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Here is a quick guide to train travel in Britain .  Since 1995, Britain's rail network has been run by over 20 private train companies, but they work together as National Rail with co-ordinated fares & ticketing.  You can find train times & fares for all train operators all on one website, you can buy a train ticket between any two stations, tickets are normally valid on any operator's trains.

A typical inter-city train

Trains come in many different types & company colours, but they all work together as National Rail.  This is an LNER Azuma train, used on the East Coast Main Line linking London-York-Newcastle-Edinburgh.  You'll find seating plans for key British trains on the seat numbering plans page .

How to check train times & fares

To check train times & fares , use the National Rail website www.nationalrail.co.uk .  This is provided by RDG (Rail Delivery Group) on behalf of all train operators, and it shows train times & fares for all routes and all operators. RDG was formerly (perhaps more accurately) called the Association of Train Operating Companies.

Pro tip:   You can look up fares & restrictions at www.brfares.com although this is an online version of rail industry fares manuals so takes some getting to grips with.  However, I use it to see the range of fares available between two points without using a journey planner.

To check train times & fares by phone , call National Rail Enquiries on 0345 7 48 49 50, if you are located outside the UK call +44 20 7278 5240.  Lines open 24 hours a day, calls from UK phones are charged at local rates.

Is your train on time?   Go to www.nationalrail.co.uk/live-trains and enter the name of your station to see a live online departure board showing train arrivals & departures in the next hour or two, and whether they are on time or not.

Pro tip: If you want a really detailed version with planned train formations and rolling stock type, try www.realtimetrains.co.uk .

Maps of the rail network

Map of the national rail network :  Click here for the best national rail map .  This is the map which used to be included in the big printed Great Britain National Timetable, and in my opinion it's the still best map of the network, sufficiently schematic to see the lines, sufficiently geographic to see where they go.  The map is sadly no longer available on the National Rail website, where none of the replacement maps are as good.

Other maps :  There are other train network maps listed on www.nationalrail.co.uk/ passenger_services/maps , including maps of the London area rail network, the London & Southeast rail network, and rail networks in other major cities.

I also recommend rail fare expert Barry Doe's UK rail map which shows which train operator runs where, www.barrydoe.co.uk/railmap52.pdf .

Station plans:   You can find a plan of most stations showing layout, platforms & facilities at www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations .

How to buy tickets

Buy train tickets for any train journey in Britain at tfw.wales .

Transport for Wales is one of the 20+ British train operators and they sell tickets for all routes, all trains (except sleepers ), all operators, and charge the official price with no added booking fee.

You'll be offered a mobile ticket for many journeys, simply show the barcode on your phone, tablet or laptop.

Or you can collect tickets from the self-service machines at any main station.  You'll need the original credit or debit card with you as ID, if you have any problems you can also collect from the staffed ticket office.

Or they will post tickets to any UK address for a fee, with guaranteed next day delivery by 1pm.

Overseas users:   If you have any problems getting tfw.wales to accept your credit card, buy from www.thetrainline.com instead.

Tip:   There's no need to find the 'right' train operator website , or to compare prices on different sites as all train operator websites including tfw.wales sell tickets for all British trains at exactly the same prices from exactly the same National Rail fares database.

Tip:   There are 3 types of fare, Anytime, Off-Peak & Advance.  Anytime fares are good for any train.  Off-Peak fares are good for any train outside Monday-Friday peak periods.  Advance fares are only good for the specific train you book with limited or no changes or refunds allowed.  For a more detailed explanation, see my quick guide to the 3 types of train ticket .

Tip:   Avoid booking fees by using a train operator website such as tfw.wales as they don't charge a booking fee.  Most independent third-party ticket retailers add a small booking fee on top of the ticket price, including www.thetrainline.com , www.raileasy.com , www.mytrainticket.co.uk & www.redspottedhanky.com .  For example www.thetrainline.com charges around £1.50 booking fee.  There are a few exceptions, for example trainsplit.com doesn't charge any fee, but will share any saving if a split ticket saves you money, and new independent retailer railsmartr.co.uk also charges no fee.

Tip:   Train ticket booking normally open 8-12 weeks ahead , beware of trying to book too far ahead as explained here .  90% of all British train tickets are bought less than a month before travel.  But here's a good idea:  Sign up for a free email 'ticket alert' when ticket booking opens for the specific route you want, allowing you to snap up those cheap fares as soon as they are released (It's worth trying later in the day if you don't immediately see any cheap deals available).  To sign up for an alert, go to www.thetrainline.com , click Tools & Apps top right, then click Ticket alert.  Some other train companies also offer this service.

Tip:   Choose your exact seat from a plan.   A few operators allow you to choose a specific seat from a seat plan, but only if you use their own site to book their own trains.  Although I personally prefer the booking engine used by tfw.wales , independent split ticketing website trainsplit.com lets you choose an exact seat on most LNER, Avanti West Coast, Cross Country & East Midlands Trains services, all on one site - plus it charges no booking fee, and it checks to see if split tickets could save you money, too.

You'll find seating plans for some key British trains on the seat numbering plans page .

Tip:   Upgrade to first class using Seatfrog :  If you buy a standard class ticket for LNER (London-York-Edinburgh), GWR (London-Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Devon, Cornwall) or Cross-Country you can bid for a budget upgrade to first class.  See how it works and download the Seatfrog app .

The National Rail website www.nationalrail.co.uk doesn't sell tickets itself, but after answering your enquiry it will offer you a choice of ticket selling websites, with the operator most relevant to your journey at the top of the list.

To buy train tickets by phone , call any train operator telesales line.  They all sell the same tickets at the same prices, for example, Avanti West Coast on 0345 528 0253.

Tips for finding the cheapest tickets

Book longer-distance trips in advance.  Advance fares are the cheapest ticket for medium & long-distance journeys.  The price varies like budget air fares, the earlier you book, the cheaper they're likely to be.  Buy tickets for any route in Britain at tfw.wales or any other train operator website.  You can also buy at www.thetrainline.com , but they add a small booking fee.

Advance fares are only good for the specific train you book, no refunds, limited or no changes to travel plans.  If you want flexibility, you need to buy an Off-Peak fare or Anytime fare .

