National Rail
For those old enough to remember, the four big British rail companies were nationalized in 1965 to become British Rail with its familiar double-arrow logo, but in 1996, British Rail was privatized and became National Rail (with pretty much the same logo).* The National Rail website can be used to book train travel anywhere in the UK, or you can book through the actual train operator, such as ScotRail or South West Trains.
You can buy tickets at a train station the day of your travel, either with a booking agent or at a ticketing machine, but smaller stations are not staffed 24 hours a day and ticketing machines occasionally are broken or fail to print a ticket. Ticketing machines also don’t necessarily offer the best fares.
Or you can buy tickets online using your web browser, either at the National Rail website, the website of the train operator or at a ticket retailer website like Red Spotted Hanky or thetrainline.com. Buying in advance can save considerably, but just to add to the confusion these retailers have their own mobile apps.
You can also download the National Rail app for your Apple, Android or Windows phone or tablet. It’s free although you can pay to upgrade to the ad-free version, although the ads are not intrusive. The app allows you to plan your trip, set alerts, check for service disruptions and purchase tickets. However you’ll be sent to a ticket retailer to actually pay.
If you buy tickets online, you can have your ticket mailed to you or print it out at a station kiosk before your trip. If you want to get a mobile ticket for your phone or tablet, you’re probably better off buying your ticket directly through one of the train operators or one of the retailers mentioned previously.
Of course at larger train stations, you usually have to insert your paper ticket into a turnstile (or wave your smart card) to gain access to the train platform, which you can’t do with an m-ticket. Some turnstiles, however, are equipped with m-ticket readers or you can find a station employee with a hand-held scanner to let you onto the platform.
Things to remember about train travel:
- Keep your ticket handy, a conductor will come by to check. I always forget the safe place I put it.
- Regional trains and inter-city trains almost always have a coach with a restroom
- Regional trains and inter-city trains almost always have a buffet car or someone pushing a tea trolley
- There’s often little difference between first- and standard-class apart from more seating space
- Regional trains and inter-city trains usually have assigned seating (if you pick Advance fare) and you can usually pick a seat and even pick which coach (like the one with the toilet). Seats are marked with either a digital display or a paper printout.
- Almost all trains have Wi-Fi and a power outlet
- Almost every train car (or coach or carriage) has carry-on luggage racks, and most have a luggage closet that fills up quickly, so get on board quickly. Some trains have a coach set aside for larger luggage or bicycles, but not always accessible from seating areas.
- If you still have no place to put your luggage, you usually can find a jump seat at the exits, but don’t block the exit
- Almost all train operators have an app you can download for free that will show you most of the information you need including estimated arrival time
- Fare types include Advance, when you book a specific train on a specific date; Off-Peak, which limits the trains you can travel on a specific date; Anytime, which lets you travel on any train that day (or within two days of the date of the ticket); Seasonal, which allows unlimited travel between two stations; and Rovers and Rangers, which allows unlimited travel within an area.
* Actually this is a pretty simplified explanation of privatization. National Rail is more a branding of the services offices by the Association of Train Operating Companies, the assemblage of 23 train operators include Arriva Trains, Great Western Railway, ScotRail, South West Trains and Virgin Trains. Network Rail is the “not for dividend” company that owns and oversees the 20,000 miles of track and the 40,000 bridges and tunnels in the UK.
Once a train is ready to board, you can usually press a button on the outside to open the door, rather than stand there waiting for it to open like on Star Trek
Local train service
Most larger municipalities offer train service, like the London Underground and Overground (all part of Transport for London). If you book through National Rail, it will include information for any local train and bus service. There are usually prepaid and smart cards, like the Oyster Card, for each service that offer considerable savings.