FAQs

If you plan to travel with us, please ensure you are following the latest Government guidance. Visit www.gov.uk/coronavirus for the latest info.

Rail staff engage and educate customers about the mandatory use of face coverings when they travel by train and encourage people to wear them. The vast majority of people do the right thing and help protect others by bringing and wearing a face covering while in stations and on trains. Unless they have a good reason, those that don’t wear a face covering could receive a fine from the British Transport Police up to a maximum of £6,400.

Please be considerate of others. Hidden disabilities or medical conditions may mean not everyone can wear a face covering.

Fines apply for those not wearing face coverings – unless exempt. This can be up to a maximum of £6,400.

If you travel by train and need assistance, our staff will continue to provide help so that you can get to your destination safely.

While it is not a requirement to book ahead, we strongly recommend that you contact us on 0800 5282 100 to discuss your journey as soon as possible. You can find out more on our Passenger Assist page.

If you require assistance, we're asking our station colleagues to speak to you to understand what help you need whilst minimising contact with you.

For example, if you need to use a lift, it may be our colleague will assist you into the lift but they may not accompany you into the lift.

In addition, our colleagues have been given access to extra personal protective equipment (PPE). For example, colleagues are provided with plastic gloves which can be used when pushing wheelchairs, while plastic sleeves are available for staff to utilise when assisting a customer who has sight loss. All station colleagues are required to wear face coverings, apart from those who are exempt.

Yes. Our waiting rooms are open as usual, however some might be closed if social distancing can't be maintained, or as a result of ongoing maintenance or staff shortages.

Yes. Our toilets are open as usual, however some might be closed if social distancing can't be maintained, or as a result of ongoing maintenance or staff shortages.

You can find out where our toilets are located on our stations page.

We’d recommend you buy a ticket online.

You can also buy a ticket at the station and our ticket offices are open as usual. We strongly encourage you to pay using card or contactless where possible, however where this is not possible, cash is accepted at our ticket offices and most ticket machines. 

Ticket office opening times are available on our stations page.

We introduced hand sanitiser dispensers at stations across our network, so please use these before and after your journey. We are not providing hand sanitiser on our trains. The current list of stations with dispensers can be found here.

We ask customers to carry their own hand sanitiser and wash their hands for 20 seconds before and after travelling.

No, we don’t operate a reservation system on our trains.

We need people’s help to ensure that those who need to travel by train can do so safely, and we’d recommend you give yourself plenty of time to board a train.

If it is not possible for you to safely board the train, we will ask you to wait for the next service.

In this situation, you will be able to use your existing ticket on the later service, irrespective of whether it is technically still valid or not.

We recommend customers to not plan to travel on the last service of the day, however if you are unable to board the last service, please speak to a member of station staff or use the help point so we can arrange alternative transport for you.

Yes, Delay Repay will still apply against the revised timetable and passengers can submit their claims through our Delay Repay page.

We appreciate that our service levels have reduced, however we hope customers can understand that this is for their safety, the safety of our staff and following Government advice to help limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Consequently, we will not be offering extra compensation to customers who cannot travel on their usual service.

For more information on refunds visit our dedicated COVID-19 refund page.

Yes, our guards will still be present on every train service as well as staff at stations across the network to offer advice and assistance to customers.

Our station Help Points also remain in operation.

The British Transport Police will continue to conduct their regular patrols in order to keep passengers safe.

If customers see anything suspicious or witness anti-social behaviour, they should contact a member of staff or British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 or via text on 61016. In an emergency always dial 999.

Unfortunately, we are currently not offering onboard catering on our services.

You may wish to bring a bottle of water with you on your journey.

We will accept National Rail Vouchers at our ticket offices for payment towards the cost of your next rail journey, with an expiry date between 20 October 2020 and 30 June 2021; for a maximum of 6 months from when they expired.

We cannot extend the validity of any Rail Travel Vouchers:

• That expired before 20 October 2020
• Will expire on or after 1 July 2021

We cannot replace any Rail Travel Vouchers that have been lost or destroyed.

Our lost property office at London Waterloo is open Monday to Friday 0730-1900.

Railcards are non-refundable and cannot be extended. You can find more information on Railcards at: https://www.railcard.co.uk/travel-advice/