Even booking the night before can save money:   Bookings for Advance tickets theoretically close at 18:59 the day before travel.  But in practice they remove any remaining Advance fares at 23:59 on many routes, and one or two operators now even sell them on the day, so it's worth trying even if you've just missed the deadline!

Avoid busy days & times:   Advance fares vary in price from train to train & day to day just like budget airline fares, so hunt for the cheapest train.  Wednesday lunchtime is usually cheaper than Friday or Sunday afternoon.

Sign up for a ticket alert :   Advance fares normally go on sale 8-12 weeks ahead, the exact period varies.  If bookings aren't yet open for your date of travel, sign up for an automatic ticket alert at www.thetrainline.com/ticketalert (please let me know if that link stops working) and they'll email you the moment train ticket booking opens.  But don't fall into the 'trap' explained above by buying an expensive Anytime or Off-Peak ticket before cheap Advance fares go on sale.

Beware of booking too far ahead

Don't fall into the trap!   There are several weeks at the extremity of the booking horizon when expensive Anytime & Off-Peak fares go on sale but before cheap Advance fares go on sale.  This 'trap' catches out many overseas visitors to the UK, desperate to book train trips months ahead.  To see how far ahead booking for major operators is currently open, see www.thetrainline.com/ticketalert .

Anytime & Off-Peak fares go on sale 12 weeks out, even if reservations have not yet opened, because these fares can be sold without a seat reservation.  They have a fixed price & unlimited availability, they cannot sell out.  There's no advantage in buying these in advance.

Advance fares are much cheaper, but can only go on sale when reservations open, usually 8 to 10 weeks out (it varies) because availability at each price level is controlled by the reservation system.  To secure a cheap price, you need to buy these Advance fares in advance.

So if the cheapest price you see when booking your London-York trip 10 weeks out is £100+, don't think "Oh no, all the cheap tickets have sold out!", just wait a few weeks until Advance fares magically appear from £23 upwards.  Got that?  Great!

Cheaper fares on slower routes

London to Exeter, Plymouth, Bath, Bristol, Newport & Cardiff:   There are cheaper fares on the slower route from London Waterloo via Salisbury, compared to the main route from London Paddington.

London to Liverpool, Manchester, Crewe, Preston and so on:   There are cheaper fares using slower London & North Western trains rather than the fast Avanti West Coast expresses.

Split-ticketing

How to check if split-ticketing will save you money:

Go to trainsplit.com and use their journey planner.  You then click to buy all the tickets online as one transaction, as easily as buying one ticket.  There's no booking fee unless they make you a saving, then they take a small fee out of the saving.

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Railcards :  Save money if you're under 26, over 60, a family, or disabled

- if you're under 26, there's a 16-25 Railcard .

- if you're aged 26-30 (= under 31 years old) there's now a 26-30 Railcard .

- if you're over 60 there's a Senior Railcard .

- if you're a family or group of friends with at least one child, there's a Family & Friends Railcard .

- if you travel as a duo, there's now a Two Together Railcard for 2 named people of any age who travel together.

- if you have certain types of disability there's a Disabled Person's Railcard .

And no, you don't need to be British or live in the UK to buy a railcard, see the overseas visitors paragraph below !

Alternatively, you can buy a 3-year Railcard for £70 which saves money over 3 x 1-year cards.

A railcard can pay for itself in just one or two long-distance train journeys.  For example, an Off-Peak return London-Manchester costs around £98, so it's £64 return with a railcard, that's a £34 saving straight away.

Disabled Person's Railcard

You can buy a UK national railcard even if you live outside the UK, as long as you meet the criteria for age or for a family group or two people travelling together.  You don't need to be a British citizen or live in the UK to qualify.

The easiest option is to buy online & download a digital railcard onto the National Rail Railcard App on your iPhone or Android phone. Just click the link for the railcard you want and follow the instructions:

www.senior-railcard.co.uk , www.16-25railcard.co.uk , www.family-railcard.co.uk , www.twotogether-railcard.co.uk , www.network-railcard.co.uk .

Tip:   The railcard lasts 1 year from the date you buy it.  You can buy tickets online with the railcard discount applied before you buy the railcard, because you don't need the railcard number to buy a discounted ticket.  So it makes sense to only buy the railcard close to the date you plan to first use it.

Tip:   If system refuses to accept your non-UK postcode the first time you enter your address, no problem, just use this UK one: EC1A 4HD, it makes no difference.  At the payment stage you can select your correct nationality then enter the correct postcode for your billing address.

Tip:   If it says invalid passport number there's advice on how to fix this in the railcard website FAQ, it involves entering everything exactly as it's written in your passport.  Persevere, it should accept almost any current machine-readable passport.

Tip:   If it won't accept a U.S. passport number, start typing the numbers and letters at the bottom of your U.S. passport's photo page. When you get to 30 characters, the system should accept it, even without the remaining numbers and letters.

After buying your railcard (or even before you buy it) you can buy railcard-discounted tickets online at any National Rail authorised sales site such as tfw.wales .

General train travel information:  www.nationalrail.co.uk

As well as online train times and fares, www.nationalrail.co.uk has:

Are the trains running on time?  Are there engineering works?

Go to www.nationalrail.co.uk/live-trains , enter the name of your station to see a 'live departure board' showing train arrivals & departures in the next hour or two, and whether they are on time or not.

Advanced users may find the website www.realtimetrains.co.uk useful.  If you look up a train and click for the detailed version, it shows rail mileages.  It holds actual on-time performance data for the past 7 days.  You can check the progress of a train that's currently running, and it even shows the booked rolling stock type and train formation.

Train company websites

Go to www.nationalrail.co.uk , scroll right to the bottom and click 'Train Operating Companies' for each train company's website address, postal address & phone numbers.

First or Standard class?

Most leisure travellers go standard class, with first class used by businessmen.  But if you pre-book you can find some great first class deals.  First class fares on inter-city trains run by Avanti West Coast, LNER and East Midlands Trains include light meals & drinks, at least on Mondays-Fridays.  GWR & Cross-Country first class includes complimentary tea & coffee on their inter-city routes.  However, your default assumption on other routes should be that first class simple means nicer seats and more room.

