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Questions tagged [national-rail]

National Rail, the name of the association of the passenger train operating companies of Great Britain.

National Rail is the name of the association of the passenger train operating companies of Great Britain. Since the privatisation of British Rails, the operation of passenger trains in the country has been subsidised to private companies, each franchised for limited periods of time. To date there are approximately 20 such companies operating throughout Great Britain.

The official homepage of National Rail can be found here.

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Any railway stations more than 1 change from London?

This question is just for curiosity, rather than for anything practical. Is there any railway station in the UK from which it is not possible to get to London with only 1 change? The obvious candidates for a station like this would be far north/west…
ChrisW
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Identifying reserved seats on British trains

Is there a clear way to tell on British trains (generally) which seats/tables are reserved seats? In Germany we definitely made some mistakes accidentally taking seats that were eventually reserved, in part because they weren't clearly indicated in…
Joe
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What does the letter "A" signify at the end of the expiry date on a British rail ticket?

I just bought a 7 day season ticket this morning when I noticed the letter "A" at the end of the expiry date. The last time I bought the same ticket on the same route, there was no letter. Does this signify anything important (such as the ticket…
user29377
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Can I board a UK train I am booked on half way with a mobile, advanced ticket?

I have a ticket from Southampton to Manchester in the next month or so. Its a non-refundable Single Advance ticket but due to circumstances out of my control, I won't be in Southhampton on the date - but rather Birmingham. Considering that…
Nick
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Being late to a train (UK) because of overground/underground cancellation?

I had this happen to me a month ago but I didn't want to risk it, so didn't find out myself what would happen in such a case. I had two single advance tickets with Virgin Trains. One in the morning to London Euston and one in the evening from London…
kiradotee
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Can I combine two "consecutive" tickets on the same journey without leaving the train?

I booked off-peak return tickets from London to Oxford. Unfortunately I mis-tapped in the Trainline app and accidentally bought tickets to Oxford Parkway rather than Oxford (the main station). Parkway is the station directly before it. I could get a…
Konrad Rudolph
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Heathrow to Oxford without going through London

I will be traveling to Oxford, UK this summer. My flight lands at Heathrow around 12:30pm on a Sunday; it is on British Airways so I believe it will arrive at Terminal 5. Based on this map and other resources, it appears that one can take a train…
Nate Eldredge
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Will my Oyster card work on Farringdon to Brighton Thameslink rail?

I am planning to travel from Farringdon to Brighton using National Rail operated by ThamesLink. Can I use my Oyster card for this journey or do I have to buy a separate ticket?
simplfuzz
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Which railway stations in the UK only offer travel in one direction?

Despite living relatively nearby, I have just recently learnt about Pilning station. That I have been unaware of it until now is not particularly surprising, as there are only two services a week. (it attracted some news coverage as the second…
Gray Taylor
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How do I calculate the required time between London Terminals?

According to BR Times, the Minimum Connection Time between London Paddington and London St. Pancras is 20 minutes from 0700 until 2359 or 25 minutes otherwise. It also notes the minimum connection time is 15 minutes at London Paddington and 15…
gerrit
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How much flexibility do I have when a delay has caused me to miss my connection (UK national rail)?

Suppose I have bought an advance single ticket for a UK rail journey that requires a change of trains at some intermediate point. By default, my ticket is valid only on a specific pair of trains. However, if the first train is delayed such that I…
avid
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UK Station served by greatest number of TOCs?

Liverpool Lime Street is served by seven Train Operating Companies: Avanti West Coast Merseyrail East Midlands Trains Transpennine Express Trains for Wales (via the recently reopened Halton Curve) West Midlands Trains Northern Are there any…
ChrisW
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Why does cost of the travel from zone 1 to zone 3 in London depend on means of transportation?

Wimbledon Station: zone 3 Waterloo Station: zone 1 The fastest way is to take a direct train that takes 16 minutes - Google Maps The cheapest way is to take the Tube but it would take much…
Mars Robertson
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Buying/using Railcard (UK) from USA

I'll be in the UK in a few weeks, and will do some train travelling with my wife and two (under 5) children. The kids are free on trains, yay, so we're planning to get a Two Together railcard (As we'll be together the whole time). As far as I can…
Joe
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Is there a way to determine which UK rail trips have variable prices, based on advance purchase, vs. those that do not?

That is, is there a way to determine this without doing an actual search for each route on multiple days to see if the price changes? I am traveling to London and considering several day/overnight trips from the city, and would like to know which…
Hunter
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