Should I Have Waited? My Friend Was Late for the Train

AITA for boarding the train without my friend who was late? A dilemma arises when one friend prioritizes punctuality over waiting for a tardy companion.

Damjan

Published in Interesting
16 Nov 2025

Should I Have Waited? My Friend Was Late for the Train

In a world where time management can make or break a day, one Redditor finds themselves in a dilemma that many can relate to. The original poster (OP), a 17-year-old non-binary student, had planned a trip to London with two friends for a college outing.

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The trio had agreed to meet at the train station by 8 AM to catch a crucial train, but when one friend, A, arrived late and unprepared, the situation took a turn. Desperate to stick to their schedule and avoid being late, OP and the other friend, B, made the difficult decision to board the train without A.

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This choice left A feeling upset and stranded, and it raised an important question: Is OP in the wrong for prioritizing punctuality over friendship? As the discussion unfolds, commenters weigh in with diverse perspectives, some arguing that OP acted responsibly while others empathize with A's situation.

This thread invites readers to examine their own experiences with timeliness and accountability in friendships. Was OP right to stick to the plan, or should they have waited for A?

Join the conversation and share your thoughts!

Original Post

The other day I (17NB) had a trip into London for college, I had to make my own way there so I agreed with 2 of my friends (both 16F) in the same class that we would go together. We had to get 1 train and 2 tubes there, this was the route our teacher advised us to get.

The night before I checked the times for the first train and there was one at 8:15 (we had to be there at 9:40) so I told both my friends to arrive at 8 which they said was fine. The morning of the trip I was up early and so was Friend A - she was messaging me at 6 am to double check the train time, what we needed for the trip etc.

I walked to the train station and got there at 8, on my walk both my friends were messaging me asking if I was on my way. Friend A was on her way too and Friend B had been there since 7:45.

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When I got to the train station only B was there, we waited a bit for A who said she was close but after a good few minutes she still hadn't arrived so I messaged her to just meet us on the platform. We got to the platform and the train was coming in a few minutes, we were both starting to panic as A wasn't here yet.

She finally messaged us that she was at the station but she had no money on her travel card and needed to top it up. As she was doing that our train arrived and I told her we were going to get on but she begged us to wait.

The next train wasn't for half an hour though and we would 100% be late if we took it especially as it was rush hour. B was feeling bad about going without her so I suggested she can wait for A while I get on the train but she was nervous about travelling alone so we got on together.

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I told A we had got on the train and explained to her we're sorry but we want to be on time and she will just have to get the next train. She was really upset and I felt bad but it wasn't my fault that she was late, B and I were both on time - A was up early in the morning as well as I mentioned before, so unless some problem happened she didn't tell me about then she just left way too late.

She told me she had found a quicker route she would use but then shortly after told me she just wouldn't come on the trip because she felt worried about travelling alone and didn't want to get lost (fair). I feel awful that she had to miss the trip but both me and B hate being late and I think what she did is a bit disrespectful.

She's late to school/just barely on time a lot as well so this is isn't just a one off. AITA?