This is 1st class (above left) and standard class (above right) on a Pendolino from London to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, the Lake District, Carlisle and Glasgow, run by Avanti West Coast.  As you can see, in standard class there are 2+2 seats across the car width, in first class it's 1+2, so there's more elbow room, more legroom, and there are tables for two and solo seats (below left).  Avanti West Coast is unique in offering a middle class between standard and first called Standard Premium, which uses exactly the same seating as 1st class but without any food or drink included.

Food included in 1st class on LNER, Avanti West Coast & East Midlands Trains:   Below right, a light meal and wine served on an LNER Azuma train from London to Edinburgh, included in the fare.  Avanti West Coast & East Midlands Trains offer a similar 1st class food & drink service.  Another good reason for taking train not plane between London and Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester or Newcastle!

London Underground & Bus information

tfl.gov.uk   for London Underground, bus, Docklands Light Railway, Croydon Tramlink and other London transport information.

tfl.gov.uk/modes/tube   for London Underground information.

Need a bus at the other end?

www.traveline.info allows you to check local bus times across the UK, or you can call Traveline on 0871 200 22 33.  Traveline is a national initiative to make local travel information available on a single number nationwide.  All call centres open 08:00-20:00, some open longer.

There is a system called PLUSBUS, where for £2-£3 more than the normal train fare you can add unlimited bus travel within your origin and/or destination city.  So for example, instead of buying a normal return from London to Manchester for (say) £98, you can buy a return to Manchester Plusbus for just £3 or so more and get exactly the same train ticket but with unlimited free bus travel within central Manchester for the day added on.  See www.plusbus.info for details of the 200 towns and cities in which PLUSBUS operates, or just ask when you buy your train ticket.

Need a ferry at the other end?

For ferries to France , Spain , Belgium , Denmark , Norway & Sweden , see the relevant country page.

To Orkney & the Shetland Isles

Northlink Ferries ( www.northlinkferries.co.uk ) sail from Scrabster near Thurso to Stromness at Scapa Flow on the Orkneys, and from Aberdeen to Lerwick on the Shetland Islands.  Aberdeen-Shetland has a daily overnight service, the ships are little gems, with cosy cabins, lounges, bar, restaurant, and an excellent premium lounge called the Magnus Lounge which is well worth the small extra charge.  All cabins have en suite toilet & shower, premium cabins include access to the Magnus Lounge.  Northlink's terminal in Aberdeen is in central Aberdeen, an easy 5-10 minute walk from Aberdeen station.

Taking your bike ?

Most trains carry bicycles, sometimes for free, sometimes for a small fee with advance reservation required.  

See www.atob.org.uk/rail-ferry-zone for a summary of the bike arrangements on every train operator, although it may not be 100% up to date.

Details can also be found at www.nationalrail.co.uk/on-the-train/train-travel-with-bicycles   and on individual train company websites. 

For information on taking your bike on Eurostar & other European trains, see the Taking your bike to Europe by train page .

Only a few operators will carry tandems, for advice on train travel with tandems see tandem-club.org.uk .

Rail Rovers :  Unlimited train travel for anyone

Rail Rovers give unlimited travel over all or selected parts of the British rail network and can be bought by anyone, including UK residents, see www.nationalrail.co.uk/.../rangers_and_rovers .  There are rail rovers covering the whole network or just certain areas.  The All-Line Rail Rover gives unlimited travel over the whole British national rail network.

2024 All Line Rail Rover prices:

7-day standard class All-Line Rail Rover £598 (child under 16 half price, 34% off for 16-25/senior/two together/forces/disabled railcard holders)

14-day standard class All-Line Rail Rover £908 (child under 16 half price, 34% off for 16-25/senior/two together/forces/disabled railcard holders)

7-day 1st class All-Line Rail Rover £908 (child under 16 half price, 34% off for senior/two together/forces/disabled railcard holders)

14-day 1st class All-Line Rail Rover £1,387 (child under 16 half price, 34% off for senior/disabled/two together railcard holders)

How to buy a rail rover

You can check current prices & buy online at tickets.gwr.com/..../roversandrangers .  Alternatively, you can buy Rail Rovers from any railway station or train operator telesales line.  You can only buy one from stations within 3 days of the date you want them to start.  If you have any trouble buying a rail rover, ask them to look in section G of their fares manual.

Travel restrictions

The All-Line rover used to be valid on all national rail trains without time restrictions but some restrictions were introduced in 2011  to stop business travellers using it on certain key business routes.  No restrictions apply on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays, but on Mondays to Fridays the All-Line Rail Rover is not valid for boarding or alighting train services operated by Avanti West Coast, LNER, East Midlands Trains or Arriva CrossCountry at the following stations before 10:00:

London Euston

London Kings Cross

London St Pancras International

Birmingham New Street

Luton Airport Parkway

Milton Keynes Central

Watford Junction

There are no restrictions on these companies' trains at other stations or on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, or on other companies' trains at any station on any day.  So it's no problem using a Great Western train getting in to London before 10:00, or a ScotRail sleeper arriving at London Euston before 10:00.

All-Line Rail Rovers are also valid on the Ffestiniog Railway, and on Caledonian sleepers (seated cars free, sleepers if you pay the berth supplement).  They are not valid on Eurostar, Heathrow Express, Heathrow Connect, London Underground or Docklands, heritage railways (except Ffestiniog Railways) or shipping services.  For information on rail rovers covering other areas call National Rail Enquiries on 03457 48 49 50.

If you buy a rover using a 2-Together railcard, you also can't use the pass before 09:30 Monday-Fridays.

BritRail passes: Unlimited train travel for overseas visitors

If you live overseas and plan to visit the UK, you can buy a 'BritRail' pass which gives unlimited train travel on all 20+ British train operators for various periods.  It's now available as a mobile pass that you can buy & download to your phone.

BritRail prices, information & buy online

BritRail pass or point-to-point tickets?

