it did, then claiming to have caught that train would be dishonest, but it doesn't ask that. You have to be honest and accurate with the information that you enter on the form, anything else is irrelevant.

 

[Snow1964]

The way it is calculated is first train arrives late, add the minimum connection time for that station, then based on taking next train after the connection time.

If you physically could not get on the next train because it was crush loaded, it is worth appealing any delay repay rejection and explaining in the notes box.

If however you (voluntarily) chose to visit shops or cafes in station and missed train, then not railways fault, so claiming extra delay is morally wrong.

 

[Belperpete]

If however you (voluntarily) chose to visit shops or cafes in station and missed train, then not railways fault, so claiming is morally wrong.

Not clear what you are saying here. Are you saying that claiming ANYTHING is wrong? Or claiming the EXTRA is wrong?

 

[Millsy_2102]

How does delay repay work for this? We decided to just eat out but it took longer than expected so we missed the next train. Do I just put it as if i took the next train? Doesn't feel right to claim for a longer delay.

My Southern service to Ashford Int'l was cancelled yesterday and my nan claimed her delay repay through the Southern website, not sure if it is the same for other operators, but that is what I'd recommend trying first.

 

[xotGD]

Claiming the extra is wrong. Claiming for the delay that the railway is responsible for is, in my mind, legitimate.

 

[Egg Centric]

I agree that you should be honest and accurate, but what do you mean by that in this case? Remember that the DR form does not ask what time you got to your destination, it only asks how long you were delayed getting to your destination. In my view, claiming a longer delay time because you decided to break your journey would be dishonest.

The OP was delayed by the time between his planned arrival time, and the time he would have got if he had taken the next train. The fact that he didn't actually catch that train is irrelevant, as the DR form doesn't ask that. If it did, then claiming to have caught that train would be dishonest, but it doesn't ask that. You have to be honest and accurate with the information that you enter on the form, anything else is irrelevant.

My recollection was the form asks you to put an arrival time. If it asks for a delay then I think it depends on the exact wording. If it says something like "how much delay are you claiming?" then all well and good to put the amount of delay that was the TOC's fault. If it's something like "how much were you delayed?" then I don't see much option but to submit the claim through an email to customer services.

 

[Watershed]

My Southern service to Ashford Int'l was cancelled yesterday and my nan claimed her delay repay through the Southern website, not sure if it is the same for other operators, but that is what I'd recommend trying first.

Yes, you should always claim Delay Repay through the website of the operator whose delay/cancellation has disrupted your journey. That's the case regardless of how you bought your ticket.

 

[ThrowAway10101]

The way it is calculated is first train arrives late, add the minimum connection time for that station, then based on taking next train after the connection time.

If you physically could not get on the next train because it was crush loaded, it is worth appealing any delay repay rejection and explaining in the notes box.

If however you (voluntarily) chose to visit shops or cafes in station and missed train, then not railways fault, so claiming extra delay is morally wrong.

Yes that's exactly what i did. I just hope they don't consider it as two separate journeys because i decided to leave the station (my first train was delayed and i couldn't get to the connecting train in time) and come back just as the next connecting train departed.

 

[Belperpete]

Yes that's exactly what i did. I just hope they don't consider it as two separate journeys because i decided to leave the station (my first train was delayed and i couldn't get to the connecting train in time) and come back just as the next connecting train departed.

How do they know you left the station? Or what train you actually caught? It is not information that you enter on the DR form.

As I pointed out on a separate thread, I would always recommend claiming using the on line form, as that way you won't inadvertently include spurious information that could prejudice your claim.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Aug 2025 ==

My recollection was the form asks you to put an arrival time. If it asks for a delay then I think it depends on the exact wording. If it says something like "how much delay are you claiming?" then all well and good to put the amount of delay that was the TOC's fault. If it's something like "how much were you delayed?" then I don't see much option but to submit the claim through an email to customer services.

Every form that I have ever completed, you are asked to tick a box to specify the range of the delay. None of the forms I have ever completed have asked for any further details of my actual journey.

I don't understand why you would feel any need to email customer services if the form asks you to specify how much you were delayed? You just tick the time that you were delayed. As I have said previously, that should not include any extra time incurred by you breaking journey, which does not count as delay.

NB: Some of them ask you to tick a box to specify the reason for the delay, train arrived late, train cancelled, missed connection, and such like. Sometimes none of the boxes quite fits the situation, such as a train that ran to time but was terminated short of the connection station. In such cases, I just tick the box that best fits. Again, no need to email customer services.

 

[ThrowAway10101]

How do they know you left the station? Or what train you actually caught? It is not information that you enter on the DR form.

As I pointed out on a separate thread, I would always recommend claiming using the on line form, as that way you won't inadvertently include spurious information that could prejudice your claim.

I assume they can see that i used the ticket at the barriers going out and coming in. Where can i find this online form? I've only seen the delay repay form (https://londonnorthwesternrailway.delayrepaycompensation.com/index.cfm?action=myclaims.add)

 

[Egg Centric]

I don't understand why you would feel any need to email customer services if the form asks you to specify how much you were delayed? You just tick the time that you were delayed. As I have said previously, that should not include any extra time incurred by you breaking journey, which does not count as delay.

Two reasons. Firstly (and this is just a personal thing) it's possible to arrange your railway travel so that you have a higher than average chance of needing delay repay and I sometimes do; if you start doing this "letter of the law" thing you absolutely must stick to said letter rather than any "spirit of the law" when it comes to forms. That's my personal opinion and it may just apply to me. Secondly, some TOCs have shown themselves to be into data mining for potential "fraud" but also potentially both aggressive and incompetent when doing so. So it's highly inadvisable imo to be submitting a request for cash without some kind of paper trail covering yourself if it may look at all unusual in the future. I agree though that so long as you base the claim upon what trains did run and what would have happened if you hadn't added to the break you should be fine in the latter case but on a non trivial journey this isn't necessarily actually as easy as it sounds.

 

[Watershed]

I assume they can see that i used the ticket at the barriers going out and coming in. Where can i find this online form? I've only seen the delay repay form (https://londonnorthwesternrailway.delayrepaycompensation.com/index.cfm?action=myclaims.add)

That's the form I believe @Belperpete is referring to.

 

[ThrowAway10101]

That's the form I believe @Belperpete is referring to.

Thanks!