Advance Booking Dates

Booking Horizons

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.

Normally, the timetable for any particular day is confirmed 12 weeks in advance. However there may be exceptions to this, where timetables and Advance tickets are not yet available 12 weeks in advance. This could be due to engineering work, special events, Bank Holidays, short notice changes to the timetable and many other reasons. Please check the Timetable Information page for further information.

Not all train companies offer Advance tickets or seat reservations. But for those that do, you can find details below.

Avanti West Coast

• Saturday service: 27 September

• Sunday service: 28 September

• Monday to Friday service: 3 October

Latest time of reservation

Customers can make a seat reservation up to 10 minutes before departure from a station on all services (subject to availability).

Notes

None.

Caledonian Sleeper

These can be booked 12 months in advance.

Chiltern Railways: between Birmingham and London Marylebone

• Saturday service: 20 September

• Sunday service: 21 September

• Monday to Friday service: 26 September

Latest time of reservation

Advance tickets are available up to 18:00 the day before travel.

Notes

None.

Chiltern Railways: between Oxford and London Marylebone

• Saturday service: 20 September

• Sunday service: 21 September

• Monday to Friday service: 26 September

Latest time of reservation

Advance tickets are available up to 18:00 the day before travel.

Notes

None.

CrossCountry:

Between Nottingham and Cardiff Central via Birmingham New Street, Stansted Airport and Birmingham New Street via Leicester.

Between Scotland and South West England, Newcastle and Southampton Central, Manchester Piccadilly and Bournemouth / Bristol.

• Saturday service: 25 October

• Sunday service: 26 October

• Monday to Friday service: 31 October

Latest time of reservation

Up to 10 minutes before booked departure time.

Notes

None.

East Midlands Railway:

• Saturday service: 4 October

• Sunday service: 5 October

• Monday to Friday service: 3 October

Latest time of reservation

Up to 23:59 the day before travel.

Notes

None.

Grand Central

• Saturday service: 7 December

• Sunday service: 13 December

• Monday to Friday service: 12 December

Latest time of reservation

Not available.

Notes

Currently closed Saturdays 1 and 8 November & Sundays 2 and 9 November

Some services are open further than these dates via the Grand Central website.

Great Northern

• Saturday service: 20 September

• Sunday service: 21 September

• Monday to Friday service: 3 October

Latest time of reservation

Up to 23:59 the day before travel.

Notes

Great Northern do not offer seat reservations but have quota controlled advance purchase products.

For Saturdays and Sundays, advance fares for Great Northern services will be released approximately seven days after the amended timetable has been uploaded to journey planners. Check here for when the amended timetables will be uploaded.

Great Western Railway (GWR)

• Saturday service: 25 October

• Sunday service: 26 October

• Monday to Friday service: 31 October

Latest time of reservation

Up to 2 minutes before travel at any station on Great Western Railway routes.

Notes

None.

Greater Anglia / Stansted Express

• Saturday service: 4 October

• Sunday service: 5 October

• Monday to Friday service: 10 October

Latest time of reservation

Up to 23:59 the day before travel. 

Notes

Reservations are currently closed for Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 September.

Hull Trains

• Saturday service: 13 December

• Sunday service: 7 December

• Monday to Friday service: 12 December

Latest time of reservation

Up to 15:00 day before travel for early morning services. Other services up to 4 hours before departing point of origin.

Notes

Currently closed on Saturday 8 / Sunday 9 / Saturday 22 / Sunday 23 November.

London North Eastern Railway (LNER)

• Saturday service: 27 September

• Sunday service: 28 September

• Monday to Friday service: 3 October

Latest time of reservation

Up to 23:59 day before travel for some early morning trains. Up to 40 minutes before departing point of origin.

Tickets are available further in advance via the LNER website for most weekday journeys between London and the stations north of York, including Newcastle and Edinburgh. Subject to exceptions, such as Bank Holiday periods.

Notes

None.

London Northwestern Railway

• Saturday service: 30 August

• Sunday service: 31 August

• Monday to Friday service: 12 September

Latest time of reservation

Not available.

Notes

None.

Lumo

• Saturday service: 20 September

• Sunday service: 21 September

• Monday to Friday service: 12 December

Latest time of reservation

Not available.

Notes:

Some tickets may be available beyond these dates on the Lumo website.

Northern

• Saturday service: 4 October

• Sunday service: 28 September

• Monday to Friday service: 3 October

Latest time of reservation

Advance tickets are available up to 23:59 the day before travel. 

Notes

Northern do not offer seat reservations but have quota controlled advance purchase products.

ScotRail

• Saturday service: 27 September

• Sunday service: 28 September

• Monday to Friday service: 3 October

Latest time of reservation

Up to 23:59 day before travel for some early morning trains. Up to 2 hours before departing point of origin.

Notes

Routes between Glasgow Queen Street / Edinburgh / Inverness and Aberdeen are closed from Saturday 19 to Tuesday 22 July.

South Western Railway:

• Saturday service: 27 September

• Sunday service: 28 September

• Monday to Friday service: 3 October

Latest time of reservation

Advance tickets are available up to 23:59 the day before travel. 

Notes

South Western Railway offer advance tickets on the following routes:

• Between London Waterloo and Weymouth

• West of England

• To / from Portsmouth / Isle of Wight

Southeastern

• Saturday service: 27 September

• Sunday service: 28 September

• Monday to Friday service: 3 October

Latest time of reservation

Up to 18:00 the day before.

Notes

Southeastern do not offer a specific seat allocation but use quota controls for controlling Advance tickets.

Southern

• Saturday service: 20 September

• Sunday service: 21 September

• Monday to Friday service: 3 October

Latest time of reservation

Up to 23:59 the day before travel.

Notes

Southern are currently closed on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September.

Southern do not offer seat reservations but have quota controlled advance purchase products.

For Saturdays and Sundays, advance fares for Southern services will be released approximately seven days after the amended timetable has been uploaded to journey planners. Check here for when the amended timetables will be uploaded.

Thameslink

• Saturday service: 20 September

• Sunday service: 21 September

• Monday to Friday service: 3 October

Latest time of reservation

Up to 23:59 the day before travel.

Notes

Thameslink do not offer seat reservations but have quota controlled advance purchase products.

For Saturdays and Sundays, advance fares for Thameslink services will be released approximately seven days after the amended timetable has been uploaded to journey planners. Check here for when the amended timetables will be uploaded.

TransPennine Express

• Saturday service: 4 October

• Sunday service: 5 October

• Monday to Friday service: 10 October

Latest time of reservation

Up to 23:59 the day before travel. 

Notes

Some services are open further than these dates via the TransPennine Express website.

Transport for Wales

• Saturday service: 20 September

• Sunday service: 21 September

• Monday to Friday service: 19 September

Latest time of reservation

Up to 19:00 day before travel for some early morning trains. Other services up to 4 hours before departure point of origin.

Notes

Ferries to / from Ireland - A limited number of sailings are available up to 8 weeks in advance of travel.

Special Events

Please note: NO trains will operate on Christmas Day. On Boxing Day some train companies will run a very limited service, but most routes are closed.

The availability of Advance tickets could be affected by special events taking place along the route of the journey. Please check before travelling.