A pass is only worth it if you're going to make a number of long-distance train trips around Britain, so don't bother with a BritRail pass if all you're going to do is make one long-distance trip, or a number of relatively short trips.  For longer distances, a BritRail pass typically works out about the same as a normal Off-Peak flexible ticket bought on the day of travel, it's more expensive than the cheaper Advance tickets, but is far cheaper than the Anytime tickets needed to travel in the Monday-Friday business peaks, see the 30-second guide to UK rail fares .  So if you want to make early starts on Monday-Fridays and have complete all-day flexibility, a BritRail pass is a great idea, but if you're prepared to avoid the Monday-Friday morning & afternoon business peaks, and especially if you book cheap tickets in advance at tfw.wales (no booking fee!) on a no-refunds, no-changes-to-travel-plans basis, ordinary point-to-point tickets will be the same or cheaper than a pass.  Before investing in a BritRail pass, check that normal tickets wouldn't be cheaper for what you plan to do, using tfw.wales or www.nationalrail.co.uk .

How to make BritRail seat reservations online

Seat reservation are optional on all British trains (except overnight sleeper trains).  So you don't have to have one, and indeed can't make one anyway on many local/rural/urban/suburban routes.  But they are a good idea on long-distance routes, especially at busy times.

Do not pay £££ (or $$$) to make seat reservations through an agency.  There's a well-hidden way to make stand-alone seat reservations for free to go with a pass.

Go to www.gwr.com and register for an account.  Sign in & click My account .  Then click Bookings .  Then click the Make a seat/bike reservation box. 

Run an enquiry and select a train.  It will look as if you need to select a fare, select any fare in the right class, it doesn't matter which, continue and make the reservation.  It says you won't be charged and indeed you'll get the free stand-alone seat reservation without needing to enter any payment details.

Even though it's GWR, this works for any train/route/operator where seat reservations are available including LNER, Avanti, Cross-Country, TransPennine & GWR.  Please let me know if this process changes, or ceases to work.

Tip for seat reservations on LNER trains:   If you want a seat reservation on an LNER train (for example, between London & York, Leeds, Newcastle, Edinburgh) you can also use www.lner.co.uk/travel-information/make-a-reservation , up to 5 minutes before the train leaves its starting station.  The advantage over using gwr.com is that you can choose an exact seat from a seating plan on LNER trains if you make a reservation this way.  You'll need to register for an LNER account during the process, but no payment is necessary, it's free just like gwr.com.  However, gwr.com can reserve seats on any operator, this LNER system can only make reservations on LNER trains.

Or make reservations in person

Simply ask at any staffed station any time up to about 2h before departure, or ideally the day before.  There are always places available, even on the day.

A simple guide to train fares

Anytime, Off-Peak & Advance...  They say train fares are complicated.  But for all practical purposes, there are now just 3 types of fare making it as simple as 1, 2 3.  All the train companies now use the same 3 names for the same 3 types of ticket.  Always confirm the exact restrictions and conditions when you buy your ticket. 

Which train operators & routes can you use ?

People get hung up on there being 20+ different train operators, but it's actually pretty simple.  The government requires train operators to work together as a network, so:

Why are there several 'Anytime' & 'Off-Peak' tickets for my journey, all with different prices?  Unfortunately, online ticket systems don't usually show the ticket routing.  So you might see two 'Anytime' fares from (say) London to Hull, one apparently valid on all the trains, the other only valid on a handful of trains and cheaper than the first one.  The reason is simple, in this case the first one is the 'route any permitted' anytime fare, the other is a cheaper 'route Hull Trains only' anytime fare only valid on Hull Trains' own services.  Similarly, you may find two Anytime or Off-Peak tickets between London & (say) Birmingham, one valid on all trains, the other only on some of the trains.  In this case it's because there are two sets of fares to Birmingham, one set being the 'route any permitted' fares valid on all routes & operators, the second being cheaper 'route High Wycombe' fares valid on all operators but only on the slower route via High Wycombe.  This would be obvious, rather than confusing, if the online systems stated the ticket routing for each fare they showed, but they don't.  The choice between (on the one hand) slower but cheaper and (on the other hand) faster, more frequent but more expensive, is up to you.

Breaking your journey ('stopovers'):  With an Off-Peak ticket you can take an interesting or scenic route and change trains as much as you like without leaving the station, as long as you stay within the time restrictions which apply to your ticket and stick to one of the permitted routes (see below).  However, you can only break your journey (i.e. stop off and leave the station) on the return leg of an Off-Peak return, not on the outward leg of an Off-Peak return, and not at all on an Off-Peak one-way ticket.  With an Anytime one-way or return ticket, there are no time restrictions and you can break your journey anywhere you like along any of the permitted routes.

How are fares set?  Here comes the science bit...  Behind the scenes, fare setting works like this:  Every origin-destination pair (known as a 'flow') is allocated to a particular train operator who has the right and the obligation to set the fares.  This operator is known as the 'Lead Operator' for that flow.  Once the Lead Operator has set the fares, every other operator serving any part of that flow (known as the 'Secondary Operators') are legally obliged to accept those fares for travel on their trains.  As I've said, Advance fares are by definition only valid on one train operator's trains, and both Lead Operators and Secondary Operators are allowed to set Advance fares for their own trains.  In addition Secondary Operators are allowed to set other (more flexible) fare types for their own trains, although only a few choose to do so.  For example, you'll see 'anytime' & 'off-peak' fares from London to Hull routed 'Hull Trains only' set by Secondary Operator Hull Trains, in addition to the main London to Hull 'route any permitted' anytime & off-peak fares set by Lead Operator LNER.  However, Lead Operators are not permitted to set fares which are only valid on their own trains, other than Advance fares, temporary fares & first class fares.  Revenue from the fares set by Lead Operators is shared between all operators serving that route, based on a computer system called ORCATS which models the proportion of passenger miles travelled on each operator.

What are the permitted routes?

The 'permitted routes' for a given origin & destination are set out in a document called the National Routeing Guide.  Don't worry about getting hold of a copy, even ticket clerks can't understand it half the time, just accept that it exists, and its contents have been incorporated into the various journey planning systems such as those used on nationalrail.co.uk, thetrainline.com & raileasy.com.  To give you a flavour of how flexible the permitted routes are:

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May rail strikes: How is the latest train drivers’ walk-out affecting passengers?

In three days of ‘rolling’ walk-outs, most train operators involved have cancelled all services, article bookmarked.

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National rail strikes by train drivers have entered a third summer with a series of “rolling” walk-outs, one region at a time, during May .

Members of the Aslef union are halting thousands of trains on 7, 8 and 9 May 2024 – with commuters who normally go to the office on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday among the targets.

