How do I book a train ticket in England please?

[Michael C]

Hi from France, from where I would like to book a return ticket from London to Liverpool in June. The problem is that since I left England 25 years ago there is no longer just British Rail but several companies, and there is only one company in France too. That means I am not used to choosing rail companies.

So could anyone tell me how to go about choosing the right company via internet? Are all booking companies (there seem to be a lot of them) the same? Or are there any particularly reputable or disreputable sites? Thank you for your help...

Michael

 

[mikeg]

Just go to any train companies' website. Don't bother with thetrainline.com or raileasy as these charge a booking fee, whereas train companies aren't allowed to. Some train companies offer a discount on advance tickets through their website. London-Liverpool would be Virgin Trains, though I don't believe they offer a discount through their website so you could buy anywhere. Personally I prefer the user interface on eastcoast.co.uk , which easily allows you to check for slower but cheaper trains etc. This way if you go to the show slower trains section once youve put the times in and select London Midland only you can get a return for as little as 24GBP on the slow london midland service. Or you can book an advance ticket on either the fast Virgin service or London Midland.

 

[clagmonster]

All of the train company websites, with the exception of the open access operators (Hull Trains, Wrexhams & Shropshire and Grand Central), are obliged to sell tickets for any train in the country. I would advise that you avoid third party sites, such as the Trainline, Qjump and Rail Easy as they charge administration fees, whereas the train operators do not. I personally prrefer the websites which use the WebTis booking engine, as they show a broader range of trains, show single and return tickets on the same page and appear clearer. An example of this is www.eastcoast.co.uk
You have a choice of walk up tickets, which offer flexibility, and advance which mean that you must travel on the correct train. If you choose walk-up tickets, you may buy your ticket from the booking office before departure, but advance tickets must be purchased beforehand, from twelve weeks before. The earlier you book them, the cheaper they are. I'm sure that if you post more details, somebody will be able to give you further help.

 

[tony_mac]

Hello.
All train ticket companies should be the same, although there are some booking companies that charge postage and processing fees, so avoid those. (The main one is called thetrainline)

Many people here use East Coast, (http://www.eastcoast.co.uk)

Now you only have to decide which ticket you want, which is where it gets complicated!

We have 'Advance' tickets, which are usually (but not always) cheap. They can be booked usually about 12 weeks in advance, book as soon as you can after this to get the lowest cost. With these, you must travel on the trains you booked on, or buy a new ticket.

Alternatively, there are 'Anytime' and 'Off-peak' tickets. These can be bought in advance, but are the same price to just turn up at the station and buy them. 'Anytime' tickets are valid in the morning and evening peak-times, but are much more expensive.

The journey with Virgin Trains takes about 2hrs 10 minutes; and an off-peak return is about £65; advance tickets may be available for as little as £10 each way. There are cheap tickets available on London Midland trains, (£24 return, can be bought on the day of travel), but they take more like 3hrs 30 minutes and you have to change trains. (And no refreshments are available on the trains).

If you are over 60, or travelling with somebody under 16, it may be worth your while buying a railcard to save on ticket costs.

 

[Michael C]

...and thank you for an amazingly quick reply! OK, so eastcoast.co.uk it shall be. I must say it's so strange to have a choice of companies. It must have been difficult for people to come to terms with that I suppose. Unless it happened little by little (I don't know exactly how it all changed.)

Have a great evening and thanks again. Now all I have to do is imagine what Liverpool looks like after all these years. Still, that's what trains do. They make us dream.....
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Thanks for all your useful info. Like mikeg you both agree that eastcoast.co.uk is where I should be booking. I really am so surprised at the reactivity of people on the site. Very friendly and genuinely helpful. Many thanks....
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Mikeg, clagmonster, tonymac, I'll be going from London to Liverpool on Thursday June 10 and back down again on Sunday the 14th, so Advance tickets are not an option. The Virgin option sounds good. Would I really need to book (I will be going 1st class.) Hey you guys, the promptness of your answers has really floored me lol!! Amazing!

