Navigating Britain’s Railway Network: The Ultimate Guide
As a Brit, I can confidently say that grumbling about things is something of a national pastime. Whether it be about the isles’ grey weather, the questionable performances of our national sports teams or the continuous rise of the cost of a Freddo Frog, warranted or not, we love a good moan. Thus, unsurprisingly, it isn’t too uncommon to hear Britons whinge about how the country’s Victorian era railway network is supposedly falling apart, or how they have had to pay through the nose for a new season ticket only to end up standing twice a day.
However, whilst by no means perfect, I would argue that Britain’s railway network is not all that bad. Granted whilst it may lack the heavily subsidised ticket costs of Germany’s Deutsche Bahn, the glamour of France’s TGV or the speed of the Shinkansen, Britain’s railway network is reasonably reliable and if nothing else, is one of the safest systems in the world. Furthermore, with almost 10,000 miles of track and over 2,500 stations, the network covers much of Britain and offers both visitors and locals a great way of getting about.
All About:
All About Train Operating Companies
Following several decades of state ownership, Britain’s railways were privatised between 1994 and 1997. As a result railway services are operated by train operating companies, of which there are currently 25 across Britain. These are owned by a plethora of companies including multinational transport giants such as Arriva and the Go-Ahead Group, overseas train operators such as Deutsche Bahn, the East Japan Railway Company (also known as JR East), Trenitalia and the Tokyo Metro. In cases of poor performance, the government can step in to take control of train operating companies and safeguard the provision of service as the ‘operator of last resort’, with four train operating companies currently controlled under such an arrangement.
Most Train Operating Companies primarily operate under a franchise agreement whereby private operators bid to operate services on routes, with the government awarding the successful bidder a multi-year contract – usually between 7 and 15 years. In exchange, the train operating company receives franchises to operate these routes. There are also a small number of open-access operators that do not receive such subsidies and instead propose to operate certain routes, with permission to operate on these accepted or rejected by the Office of Rail and Road based on a variety of factors.
All About Tickets
Unlike some other railway networks, Britain’s railways do not operate on an honesty system. Ticket barriers are in place at many stations, whilst ticket checks take place on many services. Those who do not have a valid reason for not holding a ticket must face a penalty fare of £100 and the price of an Anytime Day Single ticket for their journey, in addition to the risk of prosecution. To prevent having to pay a penalty fare, it is very important to purchase the right ticket for the right train.
How do I purchase a ticket?
Online
The easiest and simplest way to purchase tickets is to do so online – this will enable you to browse all available fares and easily select the fare that you want. This can be done via any train operating company’s website, even for routes that sit out of their remit. For example, you may be surprised to hear that you could purchase a ticket from London to Oxford via the website of Scotland’s train operating company, Scotrail!
However, it is equally common to book train tickets via booking sites such as Trainline, Trainpal and even Uber, all of which offer the same array of tickets as are available to purchase via the train operating companies themselves. When booking online, you can opt to receive either a QR code e-ticket or a paper ticket which can be collected from either a ticket machine or a ticket counter at your departure station.
In-Person
Almost all stations have a ticket machine, whilst all major stations will also feature manned ticket counters. Theoretically, the same array of tickets should be available to purchase from these machines and counters as are available online, and these come with the advantage that you will be able to pay with cash rather than a bank card. In some cases when travelling from particularly rural stations, a ticket machine may not be available in which case a ticket can be purchased onboard the train from the conductor.
Types of Ticket
Flexible Tickets
Anytime Single/Return
- Fully flexible, valid at any time of the day.
- The outbound portion of your journey typically has to take place on a fixed date, however, you can return on any date within the ticket’s validity period (usually one month).
- You can travel at any time of day for both your outbound and return journeys.
- Most expensive option.
Anytime Day Ticket
- Similar to an anytime return, however, you must undertake your outbound and return journeys on the same day.
- These are great for day trips as they enable you to return to base as soon as you are ready to do so rather than being locked onto a particular train.
Off-Peak Single/Return
- Cheaper than anytime tickets but only valid during ‘off-peak’ hours.
- Restrictions vary by route, however, ‘off-peak’ is usually anytime after 0930, thereby avoiding the morning rush.
- Any time during weekends and bank holidays is considered to be ‘off-peak’.
Super Off-Peak:
- More restrictive and cheaper than Off-Peak
- Often limited to mid-morning to early evening travel from around 1000 to 1530 and from 1915 onwards, however, this varies between operators.
When a route is served by multiple train operating companies, some tickets may allow you to travel on any operator on that route whilst others may limit you to certain operators. This information can be found on your ticket and station staff will be able to advise you of any limitations if you are unsure.
Fixed Tickets
Advance Tickets
- Pre-booked for specific trains and times.
- The cheapest option, but non-refundable and only valid on the booked train (however you can typically reschedule your ticket for a fee)
- Limited availability; prices increase as departure approaches.
GroupSave Tickets
- This provides a 33% discount for groups (typically 3–9 adults) travelling together.
- Available on off-peak services with certain train operators.
Seat Reservations
Tickets for most longer-distance intercity and some regional trains include a seat reservation, and the assigned carriage and seat number can be found on your ticket. However, if you are not provided with a seat reservation then you can reserve a seat via the train operating company’s website. If holding a flexible (anytime, off-peak or super off-peak ticket), you may receive a seat reservation on your ticket, however, you do not have to take the train to which your seat reservation relates.
What about bikes?
Almost all trains allow passengers to bring bikes with them onboard, however, on some longer distance services bike storage may be limited.