The aim is to disrupt services on the 14 rail firms in England that are controlled by the UK government and represented by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG). Rolling strikes cause maximum disruption for minimum loss of pay.

In addition, six days of overtime bans are causing further cancellations from 6 to 11 May.

The previous national industrial action by train drivers, comprising an overtime ban and rolling regional walk-outs, hit passengers in April .

Industrial action by Aslef train drivers in their dispute over pay and working arrangements began in July 2022. The union is demanding a no-strings pay award, but rail firms – directed by ministers – say any increase is contingent on radical reforms to working practices in order to reduce public subsidies.

During the dispute, hundreds of millions of journeys have been cancelled. Billions of pounds have been lost to the UK economy – particularly to hospitality businesses.

Taxpayers are pumping cash into an increasingly decrepit and unreliable railway to the tune of £90 per second on top of the normal subsidy. Over the course of a year, that amounts to £2.8bn in addtional public cash.

The quarrel has become increasingly bitter, with no sign of any progress towards a settlement. Negotiations were last held on 26 April 2023.

Caught in the middle of a seemingly intractable dispute: the passenger. In a snap social media poll for The Independent that garnered 2,142 responses, one in three rail travellers say they will permanently travel less after the industrial action finally ends.

For passengers, these are the key questions and answers.

Which rail firms are involved?

Aslef is in dispute with the train operating companies (TOCs) that are contracted by the UK government to provide rail services. They are:

Intercity operators:

Avanti West Coast

CrossCountry

East Midlands Railway

Great Western Railway (GWR)

TransPennine Express

Southeast England commuter operators:

Greater Anglia

GTR (Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern, Thameslink)

Southeastern

South Western Railway (including the Island Line on the Isle of Wight)

Operators focusing on the north of England, the Midlands and links from London

Chiltern Railways

Northern Trains

West Midlands Railway (including London Northwestern Railway)

When are the train drivers walking out?

Drivers belonging to the Aslef union are striking in the following pattern:

Tuesday 7 May

C2C, Greater Anglia, Great Northern, Thameslink, Southeastern, Southern, Gatwick Express, South Western Railway.

Commuters around London comprise the main target.

Wednesday 8 May

Avanti West Coast , Chiltern, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway, West Midlands Railway and CrossCountry.

The aim is to cause maximum disruption on key intercity lines as well as Midland commuter services.

Thursday 9 May

LNER , Northern and TransPennine Express. This is aimed at users of the East Coast main line and passengers in the North of England and southern Scotland.

What are the predicted effects at each operator?

GWR’s Night Riviera sleeper train from London to Penzance is cancelled until Sunday 12 May.

The Gatwick Express from London to the Sussex airport will be cancelled throughout the industrial action period.

For other operators, these are the probable service patterns – though travellers should check shortly before their planned journeys. Where trains are running, the normal hours of operation are likely to be curtailed.

Disruption is also likely on days before and after strike days. TransPennine Express says: “Plan carefully for any rail journeys as services may start later and finish earlier than usual.”

Greater Anglia is running to and from London Liverpool Street to Stansted airport, Southend, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich.

Southern is running a shuttle service between London Victoria and Gatwick airport.

Thameslink is running a shuttle service between London St Pancras and Luton (town and airport stations).

Great Northern is running a shuttle service between London King’s Cross and Cambridge.

South Western Railway is running between London Waterloo, Woking and Guildford, with some other suburban services likely.

Southeastern urges passengers not to travel, but is running services between London St Pancras and Ashford on the high-speed line; Charing Cross and Orpington; and London Bridge and Dartford.

C2C has cancelled all services.

Five train operators – Avanti West Coast, Chiltern, East Midlands Railway, West Midlands Railway and CrossCountry – have cancelled all train services.

GWR will run no long-distance trains, but will connect Reading with Oxford and Basingstoke, as well as a link from Bristol to Cardiff and some branch routes in Devon and Cornwall. The company says: “Many parts of the GWR network will have no service at all and trains that are running will only be operating for a limited period during the day.”

Northern and TransPennine Express has cancelled all services.

LNER is running a skeleton service on core lines between around 7am and 7pm, with about 25 per cent of the normal schedule. Its main Edinburgh-Newcastle-York-London line will have at least one train an hour, with some additional trains on the southern part of the network.

What about the overtime ban?

Members are also refusing to work their rest days from Monday 6 to Saturday 11 May, inclusive. As many rail firms depend on drivers working overtime, hundreds – possibly thousands – of trains will be cancelled.

On the first day alone, LNER cancelled or curtailed at least a dozen trains “due to a shortage of train crew”.

Greater Anglia, Avanti West Coast and West Midlands Railway will run a reduced timetable on each day of the overtime ban.

Avanti West Coast says: “On Tuesday 7, Thursday 9, Friday 10 and Saturday 11 May, a number of services will be removed from our timetable due to the overtime ban and Wednesday’s strike action. These are mostly on our Manchester and Birmingham routes, but removals have been spread throughout the day to keep people moving.”

GWR says the overtime ban will cause “some short notice cancellations or alterations to services across the GWR network”.

But Southeastern says: “We expect to run our full service during this time, except for Tuesday 7 May, which is the strike day on our network.”

Which rail firms are not involved?

Some publicly funded train operators will run normally: ScotRail, Transport for Wales, Transport for London (including the Elizabeth line) and Merseyrail.

“Open-access” operators on the East Coast main line – Grand Central, Hull Trains and Lumo – are unaffected. But many of their services will be crowded on days of industrial action. They duplicate some routes of strike-hit companies, including LNER, TransPennine Express, CrossCountry and Northern.

What is at stake in the dispute?

The train drivers demand a pay rise to reflect high levels of inflation since they last won a pay award; Aslef says some members have not had an increase for five years.

But the government insists that even a modest pay increase is contingent on radical changes to long-standing working arrangements in order to reduce costs – and the huge subsidies the railway is currently receiving from the taxpayer.

Since the pandemic, travel patterns have changed. Ticket revenue is about one-fifth down on pre-Covid levels. As taxpayers will foot the eventual bill for the train drivers’ pay rise, the Treasury as well as the Department for Transport will sign off any deal.

Ministers believe train drivers’ terms and conditions are part of the problem. To keep costs down, they must accept changes to how they work, such as making Sunday part of the working week everywhere.