 

[tony_mac]

All of the train company websites, with the exception of the open access operators (Hull Trains, Wrexhams & Shropshire and Grand Central), are obliged to sell tickets for any train in the country.

But not necessarily the cheapest tickets - at least according to Virgin; hence I would advise avoiding their website.

we do advise customers that when booking through virgintrains.co.uk Our site is the best place for buying Virgin Trains fares. It therefore will not always be the case that we do make every ticket type available.

Now all I have to do is imagine what Liverpool looks like after all these years.

I think it probably changed more over the last 5 years than the previous 20!

If you can decide your train times well in advance, (or you have lots of money you don't mind wasting) then consider the First-class Advance fares if the service includes a full meal (breakfast or dinner).

(Eastcoast are currently government-run, better that any commission goes to the taxpayer than a private company, which may be why it gets more recommendations)

 

[Michael C]

Thanks tonymac, however as I understand it, Advance fares, first-class or not, aren't an option because I'll be going in June, which is too soon for the 12-week stipulation. Would that be right? And Eastcoast is looking like a definitive choice.As for Liverpool, can't wait!!

 

[clagmonster]

Michael, if you can specify which trains you travel on and stick to that there is no reason why you can't buy advance singles. As it stands, there are second class tickets for £11 in each direction, or first class for £34.

 

[tony_mac]

Mikeg, clagmonster, tonymac, I'll be going from London to Liverpool on Thursday June 10 and back down again on Sunday the 14th, so Advance tickets are not an option. The Virgin option sounds good. Would I really need to book (I will be going 1st class.)

Yes, you can get advance tickets on those dates.
But the 14th is a Monday! You don't get meals at weekends, so it's usually much cheaper in 1st then.

A 1st off-peak return is £270 - there is no need to book that in advance.
1st Advance tickets are available from £34 each way, depending on the time, so booking in advance could save you £200.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Thanks tonymac, however as I understand it, Advance fares, first-class or not, aren't an option because I'll be going in June, which is too soon for the 12-week stipulation. Would that be right? And Eastcoast is looking like a definitive choice.As for Liverpool, can't wait!!

Sorry if I didn't explain that properly; they start selling them about 12-weeks in advance, and keep selling them up until the night before or when they run out.

Oh, and you get breakfast going north up to and including the 09:07, and dinner from 17:07 until the 18:23.
Going south you get breakfast up to 09:48, and dinner on the 17:48 and 18:48.

 

[googolplex]

The twelve week period is when bookings open for advance tickets, you can buy them up until 6pm the day before - but the cheaper tickets can sell out quickly like with airline tickets, so the sooner you buy the better.

 

[Michael C]

OK, thanks gentlemen, so I can get advance tickets. I just went to Eastcoast, the fares are wildly varying. Between 25 and 150 pounds! Talk about a minefield lol! Still, I get to St Pancras at 2 so I don't have much choice because I need to be in Liverpool for 8pm. Whatever, it'll cost what it'll cost. I'll just be glad to be there....
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Again, thanks to all for your extremely friendly welcome and invaluable help. To be honest, I came here just looking for info, but this is such an agreable site that I'll be a frequent visitor from now on, to catch up on rail news in the UK in general. I used to take trains all the time when I lived there. So many fond memories......

 

[yorkie]

6 hours from St Pancras (STP) to Liverpool (LIV) is plenty of time!!

St Pancras to Euston is a 10 minute easy walk (this map shows the easiest way), although platform-to-platform may be more like 20 minutes.

If you get an Advance ticket, you have to allow plenty of time and you are recommended to make a booking by 'phone (unless anyone knows a way of doing it online) from London International - that means you are covered in the event of cancellations and delays on Eurostar, for your onward journey to Liverpool. This will mean that, if you are on time, you'll have an hour or more to wait in Euston for your booked train.

