UK Trains

• 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. Do I need to buy a reservation if I already have a rail pass? How do I book one?

  A. If you plan to travel on a high speed, scenic, or overnight train, you will need a reservation as many of these types of trains require them - even if you have a rail pass. Seat reservations guarantee you a seat on the train you wish to travel on. While additional fees apply, many trains offer reduced fares to passholders. When you reserve your train, be sure to check the box that states "I have a rail pass", this will allow our system to find the best fare possible for your journey.

• Q. How do I book a train ticket on your site?

  A. We have an easy-to-use booking form right on the homepage of our site. Simply enter your departure and arrival cities, the date you’d like to travel, approximate time of day, and number of passengers. If you have a rail pass, be sure to check the "I have a rail pass" box so that we can search the best fares for your journey.

• Q. Does your website display all trains operating for the route searched?

  A. We strive to provide the most comprehensive European rail booking engine online. We have specific partnerships with most European railroads. These partnerships determine the extent to which we are able to provide complete and accurate schedules through our booking engine.

  For many countries, our schedules match the complete offerings of the European train companies. But occasionally, some train companies do not load schedules for all local trains. Also, schedules for certain private trains may not be available through our booking engine.

• Q. Are there luggage handling services at the station for groups?

  A. Yes, luggage handling is offered at select train stations in Europe. Please contact our group department for more details.

• Q. Are lockers and luggage storage services available at the train station?

  A. Most major train stations have a left luggage facility offering either self-serve luggage lockers or staffed luggage facilities.

  Keep in mind that there is a fee to store your luggage at a train station. Typically, stations will charge a flat rate to rent a luggage locker that you’re free to fill. For staffed luggage facilities, you may incur a “per bag” fee. In either case, the fee is usually under 10 Euros. If you do leave your bags, be sure to keep some money in your pockets for the luggage lockers.

• Q. How do I request an exchange through the Rail Protection Plan™?

  A. To apply for an exchange under the Rail Protection Plan™, please contact us via our Contact Us page. Rail passes/train tickets/reservations/city passes/tours may be exchanged for the same or new products.

• 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. When I compare your schedules with European railroad sites, I notice some differences. Why?

  A. Although this is not typical, you may occasionally find some discrepancies between the train schedules shown on our website and the ones listed on a rail carrier’s website. This is generally due to the fact that the rail carrier has not yet made available its complete schedule range in the European train schedule database we use to populate our booking engine.

  We continuously work with individual European railroads to establish partnerships that ensure our direct access to all inventories in order to provide you with the fullest range of travel options.

• Q. I selected a ticket but when I went to place my booking, the price changed. I went back to search for train tickets and saw the same price listed again in the results. Why did this happen?

  A. For most trains, the price quoted is based on “live” availability, however, for certain trains we cannot check fare availability at the time of quotation due to the technical limitations of the international rail distribution system. Therefore, we use a stored price to build your quote, based on previously confirmed fares for the trip you requested.

  In rare cases, we find out that the fare used for quoting your trip is no longer available upon confirming your reservation. At that time, we receive a new price from the system based on that very moment’s availability.

  Unfortunately, due to these same technical limitations, we are unable to update the stored price for a specific train, even if we find out at the time of confirmation that a fare is no longer available.

  Rest assured that we’re working actively to ensure that all prices quoted to you are based on live availability and limit the usage of stored prices for quotation purposes.

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