On 27 April 2023 the Rail Delivery Group offered a pay increase of 4 plus 4 per cent over two years covering the 2022 and 2023 pay awards. The deal required the union to accept a host of changes on terms and conditions, covering a wide range of issues including driver training, Sunday working, sick pay and new technology.

The union says this offer is unacceptable, calling it “a land-grab for terms and conditions”, and that the employers knew it when they tabled it.

Union leaders believe the money will be found to meet their demands, as it always has been in the past. Aslef has also always “sold” reforms to working arrangements for an extra few per cent on their pay and does not intend to change that process.

Meanwhile, the corrosion in confidence among travellers continues, with no rail passenger able to plan journeys more than two weeks ahead – that being the minimum notice the union must give for industrial action.

What do the employers and government say?

A spokesperson for Rail Delivery Group said: “This wholly unnecessary strike action called by the Aslef leadership will sadly disrupt customers and businesses once again, while further damaging the railway at a time when taxpayers are continuing to contribute an extra £54m a week just to keep services running.

“We continue to seek a fair agreement with the Aslef leadership which both rewards our people, gives our customers more reliable services and makes sure the railway isn’t taking more than its fair share from taxpayers.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “The transport secretary [Mark Harper] and rail minister [Huw Merriman] have already facilitated a pay offer that would take train drivers’ average salaries up to £65,000 – almost twice the UK average salary.

“Aslef are the only union left striking after the government oversaw deals with all the other unions. Instead of causing passengers disruption, they should put this offer to their members and work with industry to end this dispute.”

What does the union say?

The general secretary of Aslef, Mick Whelan, said big majorities in ballots for industrial action show the strength of feeling among train drivers – and that it would be pointless to put last year’s offer to a vote.

“We’re 22 months into this – the longest rail strike in history,” he told The Independent . And we’re still getting mandates of 94 to 99 per cent. Drivers would not vote to strike if they thought an offer was acceptable. They don’t. And that offer – now a year old – is dead in the water.

““Our pay deals at these companies ran out in 2019. Train drivers at these TOCs have not had an increase in salary for five years.

“It is now a year since we sat in a room with the train companies – and a year since we rejected the risible offer they made and which they admitted, privately, was designed to be rejected.”

When will the strikes finally be over?

Mick Whelan says: “In the words of Tom Petty, we won’t back down.” The working assumption is now that it will take a change of government before the dispute is settled.

No prime minister since Margaret Thatcher has demonstrated such contempt for Britain’s railway as Rishi Sunak. On the eve of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow , he announced the halving of Air Passenger Duty on domestic routes – encouraging travellers to switch from rail to air and triggering a surge of new flights within the UK .

Tearing up years of cross-party agreement, the prime minister then scrapped plans for HS2 north of Birmingham and demanded a swift sell-off of protected land to ensure the project could not be resurrected. And Mr Sunak has tolerated 18 months of intermittent strikes by train drivers with no apparent appetite for a settlement.

What does the Labour Party say?

Louise Haigh, the party’s shadow transport secretary, said: “Labour will take an unashamedly different approach to the Tories, and will work with both sides to reach a deal in the interests of passengers and workers.

“If the transport secretary took this sensible approach then perhaps we wouldn’t still be having strikes on our railways.”

The transport secretary, Mark Harper , posted earlier this month on X (formerly Twitter) : “Buried in Labour’s rail nationalisation plan: greater control for the unions, more ministerial meddling,leading to fewer services. Making things worse for passengers.”

How much has all the disruption cost?

According to the RDG, industrial action from June 2022 up until mid-January 2024 cost the rail sector around £775m in lost revenue. That does not include the impact of the most recent strikes and overtime bans, which probably takes the total to around £1bn.

UKHospitality estimates the lost business for places to eat, drink and stay amounts to around £5bn. Kate Nicholls, the organisation’s chief executive, says: “Ongoing strike action hurts businesses, prevents people from getting to work and significantly erodes confidence in the rail network.”

In addition, there is an unknowable loss of revenue from passengers who have adjusted their lifestyles or found alternative forms of transport; businesses that have stopped making trips and are using online communication instead; and people trimming back on travel because of the lack of certainty.

What about the new minimum service levels law?

Legislation now allows the transport secretary to stipulate minimum service levels (MSLs) on strike days amounting to 40 per cent of the normal service.

The government says the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act 2023 aims “to ensure that the public can continue to access services that they rely on, during strike action”.

No train operator is seeking to impose the new law on the train drivers’ union. LNER said it might do so earlier this year, and opened consultations. Aslef immediately called a separate five-day strike on LNER alone. Then the train operator said it would not require drivers to work, and the strike was called off.

The Transport Select Committee has previously warned of potential unintended consequences of the legislation. The Conservative chair, Iain Stewart, said: “There is a risk of MSLs worsening worker-employer relations and that, as a result, MSLs could end up making services less reliable.”

The minimum service level rules do not apply to union bans on non-contractual rest-day working – so there would be no benefit in imposing the law when an overtime ban is in force.

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Tram and rail passengers face a week of disruption as strikes get underway

• rail strikes
• Monday 6 May 2024 at 9:20am

Rail and tram passengers face a week of disruption because of strikes which will lead to some parts of the country having no trains on days of industrial action.

Members of the train drivers’ union Aslef at 16 operators will launch a six-day ban on overtime on Monday, which is expected to cause short-notice cancellations.

They will also stage three, one-day strikes across different operators between May 7 and 9, as part of a long running dispute over pay.

Passengers are being urged to check before they travel, with services that do run on strike days starting later and finishing earlier than usual.

Have you heard our new podcast Talking Politics? Every week Tom, Robert and Anushka dig into the biggest issues dominating the political agenda…

No talks have been held between the union and train operators for more than a year, and for longer involving the government.

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train operators, wrote to Aslef last week suggesting informal talks which could result in more formal negotiations.

A spokesman for the RDG said the rail industry is "working hard to keep trains running" but "it is likely that services on some lines will be affected on the evening before and morning after each strike between May 7 and May 9" as trains will not be in the right depots to start services the following day.

“We can only apologise to our customers for this wholly unnecessary strike action called by the Aslef leadership which will sadly disrupt journeys once again.

