Watching people walk on a moving train

I haven’t been in the UK long enough to not find it funny watching someone walk on a train while it’s in motion.  It’s quite entertaining to see how each individual counters the movement of the train, or how they recover (or not) from an unexpected lurch.

Trains a huge part of life in the UK and even though it can be pricy, for me, it’s the preferred option when commuting.  My job also takes me to all parts of the country and I’d far rather spend 4 hours on a train than in a car, especially if I’m expected to complete a quick meeting and turn around straight away to head home.

Getting into train commuting can be quite daunting at first.  If you happen to be using a large station, you’ll be getting on and off different platforms and may get disorientated with the different exits and figuring out where you are. But once you’ve worked out how to check your train times, where your train is, what the costs and connections are….it’s an absolute treat! 

Using the national rail service has both its pros and cons, so I compiled a few tips for you, to make the most of your train service.

     1.  There are apps to help you

The key to making the train service work for YOU is to keep tabs on the train times, options, routes and of course pricing.  You also want to check if there are any delays or alerts for your train and the easiest way to do this is with National Rail Enquiries.  If you are exclusively moving around London, I recommend Transport for London for route planning as it includes buses and tube as well as rail, although this is on the web and not an actual app.

2.  Look for the best deal

Train travel can be expensive but I have found that when you take into consideration parking charges and time lost hunting for parking, that the costs even out quite quickly.  To find the best deal, you have a few options:

Book in advance online – look for your region’s train service and book specifically on their website if you are planning a day trip or an overnight stay somewhere.  The further in advance you book, the better the deal. Look for family deals, such as £1 per child under 18 when travelling with a paying adult. 

Use a rail card – rail cards have several options, you purchase them annually for around £30 and use them for a year to give you an additional 30% discount on fares.  You can get a two-together card for a travelling couple, friends-and-family card for groups that travel together but not always the same people, student card, 18-25 card, pensioner card and a few other options. 

Try split ticketing – if you are travelling a significant distance, spit ticketing works brilliantly and you can even use your rail card (if applicable) for an additional discount.  You have to buy split tickets online from a genuine provider so be careful to check this out properly first.

Buy a monthly or weekly pass – the passes give additional discounts and allow unlimited travel.  For example, 5 daily tickets for me to work with cost me a total of £55 for 5 days but for the same amount of money I can get a 7 day unlimited pass meaning I can travel that route as much as I like for seven days.  If you are commuting, you can buy a monthly pass which gives an additional discount and if you renew this ticket before the last day, you earn an extra 5% off.  Further discounts are available for quarterly and annual passes so definitely investigate the options available to you.

3.  Plan some entertainment

Train travel is my time for Netflix or a good book…you can figure out what works best for you.  I’ve seen people knitting, doing make up, painting nails, drawing, working, watching movies/series, facetiming….anything goes really as long as you aren’t offending or annoying anyone.

I'm guessing this guy was headed to a Halloween party

4.  Don’t get on the wrong train!

Please, in the name of all that is holy, don’t get on the wrong train.  I have done this, quite innocently and lost 4 hours of my life with an unexpected journey to the bottom part of Somerset.  Not fun!  Once you know which platform to depart from, you will find boards on the platform telling you which train is the next to arrive, where it’s going and where it’s stopping.  Double check yourself before getting on board.

5.  Don’t fall asleep on the train!

This is probably the most common reason why people end up spending unnecessary money.  Fall asleep and you might end up where the train terminates, usually far from home.  If it’s late at night you will undoubtedly find taxis lurking like vultures, offering you a ride home for a steep fare (they all know exactly which stations have trains terminating and when so they wait for sleepy commuters).  If you are lucky and it’s fairly early, you could possibly turn around but you may need to purchase another ticket.  Hearing the stories are hilarious, but actually being in that situation....not so funny...

6.  When your train is cancelled…

This can be an epic experience (not in a good way), especially if you happen to be using a train that goes to London.  If you ever want the true showcase of how well the train system works in this country, wait until there is a problem on the line.  You can usually find a bus, or an alternative route to continue your journey, but sometimes it’s easier to turn around and go back home rather than fight the crowds.  Follow National Rail on social media for live updates on major incidences so that you can try to avoid the melee, and check online how you can claim back your fare or the cost of alternative public transport (or part of it).  It takes ages, but they do actually refund you.

2,000 people stranded in just one station after a failure on the Paddington line. 
We made National news, it was that bad!

Lastly...if you ever travel on the trains in London, look out for the weird vortex-like feeling they give you when you train is moving and you can see all the way through.  It messes with the head, especially when you're a bit pissed, just saying!

However you choose to use the rail service, make the most of it!