Great Britain Rail Passes and Train Tips

By Rick Steves

Are rail passes a good value for Great Britain?

Since Britain's pay-as-you-go train tickets are some of the most expensive in Europe, rail passes can pay for themselves quickly, especially if you travel between London and Scotland. (If you're making only a few trips and can commit to dates and times in advance, look into Britain's advance-purchase discounts on point-to-point train tickets, which could conceivably save you money over a pass &#; just don't be too quick to dismiss the hop-on, hop-off convenience of a pass).

Are you interested in learning more about British Standard Rails? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

How do I see whether a rail pass makes sense for my trip in particular?

Use this map to add up approximate pay-as-you-go fares for your itinerary, and compare that cost to the price of a rail pass for the number of days you expect to spend on the train. (Dashed lines show bus connections and dotted lines show ferry services, neither of which are covered by rail passes.)

Also, follow the links below for:

&#; More tips for figuring out whether a pass makes sense for your trip
&#; The basics on choosing among rail passes
&#; More tips on how to save money by fine-tuning your rail pass
&#; Fare-estimate maps outside Britain
&#; Answers to frequently asked rail-pass questions

What are my options for rail passes that cover Great Britain?

Britain-specific rail passes aren't yet back on sale here. In the meantime you can purchase most BritRail passes through ACP Rail International. Passes for Scotland are also sold at Scottish train stations.

Buy  BritRail Pass &#; key details

Buy  BritRail England Pass &#; key details

Buy  BritRail London Plus Pass &#; key details

Buy  BritRail South West Pass &#; key details

Buy  BritRail Spirit of Scotland Pass &#; key details

Buy  BritRail Central Scotland Pass &#; key details

Buy  BritRail Scottish Highlands Pass &#; key details

Eurail Global Pass (33 countries) &#; read more about this pass

Extra tip: BritRail passes offer different deals for kids and youths than Eurail-brand passes, plus an option of group discounts (details below).

What do rail passes cover in Britain?

Passes include travel on nearly all trains within the geographical areas that they cover including airport shuttle trains to/from London's main airports (the Heathrow, Gatwick, and Stansted Express). Exceptions:

• "Heritage" railways aren't covered by any passes (but BritRail passes do get you a 20 percent discount, which doesn't use a counted travel day on a flexipass)
• Eurostar trains to/from Paris, Brussels, or Amsterdam aren't covered by BritRail passes (but are covered by the Eurail Global Pass, though required seat reservations still cost extra)

Some passes have a few additional restrictions (see the key details for each pass below).

Do I need to make seat reservations on British trains?

For the most part, you can hop on most British trains with just your pass in hand. It can be smart, however, to reserve a seat for travel on weekends and holidays, and on trains run by operators that tend to fill up: Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Great Western Railway, and the TransPennine Express. Seat reservations can be made for free at any staffed station in Britain.

If you're traveling in Britain with a Eurail Global Pass, you do need to reserve ahead for any ride on the London North Eastern Railway (free), and for high-speed Southeastern trains running to/from London St. Pancras ($5 supplement available in stations only, not online).

On overnight trains, a bunk in a twin sleeper costs about $75. Overnight journeys begun on your BritRail pass's final night can be completed the day after the pass expires (only BritRail allows this trick; this doesn't work if using a Global Pass). Overnight reservations can be made at any train station or over the (US . 866-274-) &#; and for the Caledonian Sleeper, online as well.

Any tips for buying point-to-point train tickets in Britain?

If a rail pass doesn't pencil out for your trip, you may be able to shave off the cost of your train tickets with some of these tips:

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Hot Sale Railway Rail.