“It will also inflict further damage on an industry that is receiving up to an additional £54 million a week in taxpayer cash to keep services running, following the Covid downturn.”

Train drivers will strike on the following days:

Tuesday May 7: c2c, Greater Anglia, GTR’s Great Northern, Thameslink and Southern (including Gatwick Express), Southeastern, and South Western Railway;

Wednesday May 8: Avanti West Coast, London Northwestern Railway, Chiltern, CrossCountry, East Midlands Railway, GWR, and West Midlands Trains;

Thursday May 9: LNER, Northern, and TransPennine Express.

Aslef said its members have not had a pay rise for five years and has accused the government of “giving up” trying to resolve the dispute.

Meanwhile, engineers on the Croydon Tramlink will strike from 8pm on Sunday to 6am on Thursday in a separate pay dispute.

Unite said its members are paid up to £10,000 a year less than similarly qualified workers on London Underground.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said it is "outrageous" that Transport for London "somehow thinks it is acceptable to be systemically underpaying highly skilled workers who are essential to keep the tram system functioning.”

Department for Transport spokesperson said: “The Transport Secretary and Rail Minister have already facilitated a pay offer that would take train drivers’ average salaries up to £65,000 – almost twice the UK average salary. “Aslef are the only union left striking after the government oversaw deals with all the other unions. “Instead of causing passengers disruption, they should put this offer to their members and work with industry to end this dispute.”

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…

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Incredible new £43m plan to double train numbers from UK to some of Europe’s best cities

Passengers may soon be able to access even more european capitals on more trains..

Hopping on the Eurostar from London is a great way to travel to Europe, particularly if you don't enjoy flying.

In around two hours the traveller can go from the heart of London to the centre of Paris or Brussels. In just under four hours they can even be in Amsterdam.

And now if all goes to plan, passengers may soon be able to access even more European capitals on more trains.

Discussions are under way to boost train services and offer more travel destinations via the Channel Tunnel - a move that will delight train fans.

READ MORE Best areas to live in Majorca as a British expat

The operator of the Channel Tunnel, Getlink, has offered £43 million (€50m) to encourage more companies to launch new cross-Channel rail services to rival Eurostar.

Formerly called Groupe Eurotunnel, the French company is responsible for managing and operating the infrastructure of the Channel Tunnel as well as LeShuttle passenger and freight trains.

The company says services could be more than doubled, providing an opportunity for other rail companies to expand their businesses.

Yann Leriche, the chief executive, told the Financial Times : “We have a lot of room, including at peak time.

"I think there is potential to have more high speed trains and freight trains."

Don't miss... Picturesque UK city named one of the most Instagrammable in the world [REVEAL] British tourists hit by holiday warning over new EU rule most are 'unaware' of [NEWS] Jet2, Ryanair and easyJet issue warning for Turkey holidays [LATEST]

He claimed there was room to increase the current number trains that use the tunnel on any given day from 400 to 1,000.

At least five companies have expressed an interest in bidding for slots on the line.

These include Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, a Dutch start-up Heuro, and Evolyn - a Spanish-led project backed by the billionaire Cosmen family.

New destinations as far away as Germany and Switzerland are also reportedly in the pipeline.

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Previously rail operators have avoided bidding for slots on the Channel Tunnel lines due to the high cost of complying with very strict safety regulations.

However, many of the obstacles have been cleared, with associated costs tumbling due to Alstom’s new TGV trains being certified to run through the tunnel.

Passenger numbers on the Eurostar are currently back up to levels last seen before the Covid pandemic.

Some 18.6 million passengers travelled on Eurostar in 2023, up 22 percent on the previous year

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From holidays to shopping: eight discounts for UK over-60s you might not know about

It’s still the magic milestone when senior citizenship begins … with a host of money-saving offers to take advantage of

Travel for free

The UK state pension age has risen but many companies and organisations still hold on to “the big 6-0” as the point at which senior citizenship begins, and it continues to represent a money-saving milestone as a result.

In Wales and Scotland you qualify for an older person’s free bus pass from the age of 60. You have to apply and provide proof of age and address and a passport-style photo.

In Scotland you access free bus travel via the National Entitlement Card, which also gives those who live on Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles two free return ferry journeys to the Scottish mainland each year.

In England, the older person’s free bus pass only arrives when you hit the state pension age (currently 66) – with notable exceptions being London and Liverpool. If you live in the capital, you can travel there for free when you are 60. You can get a 60+ London Oyster photocard until you are eligible for a Freedom Pass, for which the current eligibility age is 66.

The 60+ photocard gives you free travel on buses, the tube, trams, Docklands Light Railway, London Overground, the Elizabeth line (excluding between West Drayton and Reading) and most National Rail services in London, from 9am on weekdays and at any time at weekends and on bank holidays (it’s from 9.30am on weekdays for the National Rail services). You also get discounted fares on river services such as Thames Clippers, and discounts on Santander cycle hire. For full details, check out the TfL website .

Merseytravel offers a similar arrangement in Merseyside.

Get a rail or coach card

The senior railcard is for those aged 60 and over and costs £30 a year, or £70 for three years, and gives you a third off rail travel.

National Rail, which issues the cards, says people with a senior railcard save on average £86 a year , or £5.26 a journey . The railcard is not valid during the morning peak period – times differ around the country, so you will need to check before you travel.

A National Express senior coach card, which costs £15 plus £3 postage, gives you a third off standard and fully flexible fares, plus £15 day returns to anywhere in the UK on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays.

There are no restrictions on peak and off-peak travel times, so you can travel when it suits you.

Holiday for less

If you are booking a trip away, ask whether your airline, train company or hotel, including chains overseas, offers a senior discount.

The budget hotel chain Travelodge has in the past offered over-60s 25% off selected stays, while Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in the US is among those offering reduced rates. Eurostar offers special senior fares for those aged 60-plus on its continental routes (for example, Brussels to Paris and Brussels to Amsterdam), but not for journeys between the UK and mainland Europe.

Enjoy a show

Many theatres and cinemas have special deals and showings for those aged 60-plus.

You can get £20 off tickets for midweek matinees (applying to full-price £89 and £69 tickets, or £79 and £59 tickets for the forthcoming production of Ballet Shoes) at the Lyttelton and Olivier theatres at London’s National Theatre . For shows in its Dorfman Theatre, higher-priced tickets are reduced to £36 for midweek matinees.

