How to Use the New National Rail App

Find out how to use the app to plan your journey, save your favourite journeys and stations, buy tickets, check live trains, see status and disruptions, and more

Get the National Rail app

How to add and view your favourite stations and journeys

You can add up to 10 favourite stations and journeys in My Travel.

Click the My Travel tab in the app, and you will be able to choose between My Recent Journeys and My Favourite Journeys.

Your most recent journeys are automatically added to My Recent Journeys.

To add a station or journey to My Favourite Journeys, click the heart icon next to a Journey Planner or Live Trains search result. When the heart goes red, it is a favourite.

New functions coming soon!

The National Rail app is a new and evolving product and we are listening closely to customer feedback. We want to provide the best possible experience for customers, and are constantly working to improve user experience, so keep an eye out for new, and not-so-new, additions to the app coming soon.

How to buy or restore the ad-free version of the app

Click the More menu on the bottom right of your app screen, and select Ad-free App: Purchase or Restore.

You will be able to choose between buying the ad-free app for £4.99 by selecting Upgrade now, or restoring your ad-free version by clicking Restore previous purchase.

How to check live trains

On the Live Trains tab in the app, select the station that you’re Departing from and optionally the station you’re Going to by typing the station name or 3 letter code (e.g. VIC for London Victoria).

Click Show live trains to see your results – you will be shown trains that leave from the time you start your search.

For more detailed instructions please see our How to Use Live Departure and Arrivals page.

How to plan a journey and buy tickets

On the Plan a Journey tab in the app, enter:

your departure and arrival stations
the dates and times you wish to travel
how many people are travelling
any relevant Railcards

You will then be able to see a range of journeys that match your request, and select the one you want to buy tickets.

For more detailed instructions please see our How to Use the Journey Planner page.

How to see status and disruptions

On the Status and Disruptions tab in the app, you will first see a default setting of today’s date and all train operators, which will show you all current reported disruptions and timetable changes.

Alternatively, enter a date, and optionally select a train operator, to see if a specific journey will be affected.

How to check the status of Transport for London services

Click the More menu on the bottom right of your app screen, and select London Underground. You will be able to see the service status of all Transport for London services (London Underground, London Overground, Elizabeth line and DLR).