London City Guide - Getting There By Rail

The British railway network has a bad reputation at the moment – delays, cancellations and poor travelling conditions are common, while fares (particularly on routes via London) are among the highest in Europe. Actual train services are provided by a number of independent operators, while Network Rail (tel: (020) 7557 8000; website: www.networkrail.co.uk) is now the company responsible for the infrastructure and the track. The company also owns all the stations but manages only the biggest ones. In an attempt to avoid the disaster of their predecessor, Railtrack, Network Rail is a Company Limited by Guarantee with no shareholders, where all profit is reinvested into the railways.

Railway information is available 24 hours from National Rail Enquiries (tel: 0845 748 4950; website: www.nationalrail.co.uk). London has numerous major stations. These all become very crowded during rush hour (Monday to Friday 0800-0930 and 1700-1830), when services struggle to cope with the sheer volume of passengers. The major national stations in London are Victoria (southwest), Paddington (west), Euston and Kings Cross (north), Liverpool Street (east), Waterloo (south) and Charing Cross (central). Station facilities differ but most include ATMs, bureaux de change, shops, cafés and pubs. Tickets should be purchased at the station (from ticket desks and machines) before boarding.

Rail services: Eurostar (tel: 0870 518 6186 or (01233) 617 575 (from outside the UK); website: www.eurostar.com) services from Avignon, Calais, Brussels, Lille, Paris-Gare du Nord and Disneyland Paris travel via the English Channel to St Pancras station. Tickets are available at the station, from the Eurostar Call Centre or online (see above). Eurostar is extremely convenient and, once time travelling to and from the airport and spent checking in has been taken into account, is usually quicker than flying (journey time to Paris – 2 hours 15 minutes).

The main London terminals serve different regions of the country, as follows: Euston and King’s Cross for the Midlands, the north of England and Scotland; Liverpool Street for East Anglia; Paddington for Heathrow airport, the West Country, South Wales and the Midlands; Victoria for Gatwick airport and the southeast; and Waterloo for the south coast and the continent. There are also numerous regional stations, including Blackfriars, Charing Cross, London Bridge, Marylebone, St Pancras, Stratford and Clapham Junction (the busiest station in the UK). Overnight sleeper trains, run by First Scotrail (tel: 0845 755 0033; website: www.firstscotrail.com), connect Euston with the Scottish destinations of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Fort William, Aberdeen and Dundee. National Rail Enquiries (see above) can provide information on all services, including journey prices, times and duration.