Other London theatres offering discounted tickets for over-60s include the Old Vic and the Young Vic.

The Ambassador Theatre Group runs one of the UK’s biggest ticketing operations, ATG Tickets, and says those over the age of 60 will get discounts at selected venues and shows, so it’s worth checking before you book. The Picturehouse cinema chain’s free-to-join Silver Screen club gives over-60s a free hot drink and discounted tickets, typically for matinee shows. The Odeon chain’s Silvers scheme shows films at quieter times of the day, with tickets from £3.50 including tea, coffee and biscuits served before the film.

Showcase cinemas have Silver Screenings on a Monday, with tickets for all films starting before 4pm usually discounted to £4.99.

Almost a million over-60s take advantage of the National Trust’s senior concession, a 25% discount off membership, bringing the cost down to £68.40 for individual senior membership, or £113.40 for joint senior membership, provided you have been a member for at least the last three consecutive years. The Royal Horticultural Society offers a hefty discount on its life membership, reducing the individual price from £1,495 to £935.

Shop with a discount

The supermarket chain Iceland has a Bonus Card scheme that provides all shoppers with offers and savings, but has an extra perk for cardholders over 60: a 10% discount in its shops every Tuesday. When shopping you will need to show ID – a senior bus pass, senior railcard or driving licence.

Asda is another retailer that targets the over-60s with deals. It ran a popular “winter warmer” meal deal between 1 November last year and the end of February this year, which offered soup, a roll and unlimited tea and coffee for only £1 in any of its 205 cafes. Keep an eye out for future offers.

Play or watch sport

Older fans of sports including football, cricket and rugby can often get discounts on tickets. In many cases you have to be at least 65 or 66 but there are several football club season ticket schemes, such as Sheffield United’s, that start reductions at the age of 60.

Some golf clubs offer membership discounts or incentives to older players. The age requirements vary. The GolfSupport.com website carried out a UK survey and published its findings , which may help you track down a good deal in your area.

Stay healthy

NHS prescriptions in Scotland and Wales are free for everyone but in England you need to pay until you turn 60; after that they are free.

In Wales, those aged 60-plus can get free NHS dental examinations, too. Everyone in Scotland is entitled to free NHS dental examinations.

NHS-funded eye tests are free for everyone in Scotland. In the other countries of the UK, those who are 60 and over are entitled to free NHS eye tests, which you can take up at most opticians.

Specsavers offers over-60s 20% off glasses, while Boots Opticians has a 10% discount on your first pair of glasses.

With the Advantage Card loyalty scheme at Boots you can access Over 60s Rewards, which gives you more points: eight for every £1 spent on Boots brands and selected exclusives, including No 7, Botanics, Liz Earle, Champneys and Joules.

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Sun 12 May 2024

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M25 closure and train driver overtime ban to cause weekend travel chaos

'undoubtedly there's going to be some big delays and that could spoil everything'.

A partial closure of the M25 and industrial action by train drivers will lead to travel chaos throughout the weekend, experts have warned.

Britain’s busiest motorway will be shut in both directions between junctions 9 and 10 in Surrey from 9pm on Friday until 6am on Monday while concrete beams for a new bridge are installed.

For each day of disruption, 270,000 journeys are expected to be affected, according to the AA, as drivers take to the roads to make the most of the warmer weather.

Saturday could be the hottest day of the year, with temperatures of 27°C expected in some areas of south-east England.

The delays are likely to be exacerbated by more disruption on the trains.

People hoping to travel by rail have been warned of reduced services throughout the UK because of a ban on overtime as part of industrial action by train drivers belonging to Aslef.

National Rail said the ban, which began on Monday and runs until Saturday, will lead to some disruption to timetables. Major rail companies are warning that trains that are running will be busier than usual and those planning to travel are being advised to allow extra time for their journeys. It follows a three-day strike by drivers which caused the cancellation of train services from Penzance to Aberdeen.

The Aslef strikes form part of a pay disputed that has continued for nearly two years. There was hope this week of negotiations restarting between Aslef and train operators with the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents rail companies.

No meetings have been held between the two sides for a year, while Government ministers have not met representatives from Aslef since the start of 2023.

Martyn James, a consumer rights expert, recommended planning “for the worst” as many people are likely to want to travel to make the most of the sunshine.

He told i : “Have a think about whether it’s worth getting on a train. Roads will also be busy and you don’t want to lose half your weekend in a traffic jam.

“Undoubtedly there are going to be some big delays and that could spoil everything.”

Mr James said people should make back-up plans that could include travelling by coach or alternate driving routes that don’t involve the M25.

He said people with tickets to special events should check the refund policy if they are unable to get to it and be wary of surge pricing that is sometimes used at popular destinations.

All the M25 closures mapped, as drivers warned to expect delays this weekend

National Highways said diversion routes are planned to cope with the partial closure of the M25, which will take cars on a 19-mile journey on A roads, crossing from Surrey into London.

The routes will enter the capital’s Ulez area. The highways authority said “no enforcement action will be taken” but said anyone who ignores official diversion signs in an attempt to find shorter alternative routes will be liable for the £12.50 daily Ulez fee if their vehicle does not meet minimum emissions standards.

Failure to pay the charge when required can lead to a £180 fine, which is reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.

The RAC told drivers to avoid travelling if possible and pack extra food and drink if they do, as the closures are likely to bring long delays for thousands of drivers.

Alice Simpson, breakdown spokesperson at the RAC motoring group, said: “The closures also coincide with the retrofitting of new emergency areas on all-lane-running stretches of the M25, meaning delays are likely between junctions 5 and 7 in Surrey and Kent and junctions 23-27 in Hertfordshire and Essex.

“With weekend temperatures reaching 25°C or even higher, it’s likely that routes around the 23-mile diversion will be busy as people make the most of the fine weather and jump in the car for day trips.”

She said holidaymakers heading to Gatwick or Heathrow should leave an hour earlier than usual anyone anyone heading to Chessington World of Adventures, a theme park near the diversion route, should expect delays.

The M25 closure is the second of five planned weekend closures which are part of a £317m project to improve Junction 10.

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