layover; transit; waiting en route
Refers to a short stop or waiting period during a journey, such as a flight layover or a brief pause while traveling.
The layover between connections is two hours.
We ate at the airport during the layover.
乗り継ぎ refers to the act of transferring between vehicles, while 途中待機 emphasizes the waiting period itself.
待機 is a general term for standing by or waiting, whereas 途中待機 specifically means waiting while in the middle of a journey.
Compound of 途中 (とちゅう, 'en route') and 待機 (たいき, 'waiting, standing by').