What is National Rail?

[kkid]

I am a little confused about what National Rail actually does?

In the UK there are 3 main business for public rail travel, right?

• Network Rail - Managing the infrastructure
• Train Operators - Running the trains
• National Rail - Doing something with the tickets?

I know they have something to do with ticketing but surely this can't be it?
Do they just ensure that everybody gets one of those generic orange tickets for their travel? Isn't this something that each train operator could do? Just with their own versions of the tickets?


Thanks

 

[yorksrob]

It's just a phrase to denote the heavy rail network. People use it in the same way they would have talked about British Rail to denote the whole railway system in the olden days.

Not to be confused with National Rail Enquiries, which, I believe is run by ATOC.

 

[wintonian]

NRE (National Rail Enquires) is the customer facing aspect of ATOC.

National Rail denotes the heavy rail network in England, Scotland & Wales, which kind of consists of two main aspects Network Rail and ATOC, with the DfT fitting it all together and setting the strategic priorities/ direction as the primary financier.

I hope that's a fairly accurate explanation.

 

[Ivo]

In short, a brand name.

A more detailed explanation has already been provided.

 

[telstarbox]

I know they have something to do with ticketing but surely this can't be it?
Do they just ensure that everybody gets one of those generic orange tickets for their travel? Isn't this something that each train operator could do? Just with their own versions of the tickets?


Thanks

By having a single ticket design there is less confusion for passengers between different areas, particularly for longer journeys which often involve travelling with more than one TOC.

 

[John @ home]

National Rail and National Rail Enquiries are brands used by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), the trade association which represents and provides business services to the Train Operating Companies in Great Britain.

 

[Zoe]

I am a little confused about what National Rail actually does?

In the UK there are 3 main business for public rail travel, right?

• Network Rail - Managing the infrastructure
• Train Operators - Running the trains
• National Rail - Doing something with the tickets?

Don't forget NI Railways, responsible for both infrastructure and operations in Northern Ireland.

 

[Eagle]

Don't forget NI Railways, responsible for both infrastructure and operations in Northern Ireland.

Which is actually in violation of EU directive 91.440, stating that the infrastructure and train operating organizations must be separate entities (NI Railways and Iarnród Éireann are the only two left that don't comply to this).

 

[wintonian]

Don't forget NI Railways, responsible for both infrastructure and operations in Northern Ireland.

Yeh but there state owned by the NI Executive through Translink.