Celebrate 200 years of train travel with the Rail Sale

Rail Sale tickets are available across the Southeastern network, plus a wide selection of routes across England, Wales and Scotland. Visit nationalrail.co.uk/railsale to find out which routes are available.

The following train operating companies will be offering discounted tickets as part of the Rail Sale: Avanti West Coast, C2C, Chiltern, Cross Country, East Midlands Railway, Govia Thameslink Railway, Grand Central, Great Northern, Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, London North Eastern Railway, London Northwestern Railway, Northern, South Western Railway, ScotRail, Southeastern, Southern, TransPennine Express, Transport for Wales, and West Midlands Railway.

Tickets for travel on Southeastern must be purchased at least 3 days prior to travel but will vary by operator. Check with your specific train operator for further details.

The discount will be available on selected Advance tickets across the Southeastern network and other train operating companies. Tickets are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Where a participating train company does not offer Advance tickets, Off-Peak tickets may be offered as an alternative.

Visit nationalrail.co.uk/railsale to find out which routes are available across all participating train companies.

Rail Sale tickets are limited in number and subject to availability and can be bought online from the Southeastern website or app. Please visit a Southeastern ticket office or contact our Customer Services team if you require assistance or have specific accessibility requirements.

Across all train operating companies, over 2 million Rail Sale tickets will be on sale between Tuesday 14 January to Monday 20 January 2025 for travel between Friday 17 January and Monday 31 March 2025.

Rail Sale Advance tickets are valid only on the date and train you have selected during the booking process. This will be shown on the ticket and your booking confirmation. You will not be able to use your ticket on any other train service.

Visit nationalrail.co.uk/railsale to find out which routes are available across all participating train companies.

Advance tickets are non-refundable. However, if your booked train is cancelled before the day you travel due to industrial action or service disruption, you may be able to refund your ticket for free by contacting our Customer Services.

If your booked train is cancelled or disrupted on the day, contact Customer Services or station staff for information on your alternative travel options.

Southeastern do not offer assigned seat reservations, instead the reservation indicates which train your ticket is valid on. 

Your ticket is only valid on that specific train, date and time of travel and you may sit in any available seat on the specified train. Tickets purchased for travel on other train companies may provide you with an assigned seat reservation.

Advance tickets are non-refundable. However, fee-free refunds may be available if the service an Advance ticket was booked on has been cancelled due to strikes or industrial action, or if you abandon your journey due to service disruption.

You can apply for this refund for Advance tickets bought through Southeastern from our Customer Services team. For Advance tickets not bought through Southeastern, please contact your original retailer or visit the train companies’ website for further information.

Advance tickets are non-refundable. However, fee-free refunds may be available if the service an Advance ticket was booked on has been cancelled due to strikes or industrial action, or if you abandon your journey due to service disruption. You can apply for this refund for Advance tickets bought through Southeastern from our Customer Services team.

For Advance tickets not bought through Southeastern, please contact your original retailer or visit the train companies’ website for further information.

There have been many milestones in the railway, both before and after 27 September 1825, all of which also deserve to be acknowledged and celebrated. National Rail have done so in a timeline curated by the National Railway Museum: https://railway200.co.uk/timeline

Railway 200 is inspired by what is widely regarded as the 200th anniversary of the birth of the modern railway, when the Stockton and Darlington Railway opened on 27 September 1825.

This year’s 200th anniversary simply continues a tradition that follows the centenary celebration in 1925 and the 150th anniversary in 1975 under British Rail. During our year-long programme we will be celebrating many other milestones and railway pioneers as part of rail’s revolutionary story. Our principal goal is to explore rail’s role in shaping people’s lives and livelihoods.

These terms and conditions apply to the Rail Sale, a promotion coordinated by ATOC Ltd on behalf of participating Train Companies for the Promotional Period.

• Over 2 million promotional Rail Sale Tickets will be available on selected journeys across the National Rail network (in England, Wales & Scotland) for the Promotional Period.
• The Promotional Period will start on 14 January 2025 and will end when all Rail Sale Tickets have been sold or on 20 January 2025, whichever is sooner, for travel between 17 January 2025 and 31 March 2025. The number of Rail Sale Tickets available during the Promotional Period is limited and subject to availability.
• Rail Sale Tickets are selected Advance or Off-Peak tickets with fares discounted by individual participating Train Companies, up to 50% off the equivalent full price Advance ticket fare. Where a participating Train Company does not offer Advance tickets, Off-Peak ticket fares may be offered as an alternative. Rail Sale Tickets are not available on all routes or all journeys and may not represent the lowest available fare for a particular journey.
• Rail Sale tickets must be purchased at least 3-7 days in advance of the date of travel. This varies per operator.
• The Rail Sale is promoted via the Rail Sale website and Rail Sale Tickets are available to purchase via participating Train Companies and ticket retailers for the Promotional Period. This is an online sale, please contact the relevant participating Train companies if you require assistance or have specific accessibility requirements.

Selected Routes, Limited Availability and Exclusions

1. The number of Rail Sale tickets offered by each participating Train Company will vary and are limited in number.
2. Tickets are not available on all routes and at some peak times and are not offered by all Train Companies.
3. Availability is subject to specific travel exclusions across some routes due to engineering improvement works. For more details of engineering works please refer to participating Train Company websites.
4. Railcard discounts do not apply to Rail Sale Tickets, and no other discounts can be used in conjunction with the Rail Sale Tickets.
5. Child tickets can be purchased with the Rail Sale from participating Train Companies and ticket retailers.

General

• ATOC Ltd reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions without notice and to take appropriate action to close the offer or withdraw the Rail Sale Tickets from sale at any time.
• Usual Train Company terms and conditions of purchase, National Rail Conditions of Travel, Advance and Off-Peak ticket terms and conditions apply.
• The promoter of the Rail Sale is ATOC Ltd on behalf of participating Train Companies. ATOC Limited is a company registered in England and Wales under company no. 03069033, whose registered office is at First Floor North, 1 Puddle Dock, London, England, EC4V 3DS