Split tickets are a brilliant way to save money on UK rail travel — but we know they can sometimes be a little confusing, especially when it comes to reading your itinerary.
If you’ve ever looked at your ticket PDF and wondered, “Do I really have to get off and change trains here?” — you’re not alone. This guide is here to explain what’s going on and how to read your itinerary with confidence.
When you book split tickets, your journey is sometimes shown as a series of individual segments, each with its own start and end station. For example, your PDF might show:
Durham to Sheffield
Sheffield to Derby
Derby to Selly Oak
At first glance, it may seem like you have to physically change trains at each of those places. But in many cases, these are just the points where your ticket “splits” — not where you need to get off.
Here’s the rule of thumb:
👉 If your itinerary or journey summary says you change trains, you do. If it doesn’t, stay on the same train.
Split ticketing doesn’t affect the physical train you’re on — it’s just how the fares are calculated. So if your journey is Durham to Birmingham New Street with a change there for Selly Oak, and your tickets show segments like Durham–Sheffield or Sheffield–Derby, it doesn’t mean you have to get off at Sheffield or Derby. Those are simply the stations where the fare has been split to save you money.
This is a common source of confusion. One customer recently booked a through journey expecting to change at Birmingham New Street, but their ticket PDF showed segments ending at Sheffield and Derby. Naturally, this caused some concern.
✅ Check the journey summary or itinerary page—usually on the last page of your PDF if you booked E-Tickets.*
✅ Look for clear instructions about changes.
✅ If no change is listed, stay on the train.
*If you booked Ticket on Departure instead of E-Tickets, make sure to refer to your itinerary in the email confirmation for details about your journey and any required changes.
You don’t need to scan every ticket or segment like a route map — just follow the changes shown on your journey summary.
If you’re ever unsure about your itinerary or how your split tickets work, drop us a line. We’d much rather explain things before your journey than have you stressed on the platform.
We also have a helpful guide to using split tickets which walks you through everything step by step.
Split tickets can save you a lot — and once you get the hang of reading your itinerary, you’ll be travelling like a pro.