How to Use Trains in the UK

Many train stations in the United Kingdom are masterpieces of Victorian engineering.

Most people in the United Kingdom do their intercity travel by train. With the high cost of gasoline and the traffic of heavy freight trucks that barrel along the UK motorways at 70 mph or more, train travel makes sense for visitors as well. But the variety of train fares and the apparently complicated schedules put some people off. With the help of some Internet tools and a bit of planning, train travel in the UK can be easier than you think.

Things You'll Need

• Internet connection
• Credit card
• Map (optional)

Instructions

Train Travel in the United Kingdom

1. Plan ahead. The cheapest rail fares are Advance tickets, available up to three months ahead of time. You can save as much as 80 percent off some fares by buying these. Last minute Off-Peak tickets are also available, but the savings are not as dramatic.

2. Consult National Rail Enquiries online. Enter your departure point, destination, date and time in the Journey Planner search boxes and a selection of scheduled trains will appear. You can adjust the choice for earlier or later trains.

3. Compare prices. The online tool allows you to see a choice of fares, Advance, Anytime and Off-Peak, before you book your journey.

4. Register and buy your tickets. The online tool will take you to a site, usually the train company running the journey you've selected, where you can buy your tickets. You will have to register your details. As an international customer, you must pay with a credit card, not a debit card.

5. Print out your purchase confirmation papers. You will be sent a confirmation email with a booking number. You need to have this with you to pick up your tickets.

6. Pick up your train tickets after you arrive in the UK at the automatic machines available in most mainline stations. Insert the credit card you used to buy the tickets in the machine and enter the booking number from your confirmation on the machine's keyboard. You can collect all your tickets, for all your journeys, from the same machine.

7. Check your tickets. The ticket machines dispense a flurry of similar looking cards. For each journey, you will probably get a receipt, a seat reservation and the actual ticket. They all look the same, so read them to make sure you present the ticket when required.

Tips & Warnings

• Compare prices for one-way and return (round-trip) journeys. Two separate one-way Advance tickets are often cheaper than round trip tickets.

• If you can't find the city or town you want to visit on the National Rail Enquiries website, consult a good map, or use an online mapping tool to find other nearby destinations that may have a station. You should be able to arrive within 10 miles of anywhere in England by train. Distances in Scotland and Wales may be longer.

• You can buy tickets for any UK train journey from any UK train company. Different companies run the services around the country, but once you have registered with one, that company can sell you tickets for trains operated by all the other companies.

• Check the National Rail Enquiries website for station facilities. Smaller stations don't have ticketing machines, and sometimes they don't even have staff on duty. Plan on visiting a station with either automated machines or station attendants to collect your pre-paid tickets. With their booking numbers and your credit card you can collect all of them at once.

• Don't miss your train if you have bought the cheapest tickets, and don't get off one or two stops early. Either way, you'll be charged the full fare.

References

• National Rail Enquiries
• Network Rail