Tickets, times and bookings
Where can I buy a ticket?
Where can I download a British train timetable?
Are discounts available to
families, seniors, students?
At the Station
Is it possible to securely
leave my luggage at the station for a few hours?
Am I allowed to smoke in the
station?
Planning your journey
Where can I get a British rail map?
Can I include bus travel with
my train ticket?
What is Plusbus?
On Board the Train
Is it possible to
reserve a seat?
What type of seats are
available on longer distance trains?
How can I choose a seat
next to my travelling companions?
What is a sleeper train and
where do they go?
Is food and drink
available on board?
Other questions
Is smoking allowed on British
trains?
Are dogs and
pets carried by train?
Can I send a parcel by
train with the Red Star service?
Is it possible to take my car by
train?
Can't find the answer you're looking for?
Email me and ask! - kevin britainbyrail.co.uk
(you'll need to type out this email address I have removed
hyperlinks due the large amount of spam I am getting).
Tickets, times and bookings
Buying your ticket.
Tickets may be purchased
online, from staffed railway stations or from railway telesales
numbers. If you are buying online you will have a choice of
having your ticket posted out to you or collecting it from a ticket
machine at your departure station (if available).
Timetables are available from each rail company for their services.
These are usually broken down into lines or areas. A list of
companies, routes and timetables to download may be
found here. Alternatively if you
are looking for the complete rail timetable for Britain this may be downloaded at
National Rail
website.
Discounts are offered
to seniors, families and young people / students. To claim a
third of almost all rail fares (and now even the cheapest Advance
fares too!) you need a railcard.
These can be obtained from staffed railway stations and rail
appointed travel agents. Even with one journey they repay
their cost so they are well worth getting your hands on if you can.
Discounts of around 50% are also offered to children with reduced
priced tickets.
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At the Station
Left Luggage, is the term which
describes and office where you may leave your luggage while you go
exploring. There is a charge for this service and it has been
withdrawn from many stations after years of bomb threats from
terrorists. However where there is sufficient demand the
service is still offered and cases are now searched prior to
acceptance. The service is usually found in larger stations.
If you cannot leave you bags at the station it is worth checking at
the local coach station as they sometimes offer left luggage
facilities instead.
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Planning your journey
Maps. National Rail (the organisation which
represents British train companies) produces a range of maps
including the national network, suburban services, train companies
and maps for the disabled. You can sometimes find them at
stations but they are always available to download from
the
National Rail website.
Bus travel can be
included in the price of your train ticket. Including the bus
element never costs more than buying separately but it can often
save money. The other advantage is that it saves you carrying
money with you and means you already have your fare.
Bus connections are listed in this
website for towns off the National Rail network. The other
very popular ticket is Plusbus.
Plusbus is added to your ticket for either your departure or arrival
station (or both) and includes unlimited bus travel for the town you
requested.
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On Board the Train
Seat reservations
are available for most journeys. They are usually not
available on commuter trains and short journeys. On some
trains they are compulsory. Even when they are not it is
always best to reserve a seat if it is offered. If you are
buying your ticket online, by phone or at the station you will be
offered a seat reservation when booking. If you don't want to
reserve when you book your ticket you can still do so up till two
hours before departure or 1600 the day before for early trains at
your departure station. Seat reservations are now offered free
of charge.
Seating Types.
On longer distance trains there will be a choice of seating.
Airline style is usually two seats side by side which face the back
of the seat in front. They are known as airline style because
they resemble the seats in a plane all facing in the one direction.
However the seats don't move so they will sometimes be facing the
direction the train is moving in and sometimes not. You can
request a seat facing in the direction of travel if you wish when
booking. There are also usually plenty of groups of four seats
around a table which are ideal for families and groups. These
are called 'facing' seats and again my be specified when booking.
In first class there are sometimes individual seats both in airline
and facing style which have no seat beside them.
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Seating Allocation.
Seats are allocated automatically and will always place you next to
your travel companions. So if you are in a group of two, you
will sit side by side in airline style. If in a group of three
or four, you will be around the same table if you chose facing
seats. If you are in a larger group it will choose seats which
best allow you to sit together.
Sleeper Trains
are trains which carry sleeping cars. These are special
coaches divided up into individual compartments with either one
berth (First Class) or two berths (Standard Class). They are
very comfortable and once you get used to moving as you sleep offer
a good nights sleep and the chance to save time on the move.
They run from Scottish towns to London and from London to the West
of England. These trains are operated by
Scotrail and Great Western.
On Board Catering.
Longer distance trains usually have a trolley service of hot and
cold drinks and snacks. These will stock snacks along with
sandwiches and some healthy snacks. The trolley makes its way
through the train several times during a journey and the steward
will serve you at your seat. Some long distance trains -
Virgin, National Express East Coast and Anglia, Great Western, Grand
Central and Wrexham and Shropeshire also have buffet cars and
sometimes restaurants. Buffet cars offer a much greater range
of hot and cold meals while restaurants offer complete meals of high
quality cooked on board by chefs. Both are worth making use of
if your train offers them. Trolleys, buffet cars and
restaurants are marked on timetables.
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Other questions
Smoking. Smoking
is not not only banned but also illegal in all inside spaces accross
parts of the UK (the laws are passed by the Scottish, Welsh and
British governments independently). When travelling this
applies to all train interiors including Sleeper lounge cars and
cabins, toilets and vestibules. It also applies to
station buildings including waiting shelters. There are fines
for anyone found breaking the law. These rules were introduced
to protect the health of non smokers as its been known for many
years now that passive smoking harms the health of us non smokers,
about time!
Dogs and
other small animals may be carried by passengers. Each
passenger may take a maximum of two animals with them. There
are certain rules to follow though! Each animal must be in
it's own box, pet carrier or cage which allows the animal to stand
or sit down in comfort. Dogs may travel on a lead. No
animals are allowed onto the seats. However keep in mind that
railways can refuse travel to any animal. This is usually only
used if the animal is not behaving itself, but keep in mind that
exotic pets may not be welcomed! Also if any other passengers
are uncomfortable with your pet you can be asked to move it to
another part of the train. If you follow these rules though
and your animal is well behaved there should be no problem.
Red Star Parcels
was the railway parcel delivery service. Parcels were
carried in secure accommodation on express trains and most stations
had a Red Star office. Unfortunately the service was sold and
ceased to operate in 1996.
The only railway in the British Isles still carrying
parcels is the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man.
Parcels may be booked at Ramsey, Laxey or Douglas (Derby Castle
Station).
Cars are no longer
transported on UK trains. Motorrail, as the service was known,
was last available on the Night Riviera sleeper to the west of
England but has now been withdrawn. You can still take
your car to Britain with French Motorrail
and of course there is Eurotunnel, but it only takes you across the
Channel! Several other countries offer car transportation by
rail including Germany (DB), Australia and America (Amtrak).
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