Travelling England by Train: My top england train travel tips after taking numerous day trips and weekends trips from London to the English countryside (and cities) over 20 years! (I've actually never driven in the UK and have always traveled by train!)
- Traveling by train is not cheap- for the top UK train travel myths that are costing you money, click here.
- Traveling in England and Scotland by train can be confusing:
- the UK has many different rail companies
- there are also many different types of train tickets (such as off-peak)
- bigger destinations have more than 1 train station, often with similar names (so make sure you book the right one!) e.g. Canterbury has 2 train stations. Trains from London Bridge goes to 1 stations but not the other. (You'll need a train from St. Pancras to get to the 2nd Canterbury station.)
- there can be both fast and slow trains to 1 location (often the fast one is a bit more expensive) so if time is an issue, make sure you book the quicker one
- The train system is so complex that even the rail staff may not know.
- If you have questions about your ticket, make sure to factor in lots of time before your trip because you might get sent all around the station to ask different people. I once asked 4 different Southeastern staff members about the type of travel permitted on my ticket and got different answers. (If "caught" doing the wrong thing you can get a huge fine FYI.)
- Stations also vary greatly: some have cafes (e.g. St Albans) and toilets and staff on-site whilst others are more like signs in the wildness...
- Google maps isn't always correct- it gave me the wrong platform for my trip to Wye!
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- It can be cheaper to book in advance (but not always.) Advance tickets usually open 12 weeks in advance.
- It's usually cheaper to travel at off peak hours. Be careful of taking the train on Sundays though, as they often do repair works then.
- Get a railcard if you're doing a lot of train travel (you usually get up to ⅓ off the train fares- even just taking 2 trips can save you money with a railcard, on certain routes!) You can get a physical or digital railcard- you will need to show the conductor your railcard if you buy a railcard-discounted ticket. The digital railcard can be a bit wonky- I have downloaded it before only for it to disappear so make sure you check it's showing on the app before you travel.
- The National Rail website is a platform for all the different train companies so you can start your booking journey there. I often check splitmyfare to see if there are any cheaper options. Some bloggers will recommend trainline as they have an affiliate system (so they get paid if you book) but trainline is a 3rd party system, so you might not be able to get the cheapest tickets/ there may be additional surcharges.
- If your train is delayed for a long enough time, you can apply for compensation.
Others
- Planned engineering works are listed on the National Rail site- check before you travel! (And as mentioned above, Sunday is my least favorite day to take the train.)
- When travelling by train from Edinburgh to Inverness, people have previously booked first class train tickets and still not gotten a seat!!
- Trains can split in the middle of the journey so make sure you are in the right cabin for your journey (e.g. Cabins 1-4 of a total 7 cabins may not go on to final destination, so you will then need to be in Cabins 5-7 if getting off at the last stop.)
- There are luggage bays where you can put your luggage, but they're not the largest. It may be a scramble for space on longer train journeys.
- Not all train stations have elevators, so try not to bring too much luggage!
- Some trains have electric sockets (available at certain seats, not all) so you can charge your phone or laptop.
- If you want to work on the train, you can book a quiet cabin.
- Arrive earlier if travelling from a bigger train station, as they can be very busy and it may take you a while to get to your platform.
- If you're at the platform early, don't tune out- platforms have been known to change at the last minute!
- Similarly, there is a board on the platform which shows the arriving trains- the order in which the trains are listed can change so be alert
Any questions about taking the train in the UK? Let me know in the comments!
