My wife and I are planning a trip to England and I would like to travel by train rather than renting a car. We are visiting some people we know and will be in London, Dover, Durham, Swindon, Bristol and in Wales. We plan to get railpasses BritRail offers. Any info on freuqency of trains and the difference between first class and regular tickets. Thanks for any help. We will not be going until August.
John in Carolina
British Rail, as such, does not exist since the system was privatized IN 1997. Try this link for all schedules: http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/planjourney/search
For a Britrail pass, try this one: http://www.britrail.com/
Riding trains in the UK is fun, though quite different than on the continent because the network is much more limited for service than it once was and is more expensive than Germany or Italy. But it is still a good way to get around, though can be pricey, depending on time of day you travel if you buy tickets rather than a pass.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
About a 1000 years ago I wanted a eurail pass(britpass) BUT I had to apply for it in North America, you could not buy one overseas, I would hope this rule has changed, it was so cheap back then we slept on trains instead of getting a hotel room, it was no limits, travel anywhere, anytime, we sometimes went to different countries and back so we could sleep. check it out..
Eurail passes are expensive. better to purchase just for 1-2 counties you will be in. If two travel, get a twinpass. And you still have to purchase here.
There is frequent train service between London and most of the cities you wish tovisit in England. For the most part trains are fairly fast. You can get schedule information from National Rail Enquiries, www.nationalrail.co.uk. You can also download their complete timetable from that web-site.
Since1996 most of the passenger service in England is run by train operating companies many of which are subsidiaries of bus companies so it is possible for two or possibly more train operating companies might offer sevice on any particular route
If I recall correctly London-Dover is approximtely 1 1/2 hours. but that was on nonstop trains direct to the docks for the cross-channel ferries to France. Trains that make stops might take a little longer.
London - Durham is on England's London - Edinburgh East Coast Main Line and the trip takes a little less than 3 hours on a London - Edinburgh express trains.
Most of the overseas flights arrive or depart from London's Heathrow Airport although some flights might use Gatwick Airport. There is direct rail service between both both airports and railroad stations in London, [Victoria from Gatwick and Paddington from Heathrow] and the airport trains are the most convenient way to get in to London from either airport.
Using trains and rail passes is the best way to get around England; we used them on our trips to England so I don't have any idea of how much more first class costs than second class, or standard class as it is called in England. Perhaps you might be able to prce out your trips on the National Rail Enquires web site.
tatans "...About a 1000 years ago I wanted a eurail pass(britpass) BUT I had to apply for it in North America, you could not buy one overseas, I would hope this rule has changed, it was so cheap back then we slept on trains instead of getting a hotel room, it was no limits, travel anywhere, anytime, we sometimes went to different countries and back so we could sleep. check it out..." Apparently, the rule (purchase of Eurrail/ (Britpass) Pass in North America has NOT Changed(?) Check out this response: Posted by schlimm on Fri, Dec 28 2012 5:33 PM "...Eurail passes are expensive. better to purchase just for 1-2 counties you will be in. If two travel, get a twinpass. And you still have to purchase here..". [North America] (Per Schlimm)
"...About a 1000 years ago I wanted a eurail pass(britpass) BUT I had to apply for it in North America, you could not buy one overseas, I would hope this rule has changed, it was so cheap back then we slept on trains instead of getting a hotel room, it was no limits, travel anywhere, anytime, we sometimes went to different countries and back so we could sleep. check it out..."
Apparently, the rule (purchase of Eurrail/ (Britpass) Pass in North America has NOT Changed(?)
Check out this response:
"...Eurail passes are expensive. better to purchase just for 1-2 counties you will be in. If two travel, get a twinpass.
And you still have to purchase here..". [North America]
(Per Schlimm)
Thanks for highlighting, samfp1943. It sounds like tatans and his wife are only going to a few places in England, mostly London and the southern counties and southwest. Given that, it just might be cheaper to purchase individual tickets online for the particular journeys rather than passes.
It has now been quite a few years since my last trip, but one advantage of first class is that on busier services you are much more likely to get a seat. In my case, travelling on my own, I was prepared to stand if required and avoided trains in and out of London near weekends. I think some operators now require reservations for certain routes.
Often return tickets could be purchased for not much more than one-way, but it sounds like you may be travelling a circuitous route. With a pass you will have complete freedom to time each visit for the best time, whether or not the itinerary seems logical geographically. England is a small country so lots of backtracking is easy when you aren't concerned about ticket cost.
With a pass, travelling on a whim can be an attractive option. Perhaps your host gets called away for most of the day so just hop a train to Scotland or Wales for lunch and a little extra sightseeing. Or if you have time available on one leg, take a longer more scenic route to travel to your next destination.
Mainline services are frequent enough that you can often just go down to the station and catch the next train, much as you might do on a suburban bus route in your town. London to Doncaster last time I was there had two trains each hour, covering the 156 miles in not much over 2 hours depending on the station stops they made. (In fact that is better frequency than some bus routes on this continent!)
One thing that does occasionally happen on weekends is track occupancies for heavy maintenance. Trains may divert via slower lines, or buses used to bridge the work area. More than likely you won't encounter any, and the only effect is a little disruption or perhaps a slightly later arrival at destination.
John
Many/most of the longer distance trains, as opposed to locals, are all-reserved seat. having a pass gives some flexibility but on those trains you still need a reservation.
Here is a link to site for a pass (I assumed 60+): http://shop.britrail.com/;jsessionid=E8B9FD3E525A944F6A6B4C0A8EF47D99#/pass/britrail_passes/results/
As you can observe, pretty expensive. You can travel on a fast train, London to Bristol (their longest journey), if you get a ticket online in advance as cheaply as 13 pounds each ($21.00).
Just read this from BRITRAIL : ELIGIBILITY : You can buy a Britrail pass if you are NOT a UK resident.
That has always been a requirement for all the railpasses, that you not be a resident of the Eurozone or the UK, depending on which pass. You may, however, be a citizen of the UK who is a permanent resident of another country, such as the US.
I found the people at this forum to be extremely helpful when I was planning a group trip by rail in Britain.
http://www.railforums.co.uk/index.php
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