National Rail Conditions of Travel

Your rights and responsibilities when travelling on the National Rail network.

 

When you buy a ticket to travel on the railway network you enter into an agreement with the Train Companies. That agreement gives you the right to make the journey, or journeys, between the stations or within the zones shown on the ticket you have bought.

These National Rail Conditions of Travel are also part of that agreement and they apply to all domestic (non-international) journeys by scheduled passenger train services of the Train Companies on the railway network of Great Britain.

Your Rights

Whilst these National Rail Conditions of Travel set out your rights and any restrictions of those rights, the Train Companies may give you more extensive rights than those set out here but they may not give you less; unless a Condition specifically allows for this, such as in the case of some types of reduced and discounted fare tickets eg. Advance Tickets. The National Rail Conditions of Travel therefore set out the minimum level of service you are entitled to expect.

A Train Company's ticket office staff will give advice about tickets, and any restrictions concerning their use, on an impartial basis unless the point of sale is dedicated to the sale of one Train Company's tickets.

The current National Rail Conditions of Travel is available to read or download here (PDF).

These Conditions are valid from 04 December 2019

A large print edition of the National Rail Conditions of Travel is available to read or download here (PDF).

These Conditions are valid from 04 December 2019.

PLEASE NOTE: The previous edition of the National Rail Conditions of Travel was valid from Sunday 11 March 2018 to Tuesday 03 December 2019 inclusive, and replaced the previous National Rail Conditions of Carriage. Any reference to the National Rail Conditions of Carriage on websites, tickets, publications etc. refers to the terms and conditions set out in the current National Rail Conditions of Travel.

Several Conditions have been amended or removed in the December 2019 edition, from the March 2018 edition. A 'quick reference' guide to the changes can be found here.

These conditions apply in addition to your statutory rights.

The previous National Rail Conditions of Travel is available to read or download here (PDF).

These Conditions are valid for ticket purchases between 11 March 2018 and 03 December 2019 inclusive

A large print edition of the previous National Rail Conditions of Travel is available to downloaded here (PDF). 

These Conditions are valid for ticket purchases between 11 March 2018 and 03 December 2019 inclusive.

Reference is made in the National Rail Conditions of Travel to a Code of Practice for meetings arranged in connection with duplicate Season Tickets. A copy of this can be found here.

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Oyster Conditions of Use

If you are using an Oyster card or 'Contactless' (including Contactless credit & debit cards, Apple Pay, Android Pay and bPay devices) on National Rail, the Oyster Conditions of Use and Contactless Conditions of Use set out your rights and obligations, in addition to the Conditions set out in the National Rail Conditions of Travel. Where these Conditions of Use differ from the National Rail Conditions of Travel they will take precedence when you are using an Oyster or your contactless card.

A PDF version of the Oyster Conditions of Use on National Rail is available to download here

A PDF version of the Contactless Payment Cards - Conditions of Use is available to download here

More details can be found at https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/

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Heathrow Express Conditions of Carriage

When travelling on Heathrow Express services between Heathrow Airport and London Paddington, your ticket is subject to the Heathrow Express Conditions of Carriage. Please see the Heathrow Express website for further details, www.heathrowexpress.com/conditions-of-carriage.

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Consumer Rights Act

The Consumer Rights Act (CRA) applies to the rail industry from 1 October 2016. The Train Companies' existing processes for dealing with complaints and claims go beyond the requirements of the CRA, and remain the best way to access your rights. Further information can be found here and compensation information can be found here

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Last updated:   16 December 2020

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