All About Stations
The facilities offered at a station depend on a variety of factors, however, most larger stations will have an indoor waiting room, cafés, shops and fast food outlets. It is also common to see plug sockets and USB-A ports to enable passengers to charge their devices before heading off, whilst complimentary wifi is usually provided at larger stations. Many stations have toilet facilities, however, at some smaller stations, this may take the form of a single accessible toilet which can only be accessed by consulting staff.
Information on stations and their facilities can be found on the National Rail website.
All About the Onboard Experience
Your onboard experience will vary depending on the train operating company, the length of the service and the type of train operating on the route.
Short Distance Services
Many shorter distance services from London, such as those operated by Great Northern, Southern, Southwestern Railways and Thameslink are operated by trains designed to pack on as many commuters as possible and therefore lack the same mod cons as trains that operate longer services across the country. These will likely lack catering facilities, wifi and charging points, and may either lack or feature a very small first class section. However, you may be relieved to hear that most of these trains feature onboard toilets! It is not usually possible to reserve a seat onboard these services.
Longer Distance Services
As you would hope, longer-distance trains are more comfortable. Many of these feature plug sockets and USB-A ports, complimentary wifi, a buffet counter and/or refreshment trolley service, and sometimes an at-seat refreshment delivery service, and a ‘real’ first class section.
What about charging points and wifi?
Most non-commuter services feature complimentary wifi, as well as charging points coming in the form of plug sockets and/or USB-A ports.
First Class
Almost all long distance operators and some short distance operators offer a first class section onboard their trains. These provide larger, more spacious and comfortable seating, and in many cases also include access to a pre-departure lounge where passengers can indulge in a selection of complimentary refreshments before heading off on their journey.
Onboard, those in first class are usually offered some form of complimentary refreshments. This can range from a complimentary bottle of water and a packet of biscuits, right up to a full hot meal, something that is offered on several long distance services.
First class tickets can either be purchased in advance, or, if space is available, it may also be possible to upgrade to first class onboard the train for an additional fee. Those travelling on CrossCountry, East Midlands Railways, Grand Central Railways, Great Western Railways, LNER and Transpennine Express can bid to upgrade in advance via the Seatfrog app.
All About Accessibility
Significant effort has been made to ensure that Britain’s railway network can cater for passengers with mobility issues. However, that is not to say that the network is unilaterally perfect, and there are unfortunately some smaller stations that are not completely accessible. Fortunately, major stations are accessible and there are usually plenty of station staff on hand who are willing to assist passengers with mobility issues. The National Rail Accessibility Map provides a very useful overview of accessibility and other features at all stations on Britain’s railway network.
All passengers with accessibility issues can request free assistance for their journey through the Passenger Assistance website and app, or by contacting the train operating company operating the service. Whilst an assistance request should be made in advance, station and train staff should be able to fulfil any reasonable accessibility request if approached at the station when travelling.
As per the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2010, most trains in the UK must feature an array of features to ensure these are accessible, including handholds, passenger information displays, priority seats and provision for wheelchairs.
More information can be found on the National Rail website and Passenger Assistance platform.
All About When Things Go Wrong
Of course, things do not always go to plan and there are a myriad of reasons as to why train services could be delayed or cancelled, with common reasons including signal failures, a shortage of train crew and a shortage of rolling stock. However, even if train operating companies have a duty of care for passengers (more of which can be found in each company’s passenger charters), and are responsible for getting people to their booked destination.
Should your train be cancelled, even with a fixed ticket, you are almost always permitted to board another service operated by the same train operating company (and sometimes others) to your destination. This could be on the same route, or where disruption may mean this is not possible, via any other suitable alternative route. If there are no suitable alternative rail options, then the train operating company will endeavour to provide road transport such as buses or taxis. However, if the worst comes to the worst and you have to arrange alternative transport, then ensure to keep any receipts and you should be able to claim any costs back from the train operating company that was originally scheduled to operate the cancelled service.
If you reach your destination more than fifteen minutes late (or thirty minutes for some train operating companies), then you should be able to claim some or all of your ticket costs back as part of the Delay Repay compensation scheme. This can be done via the train operating company that operated the delayed service.
During weekends and bank holidays, it is not unusual for certain lines to be closed due to engineering work. In this case, rail replacement buses will be in operation. Any scheduled engineering work can be found on the National Rail website.
Two questions:
1. Do all delays qualify for compensation? For example weather is always excluded for flight delays.
2. I always struggled to understand how tickets are sold. Is it cheaper to buy directly from the operator? Is there a price guarantee? It seems like the most train tickets are the same where you buy it from an agent or directly from the operator but operators sometimes seem to have a promo tickets only available on their website while a lot of agents have all sorts of promos that make them cheaper…
Hello, to answer your questions:
1. As far as I understand, yes! I have used Delay Repay more times than I care to think and I’ve never had a claim rejected owing to a specific delay reason, including bad weather.
2. In most cases, you will pay the same price whether buying from the operator or a third party such as Trainline, Uber etc. Sometimes the train operator will have a sale – although I’ve found that train operator sales are usually reflected on third party booking sites too (I’ve personally found it less common that a third party ticketing platform to have a sale). The exception that I can think of is that Grand Central Railways offers a unique student discount on tickets for their services only when booked directly through their site.
No mention of “industrial actions” (strikes) by rail workers? They seem to happen all the time in the UK. I had to cancel a trip out of London to visit a friend bc the railway company had a strike.
There was a period where they happened quite often during to an ongoing dispute between the TOCs and unions. But there haven’t been any on the mainline for a fair amount of time now.