I'd be tempted to simply get London Midland, the trains depart at 46 minutes past each hour and you change trains at Stafford, you may make the 1446 but if you don't you are not penalised and can simply get the 1546. At £24 return it's a bargain and you have 6 hours to get there so the slower journey is not a problem.

However it's only suitable for you if you also have plenty of time to get back.

Advance tickets are sold as singles. The £24 return ticket is for a journey there and back. The return portion is valid for up to 1 month and is fine for journeys that arrive into London from 1300 onwards. This means it is not suitable for you if you are returning after 5 weeks, for example, or if you need to get a Eurostar at, say, 1400 it would not get you to Euston early enough. For an extra £13, total £37, you can get back to London any time after 1000, but if you're paying £37 then you should look into going on Virgin instead as there may be faster trains with a cheaper Advance tickets available.

Again, thanks to all for your extremely friendly welcome and invaluable help. To be honest, I came here just looking for info, but this is such an agreable site that I'll be a frequent visitor from now on, to catch up on rail news in the UK in general. I used to take trains all the time when I lived there. So many fond memories......

You're welcome! And that's really nice to hear, thank you

 

[tony_mac]

I'd be tempted to simply get London Midland, the trains depart at 46 minutes past each hour and you change trains at Stafford, you may make the 1446 but if you don't you are not penalised and can simply get the 1546. At £24 return it's a bargain and you have 6 hours to get there so the slower journey is not a problem.

He's travelling 1st class - I think that would be a real disappointment on London Midland compared to Virgin!

BTW, watch out for the scam where they charge more for an advance ticket than an off-peak ticket that is also valid on the same train!

 

[yorkie]

I can't see where he says he wants to go First (i've tried searching!), I see it is mentioned as a possibility but that's all. It depends on what his budget is and expectations and priorities are. But I agree if he wants FC, then LM is pointless.

Edit - ahh, I see it now, hidden away!

 

[First class]

Anyone know how Merseyrail gets away with charging a booking fee?

If you go to www.merseyrail.org and click 'Nationwide Rail Travel, up to 80% off" it links to this: http://merseyrail.raileasy.co.uk/?admetasaid=1499534

£1 booking fee
PLUS a credit card charge.

Where does it say that TOCs can't do this?

 

[John @ home]

Don't bother with thetrainline.com or raileasy as these charge a booking fee, whereas train companies aren't allowed to.

Anyone know how Merseyrail gets away with charging a booking fee? ... Where does it say that TOCs can't do this?

I seem to remember that about 8 years ago a booking fee was introduced by, IIRC, one of the predecessors of First Great Western.

After a public out-cry, it was made clear that booking fees charged by franchised TOCs would not be tolerated and the fee was withdrawn.

Sorry, I don't have time today to search the full references.
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UPDATE

It was actually 11 years ago that the Rail Regulator ordered Great Western Trains to drop their £1 surcharge for telephone ticket sales. He ruled that this surcharge breaches both the spirit and the letter of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement. See this ORR Press Release.

So the first place to examine whether Merseyrail are allowed to charge an internet booking fee may well be the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement. Does anyone have a copy?

 

[Mojo]

Could it be that Merseyrail is not a franchised TOC and thus the scope of their license is somewhat different? If not, perhaps the fact is that they are not obliged to carry out any electronic sales?

 

[northwichcat]

Could it be that Merseyrail is not a franchised TOC and thus the scope of their license is somewhat different? If not, perhaps the fact is that they are not obliged to carry out any electronic sales?

Merseyrail are a franchised operator but the franchisor is Merseytravel rather than DfT.


One point which might be stating the obvious to most people but the OP may not be aware of is direct trains to Liverpool run from London Euston rather than London St Pancras. If they are arriving by Eurostar they can buy a London International CIV ticket or book a ticket from say Paris to Liverpool via eurostar.com. A London CIV ticket is valid for connections on London Underground, which a London Terminals ticket may not be. However, St Pancras is within walking distance of Euston.