FAQ

If you want to travel with the following benefits, then a BritRail Pass is your best fit:

• Discover Britain beyond London
• Hassle free travel with no lines for tickets
• Travel on any train in the UK without having to buy additional tickets
• Travel in peak periods, including mornings, evenings and Fridays
• Flexibility of changing your travel plans as you go
• Hop off at stations en route as you fancy
• Take long journeys, such as from London to Scotland
• Make circular tours or several shorter journeys

If you have a specific journey to make between 2 selected stations, then a point to point ticket is right for you! One of the great features of a point to point ticket is there are no restrictions as to the day, time or train so you have the flexibility to change your itinerary as you please. And the best part is stopovers are allowed en route so you can hop on and off the train as often as you wish in the direction of your destination. The duration of your stopover is unrestricted as well. Stay for a few hours or overnight if you like!

First Class has larger seats, picture windows, more space both for you and your baggage and is usually less crowded. On many routes First Class offers extras, including free tea and coffee. Some routes even offer free snacks and newspapers. Certain long haul routes have table or buffet services. First Class is always at the London end of the platform which eliminates any long walk at the London terminal!

Most commuter routes radiating from the big cities have First Class accommodation. Here the benefit is especially noticeable on trains during busy rush hour. You can count on all principal routes having First Class accommodations but please note that some rural routes offer Standard Class accommodations only. First Class Pass prices do reflect the fact that not all trains have First Class.

BritRail Passes must be bought before you arrive in the UK and are only available to those who do not reside in the United Kingdom, unless sharing a BritRail Guest Pass. Train staff may ask at any time for proof of foreign residency.

A FlexiPass is best for travel on the days of your choice within the period of validity. A consecutive pass is best for travel on days that follow one another. A good rule of thumb when selecting which pass is best for your travel plans is:

• A BritRail Consecutive Pass is ideal for those travelers whose time is restricted and will be ‘on the move’
• A BritRail FlexiPass is ideal for those travelers who wish to linger several days or more in one location.

Children:

With the BritRail Family Discount, one child between the ages of 5 and 15 travels for free when accompanying select Adult or Senior BritRail Pass holders on select passes. Additional children get up to 50% off the regular adult fare. Children under 5 years of age travel for free.

Youth:

With the BritRail Youth Discount youths between the ages of 16 and 25 (inclusive) receive up to 20% off the regular adult fare on select passes.

Senior:

With the BritRail Senior Discount seniors 60 years and older receive 15% off the regular adult fare on select passes.

BritRail Passes are issued on paper and must be validated within six months from the date of issue and prior to the first use. To validate a rail pass, present it along with your passport to the Railway official at the station of departure. At this time, the first and the last day of validity of the pass as well as the passport number is entered and the passenger must sign the pass. Under no circumstances is the pass holder allowed to validate his or her own pass. In the case of a Flexipass, the passenger must enter the date of travel each day before he/she boards the first train of the day.

The Safeguard Plan protects Pass or ticket holders in the event of trip cancellation or trip interruption. Please refer to the Rail Pass Safeguard Plan for a complete list of conditions and exclusions.

To find train times that are best suited to your journey, begin the booking process for a point to point ticket by selecting the appropriate departing station, along with the date and preferred time. The results will be customized to your request.

Airport Express services include three airport transfers to Central London from Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport or Stansted Airport. The best part is your BritRail Pass provides access to these express services (excluding the BritRail Euro London Plus Pass sold to European residents).

On Heathrow Express travel non-stop between Heathrow Airport and London Paddington Station, which is the quickest way from Heathrow Airport to central London! Trains depart every 15 minutes and the journey takes just 15 minutes.

On Gatwick Express travel non-stop between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria Station. Trains leave every 15 minutes from Gatwick Airport and the journey takes 30 minutes.

On Stansted Express travel non-stop between Stansted Airport and London Liverpool Street station in 42 minutes.

If you have a BritRail Pass or a point to point ticket, then you can make seat reservations per person, per train for a nominal fee. Although reserving a seat is not required, it is recommended if you want peace of mind and an assured a seat on a specific train. Perhaps you have a plane to catch and don’t want to chance it or you want to travel during rush hour and don’t want to stand among the crowd.

Other cases where seat reservations are advisable include: peak time on long haul trains just before Christmas, around Easter, and Summer Saturdays to the West Country, Friday afternoons out of London in Standard Class, early mornings on weekdays in First Class, and groups taking long journeys.

However if you are not on a tight schedule then there is no need to reserve a seat as trains in Britain run frequently on most of the network and it is therefore perfectly acceptable to ‘turn up and go’. In Britain, frequency is what makes touring so easy!

The Railways of Britain welcome disabled travelling and are committed to making widespread improvements to stations and trains to make travel easier.

Regarding assistance, the Railways of Britain asks persons needing assistance to contact the local station or Train Operating Company (TOC). If you are unsure as to the number of the station or the TOC to contact, please contact National Rail Enquiries when in the UK at 0345 48 49 50. They will be able to give you contact information for the station and particular TOC.

National Express which operates the London to Edinburgh route via York has a special number to call once in the UK for Assisted Travel 08457 225 225.

Advance notice of 24 hours will be very helpful in arranging the proper assistance. If the journey is cancelled please advise the Station.

Crossing London

London Transport operates a special service called Station Link utilizing buses with low access floors, ramps etc. between all the main London Terminals.

For details contact:
Unit for Disabled Passengers, London Transport
172 Buckingham Palace Road
London, SW1 9TN
Tel UK(0) 171 918 3312

On board, train carriages have overhead luggage racks, space between the seats and a storage area in the entrance vestibules for larger items.

All main stations have luggage trolleys often with staff to help you for a nominal charge. British platforms are the same height as the train carriages so weight lifting is not a requirement, however, given the generally older infrastructure of hotels, stations and so on there are still zones where steps will be encountered. Most principal stations have affordable, secure luggage facilities – do use them. If you are travelling from London to Edinburgh and want to spend a few hours in York, en route, for example, just leave your bags at York station Left Luggage Office for the day.