Buying Advance tickets and reserving seats
When can I buy Advance Tickets
and make seat reservations?
Below
is a summary of the farthest travel dates in the future where it is possible to
reserve seats today for those Train Companies offering seat reservations and Advance tickets .
Advance tickets are generally not available earlier
than 12 weeks before the date of travel.
Once train times are confirmed, Advance tickets
will begin to appear in our Journey Planner. You
will be able to find full details of availability and choose to buy them from
your preferred retailer.
Advance tickets are sold in limited numbers,
and so subject to availability.
Information about buying tickets
Changes to train times
Sometimes, there can be changes to train times at
weekends and bank holidays to allow essential engineering work to be carried
out. Trains may be retimed or re-routed. Occasionally the journey may involve
travelling on a bus service. We have a dedicated area of our website
which gives details about future engineering work.
Train Companies aim to provide information about
changes to train times twelve weeks in advance.
Until the changes to the timetable are confirmed it
is not always possible to buy Advance tickets or to make seat
reservations on train services that may be affected by engineering work.
Advance ticket & reservation information last
updated 16 February:
|
Train Company |
Saturday services |
Sunday services |
Monday to Friday services |
Latest time of reservation |
Notes |
|
Arriva Trains
Wales |
4 May |
5 May |
11 May |
Up to 19:00 day
before travel for some early morning trains. Other services up to 4 hours before departure point of origin |
Ferry
reservations to Ireland are open to 13
May |
|
These can be
booked 12 months in advance. |
|||||
|
12 May |
13 May |
11 May |
Advance tickets are available up to 18:00 the day before travel. |
||
|
Between Nottingham and Cardiff via Birmingham, Birmingham and Stansted
Airport via Leicester, Peterborough and Cambridge |
12 May |
13 May |
11 May |
Up to 21:00 the
day before travel but some routes may close earlier. |
|
|
Between Scotland and South West, Newcastle and Southampton, Manchester
and Bournemouth / Bristol |
12 May |
13 May |
11 May |
Up to 10 minutes
before customers board the train when booked through all CrossCountry
channels and at a select number of online retailers / travel agents |
|
|
Liverpool - Norwich route |
5 May |
6 May |
11 May |
Up to 23:59 the
day before travel. |
|
|
London route |
5 May |
6 May |
11 May |
Up to 23:59 the
day before travel. |
|
|
28 April |
29 April |
4 May |
Up to 4 hours
before departing origin point. |
||
|
31 March |
1 April |
4 May |
Up to 18:00 the
day before. . |
24 & 25 March
not open. |
|
|
5 May |
6 May |
11 May |
Up to 23:59 the day before travel. |
Greater Anglia reservations are closed for journeys to and from London
to Norwich/Clacton-on-Sea on 6 & 7 May Cambridge route 14 / 15, 21 / 22 and 28 / 29 April and 5-7 May. |
|
|
5 May |
6 May |
11 May |
Up to 15:00 day before travel for early morning services. Other services up to 4 hours before departing point of origin. |
||
|
|
28 April |
29 April |
15 May |
Advance tickets
are available up to 23:59 the day before travel. |
Northern do not offer seat
reservations but have quota controlled advance purchase products. |
|
5 May |
6 May |
11 May |
Up to 23:59 day before travel for some early morning trains. Up to 2 hours before departing point of origin. |
||
|
Waterloo - Weymouth |
5 May |
6 May |
4 May |
Advance tickets
are available up to 23:59 the day before travel. |
South Western Railway do not offer seat reservations but have quota
controlled advance purchase products. Reservations are not open on the 25 & 30 March and 15 April. |
|
West of England |
5 May |
6 May |
4 May |
Advance tickets
are available up to 23:59 the day before travel |
South Western Railway do not offer seat reservations but have quota
controlled advance purchase products. Reservations are not open on the
25 & 30 March and 15 April |
|
Portsmouth route for fares to Isle of Wight |
5 May |
6 May |
4 May |
Advance tickets
are available up to 23:59 the day before travel. |
South Western Railway do not offer seat reservations but have quota
controlled advance purchase products. Reservations are not open on the 25
& 30 March and 15 April |
|
21 April |
22 April |
4 May |
Advance tickets
are available up to 23:59 the day before travel. |
Southern do not
offer seat reservations but have quota controlled advance purchase products.
Southern are currently closed on: 18 and 25 February, 4, 11, 17, 18 March and
the 7, 8, 15, 22 April. |
|
|
28 April |
29 April |
4 May |
Up to 23:59 the
day before travel. |
TransPennine Express are closed on services passing through Preston on the
following weekends: March 31; April 1; 7/8; 14/15; 21/22; & 28/29. May 6.
Trains through Leeds are closed April 8 & 15, also May 12/13. Newcastle
trains are closed all weekends with the following exceptions 24 March, 5/6 May. Trains to / from Hull closed 21 22 April. |
|
|
28 April |
29 April |
18 May |
Trains departing point of origin before 11:00 up to 23:59 the day
before travel. Trains departing point of origin after 11:00 up to 4 hours before
departing point of origin. |
Virgin Trains are
currently closed on Monday 7 May. |
|
|
12 May |
13 May |
3 August |
Up to 23:59 day before travel for some early morning trains. Up to 2 hours before departing point of origin. |
Tickets are
available further in advance for most weekday journeys between London and the
stations north of York, including Newcastle and Edinburgh. Subject to
exceptions, such as Bank Holiday periods. |
|
|
West Midlands
Trains |
28 April |
29 April |
4 May |
Information will
be added when available |
|
Special Events
Please note: NO trains will
operate on Christmas Day. On Boxing Day some Train Operating Companies will run
a very limited service.
The availability of Advance tickets could be
affected by special events taking place along the route of the journey. Please
check before travelling.