UK Trains

• Q. Is there onboard medical help in case of emergency?

  A. Currently most trains do not carry emergency medical equipment. In case of a medical emergency, conductors on board will radio ahead to the next stop so that help will be ready and waiting.

• Q. How can I check to see if food is served on a particular train?

  A. When you search for a train schedule, the results page will give you the opportunity to click and view the onboard services for each class of service offered.

• Q. I have my train ticket. Do I also need to buy a reservation?

  A. Rail Europe train tickets usually include a reservation whenever possible. In other words, if you’re taking a train that requires a reservation, one will already be included with your train ticket from us. If you’re boarding a train that offers reservations but doesn’t require them, tickets sold on our website will include one, if available, at the time of booking.

  For certain trains that offer reservations but don’t require them, it is possible that we do not include a seat reservation with your train ticket. This may happen when we don’t have access to those reservations, which can only be purchased locally. Rest assured that even if this is the case, your Rail Europe train ticket will still allow you to board and sit at any unoccupied seat.

• Q. I just landed in Europe. How do I get to the train station from the airport?

  A. Whether you’re going straight to a train or to your hotel, you’ll generally find public transportation options from the airport to the center of town, where most train stations are located. Below is a list of airports that have rail connections (train or local subway/metro) to the main rail station:

  Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
  15 minute train trip to Amsterdam Central Station
  Stockholm Arlanda Airport
  20 minute train trip to Stockholm Central Station
  Barcelona Airport
  30 minute train to Barcelona Sants Station
  Berlin Schoenefeld Airport
  Birmingham International Airport
  12-15 minute train trip to Birmingham New Street Station
  Brussels Airport
  28 minute train trip to Brussels Zuid/Midi Station
  Cologne Airport
  15 minute train trip to Cologne Central Station
  Copenhagen Kastrup Airport
  14 minute train trip from Copenhagen Airport to Copenhagen Central Station
  Geneva Cointrin International Airport
  7 minute train trip to the Geneva City Central Station
  Glasgow Prestwick Airport
  1 mile bus or taxi trip to Paisley Gilmour Station and then a 12-15 minute train trip to Glasgow
  London Gatwick Airport
  30 minute train trip to London Victoria Station
  London Heathrow Airport
  15 - 27 minute train trip to London Paddington Station
  Luton Airport
  45 minute train trip to London St. Pancras Station
  Madrid-Barajas Airport
  12 minute metro trip to Madrid Nuesvos Ministerios Metro Station
  Malaga Airport
  10 minute train trip to Malaga Torremolinos Station
  Munich International Airport
  41 - 46 minute train trip to Munich Main Train Station
  Oslo Gardermoen Airport
  19 - 22 minutes train trip to Oslo S Station
  Paris Orly Airport
  24 minutes train trip to Paris Austerlitz Station
  Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport
  30 minute train trip to Paris Gare du Nord Station
  Porto – Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport
  7-10 minute metro trip to Porto City Center Station
  Rome Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport
  30 minute train trip to Rome Termini Station
  Stansted Airport
  47 minute train trip to London Liverpool Station
  Stuttgart Echterdingen Airport
  30 minute train trip to Stuttgart Central
  Zurich Airport
  10 - 14 minute train trip to Zurich Central Station

  Many other European airports have buses to the central or main rail stations. There are typically a minimum of two departures per hour, and travel times can vary from 15 minutes – 55 minutes depending on the city (and of course traffic en-route to the city center).

  You can always check directly with your arrival airport for specific information regarding transfers to the city center. Most airports have websites with information on where to go to find a train or bus connection to the downtown area.

  In addition, we encourage you to visit our Train Station pages to view information about services at the station and what airport links are available, if any, for a particular city.

• Q. I’ve written the wrong date on my rail pass travel calendar box. What should I do?

  A. If the wrong date is written in the travel calendar box, you will need to enter the correct date in the next travel calendar box. Unfortunately, once the date has been entered in the travel calendar box, it cannot be corrected and there’s no way to recover that travel day on the rail pass. Be very careful when filling out the date on your rail pass as mistakes cannot be corrected. An altered travel date could be viewed as an attempt of fraud and could lead to fines or other penalties.

• Q. What food and drink options are on board?

  A. If the train you’re traveling on offers a bar-buffet car, you’re free to walk in, sit down and eat. Or as soon as the restaurant car opens, make a reservation for any time of day.
  On many long distance trains there may be an attendant with a snack cart who travels from car to car.

  Bar-buffet cars are a unique part of the train experience, where the quality of the food and wine can rival that of a gourmet restaurant. With the exception of Eurostar, special meal requests are not available. But typically, regular menu options are plentiful and usually cater to most taste buds or dietary restrictions.

  If you travel with a Premier Class ticket, food and drinks are included and served at your seat or in the bar-buffet car.

  On local trains there’s usually no catering. However, you are welcome to bring your own food and drinks on board. Please make sure to follow the local law when considering taking alcoholic drinks on board any train.

• Q. Do I need to do anything to my train ticket before boarding the train?

  A. If you purchased and received a paper train ticket in the mail, there is nothing further you need to do.

  If you purchased a print at home e-ticket, be sure to print your ticket before you leave home and keep your train ticket safe and secure. For Italo tickets, just print your Rail Europe email confirmation which includes your unique e-ticket confirmation code(s). This e-ticket confirmation code along with your photo i.d. will be checked when on the Italo train.

  If you purchased a print at the station e-ticket, you’ll need to visit a self-service kiosk to print your train ticket (remember, you’ll need the e-ticket confirmation code included on your invoice). When retrieving your e-ticket in France at an SNCF kiosk or in Italy at a Trenitalia kiosk, you will need to “stamp your ticket” (composter votre ticket as French say) prior to boarding the train. Should you have any problems, just ask the conductor of the train to do it for you when you board the train.

• Q. Can I take any train that travels between the two cities for which I bought my train ticket, or do I have to take a specific train?

  A. The answer depends on what type of ticket was issued for your journey. In most cases, we issue tickets that include a seat reservation whenever required or possible. If your tickets include a reservation, you will need to board the train for which the reservation was issued.

  If you were issued a train ticket without a reservation, then yes - you can board any train traveling between the cities for which your ticket was issued. It is always advisable to inquire at the train station whether or not a reservation is needed for the train you intend to board. There are certain countries that we cannot issue reservations for: Portugal, Greece, Hungary, Romania, and other Balkan nations. Reservations may be required but will need to be purchased locally.

• Q. Can I ensure that my traveling party will share a compartment on an overnight train?

  A. Our booking system always attempts to book all travellers in the same compartment on overnight trains, as long as you submit your request for your entire traveling party at once.

  Our ability to book all travellers in the same compartment ultimately depends on compartment availabilities on the train you’re booking. The earlier you make your reservations, the better the chance that everyone in your travel party will be in the same compartment.

  If a compartment can’t be fully filled by the traveling party alone, some trains may need to separate you into gender-specific compartments. Therefore, if you are a traveling party of mixed gender – the way to ensure that you will be traveling together is to make sure that you book a compartment that you fill entirely.

• Q. Do the prices quoted on the website include all fees and taxes?

  A. Fares quoted in our booking engine do not include fees. Depending on the booking delivery method you choose some fees may apply, like a delivery fee, and a processing fee. All fees will be visible to you during checkout. Rail Europe does not collect sale tax on products sold on our sites.

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