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Train travel in the UK

Writer's picture: Richard HammondRichard Hammond

The best thing about train travel is that you can use the time to do something other than stare at the miles of road ahead. You can play cards, read the newspaper or a book, catch up on emails and text, watch a film, enjoy a meal, or just gaze out of the window and enjoy the views of the great British countryside.


It’s a great way to cover large distances across the country: you can travel from London to Bristol in less than 80 minutes, from Edinburgh to Birmingham in 4 hours, and from Exeter to London in just over 2 hours. Most railway stations are in city centres, so on arrival you can disembark and quickly reach the heart of the city without the hassle of parking.

 

Trains are a great way to cover large distances across the country. Photo: Wix Media
Trains are a great way to cover large distances across the country. Photo: Wix Media

Railcards and passes

 

Friends and family railcard

Save a third on rail tickets and 60 per cent off children’s fares with the Friends and Family Railcard. It’s valid for up to four adults and four children aged 5–15 (plus you can have two adults named on one card, so if one cardholder isn’t using it, the other can) so long as it’s used after morning peak times. It can also be used for the Caledonian Sleeper and also on some rail/sea journeys with Wightlink and Red Funnel Ferries to stations on the Isle of Wight (as well as Hoverport services to and from Ryde Hoverport), and Stena Line ferries to Ireland – where it’s part of a train and ferry journey (familyandfriends-railcard.co.uk).

 

Two together railcard

For adults who travel together, the Two Together Railcard provides one-third off train tickets when those two people travel on the same journey. It can used for both standard or first class tickets after morning peak times, and any time at weekends and on Public Holidays (twotogether-railcard.co.uk).

 

Regional ‘rover’ travel passes

If you’re planning to spend a few days travelling by train then regional travel passes can make train travel much more affordable than buying individual tickets. They can often be used in conjunction with bus travel. There are 60 passes in the UK, such as the North of England Rover, which gives you four days unlimited rail travel between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Hull, and the Great West Way Discoverer Pass, which gives you unlimited rail and bus travel along a 125-mile (200-km) touring route between London and Bristol, including Bath, Salisbury and Windsor. The All Line Rover pass provides unlimited rail travel throughout Great Britain for seven or 14 consecutive days, so it’s great for longer journeys. It includes travel on the Ffestiniog Railway as well as the Welsh Highland Railway, and is also valid on the UK’s overnight sleeper services. The GB Rail Rover Guide has information and links to rover tickets available throughout Britain (railrover.org).

 

Buying train tickets

National Rail publishes the fares for all rail tickets so there’s no need to shop around for the best price, though there can be a small booking fee that can vary depending on the agent, such as thetrainline.com, raileasy.com, mytrainticket.co.uk and redspottedhanky.com. Agents that don’t add a booking fee include trainsplit.com, railsmartr.co.uk, and the Transport for Wales website (tfwrail.wales), which sells tickets for all rail routes in Britain (except sleepers). For every ticket booked on trainhugger.com, they plant a tree in the UK.

 

Set up a ‘ticket alert’

Rail tickets for are usually released 8–12 weeks ahead of travel, but you can set up a free email ‘ticket alert’ at thetrainline.com/ticketalert to let you know as soon bookings open for your chosen route so you can snap up the cheapest tickets as soon as they become available.

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