• Advance-purchase discounts can be a huge savings. For example, a London&#;Edinburgh one-way trip at the full ("Anytime") fare is about £140, but advance tickets are usually around £25&#;40, with the lowest rate selling out first. Generally, the earlier you book, the better deal you'll get. Advance discount tickets get snapped up particularly fast in summer. They can be booked from one day to 12 weeks ahead, have limited seat availability, are nonrefundable, and have exchange restrictions.
• Off-peak discounts apply after 9:30 a.m., and round-trip off-peak tickets may cost the same as one-way tickets. Off-peak fares can be purchased up until the departure of the train.
• Check the National Rail site for all ticket prices, rules, and to buy online, or call +44 484 950 for 24-hour information (they'll give you another number to purchase tickets). For credit card approval online, it may help to enter a British hotel address or postal code (not for delivery). Pick up reserved tickets at any staffed train station.
• Youths (ages 16&#;25) and full-time students (with ISIC card) can get a third off most train tickets by buying a 16&#;25 Railcard (£30). Not valid on the Eurostar, nor on some weekday morning commuter trains.
• Seniors (60 and older) can get a third off most train tickets by buying a Senior Railcard (also £30). Not valid on the Eurostar, nor on some weekday morning commuter trains.
• Couples (or any two travel companions) can get a third off most train tickets with a Two Together Railcard, as long as they're both present (£30; both travelers' photos required). Not valid on the Eurostar, nor on some weekday morning commuter trains.
• Families can get a third off most train tickets with a Family & Friends Railcard (also £30), which allows adults to travel a third cheaper while their kids age 5&#;15 get 60 percent off most train trips. Not valid on the Eurostar, nor on some weekday morning commuter trains.

Also see our general tips for buying point-to-point tickets.

If you've ever squinted at the track and thought to yourself - those rails look wonky - read on you probably aren't wrong.

This is part of a series of articles aiming to demistify some aspects of our rail industry listed with the #Rail101 tag. Follow it for more similar articles - or better still if you are in the industry then contribute your own to educate and hopefully inspire others.

For reasons that I'll try to cover in a separate article, railway wheels are not cylinders (like a car tyre), they are conical to allow the vehicle to steer around curves. The shape is a little more complex than just being a cone that but for simplicity (and my limited drawing skills) lets assume they are a cone for the moment - Green in the picture below (exaggerated drawings for clarity).

If the coned wheels were to sit directly onto rails laid perpendicular then because of their shape the wheel contact would try to spread the rails apart. This would therefore require the rail fastening system to work harder on one side of the rail than the other to restrain the rails from rolling over.

To minimise this rail spreading effect rails are often laid so they are tilted (inclined) slightly inward towards the centre of the track. This equalises the load through the fasteners and avoids the rails being spread apart in use.

The angle of inclination is not universal around the globe and several different rail inclinations are common. 1:20 is used within the UK for example whereas in the USA 1:40 is used. The rail sections are usually designed with this in mind too. As the rail wears away you ideally do not want its gauge (the distance between the two rails) to change. To avoid this rail profiles are designed with the head shaped so that as it wears the gauge does not change, i.e. it has a corresponding taper on the gauge face of the rail. (For a naming anatomy of the rail see my previous article)

A BS90R section rail has a parallel head as it was designed to be used without inclination and has a parallel head.

A BS113A / 56E1 rail was designed to be laid at an inclination of 1:20 and has a corresponding slope to the rail head

An AREMA 113RE rail was designed to be laid with a 1:40 inclination

In general, as a rough guide:

• 1:40 - N. America (generally), Cambodia, China, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Singapore, Thailand
• 1:30 - Sweden
• 1:20 - Most of Europe (with exceptions!), Australia, Malaysia, Mauritania, Myanmar. Canadian Pacific Railway

Or if you prefer it listed by rail standard:

• AREMA are generally 1:40 (with exceptions)
• ASCE profiles are parallel head
• British Standard A profiles are 1:20
• British Standard O, R and N profiles are parallel head
• Euro-Norm vignole rail sections are generally 1:20 (with exceptions)
• UIC sections are 1:20

If you spot an error or omission in the list then please let me know in the article comments below so I can correct/add it.

The inclination of the rail can be provided by either the sleeper design with concrete or steel sleepers, or the baseplate on which the rail sits. Below is a steel sleeper (tie) where you can see the inward slant of the rails (1:20).

On timber or flat sleepers, desired rail inclination can be provided by the baseplate/track fixing system.

Where track work becomes complicated i.e., around switches and crossings, rails may have no inclination and special twist rails are used to join the two rails which are sat at different angles. There are even some rails that are manufactured with inclination built in e.g., 50E6A2 (U60)

So there you have it, if you wondered why the rails looked a little wonky and leaning to the centre of the track - you were right, and there are very good reasons for it.

I hope you have enjoyed this bite-sized insight into the world of rail. Please check out my other articles for more rail related content and follow the #Rail101 tag for more like this. Likewise if you know someone who may like a tea-break rail read then feel free to tag or share this with them or your network.

Contact me if you have rail problems you think I may be able to solve.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Industrial Steel Wholesale. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.