Making tracks
For many groups, the increasing ease of rail travel now makes it a realistic option to get from A to B or, in the case of steam railways and scenic train jouneys overseas, as an interesting trip in itself.
Mainline routes
For groups heading to UK destinations, group ticket rates – offered by all of the following rail operators – can make train travel an attractive option. In addition, most offer a range of vouchers for local attractions and theatres.
If you are heading to destinations in between London and Brighton or planning a trip to West Sussex, Hampshire or Surrey, Southern Railways offers up to 50 percent discounts with its GroupSave Tickets. The company also offers its passengers a range of vouchers which will give you two for the price of one entry to attractions such as ZSL London Zoo and the Tower of London as well as 50 percent discounts at West End shows.
Just off the Hampshire Coast, meanwhile, the Isle of Wight’s Island Line offers group rates between stations across the island. It also features promotions that include combined tickets for the hovercraft to Portsmouth harbour.
Groups travelling between London and Essex coastal resorts such as Shoeburyness and Southend on Sea can also take advantage of a range of special offers from C2C Trains. The rail operator offers group discounts on all its services, which often run directly to places such as Lakeside shopping centre, and is currently offering free tickets to passengers travelling to Essex’s Adventure Island Theme Park.
Operating trains through London from Kings Lynn in Norfolk to Brighton in East Sussex, meanwhile, First Capital Connect also offers vouchers giving you two for the price of one entry at a range of attractions including Hampton Court in Surrey. The company also offers groups a discount of up to 50 percent on tickets.
Groups travelling to Gatwick or Heathrow airports can also make use of the cheap group tickets offered by three rail operators who run trains from London stations; Gatwick Express, Heathrow Connect and Heathrow Express.
In the capital itself, London Overground – part of Transport for London (TfL) – operates trains across the capital, stopping at destinations such as Kew and central London stations including Victoria. Group prices are available and trains also connect with TfL’s Thames Riverboat Service, which operates passenger vessels to stops near attractions such as Greenwich’s National Maritime Museum and Tate Modern.
Groups looking to explore the Midlands by rail are offered a 30 percent discount on Chiltern Railways, which operates between London and Birmingham. The company also sells a Shakespeare Explorer ticket that gives you unlimited rail travel for up to four days between Stratford-Upon-Avon and Warwick.
Two other train operators, London Midland and Wrexham and Wrexham and Shropshire, operate trains between London and destinations in the Midlands. Both offer discounts and the option of reserving seats together as a group.
For group travel between London and the counties of Dorset and Somerset, South West Trains offers discounts of up to 50 percent with its GroupSave tickets. Running to destinations such as Bournemouth and Salisbury, it offers discount vouchers to attractions such as Windsor Castle and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
Also running trains from London to south west England as well as towns and cities throughout Wales, First Great Western and Arriva Trains Wales offer group prices. Seat reservations can be made to ensure your group sits together. Arriva Wales also offers vouchers giving 50 percent off the price of entry to attractions such as South Wales’ Rhondda Heritage Park near Pontypridd.
In the east of the country, meanwhile, East Midlands Trains offers group rates and group seat reservations on services from London to destinations including Sheffield, Derby and Leicester. As its London trains operate from Kings Cross, groups are also offered combined tickets for Eurostar, allowing you to transfer to the neighbouring St Pancras terminal for an onward journey to European cities including Brussels and Paris.
If you are thinking about taking your group to East Anglian destinations such as Norwich, or to towns and cities stretching from London along the east coast to Perth and Angus in Scotland, National Express East Anglia and National Express East Coast offer a range of group discounts on their rail services. National Express East Coast also sells a cheap combined ticket that includes rail travel to Harwich and ferry travel to cities such as Amsterdam.
Group tickets are also available for travel between the south east and cities in the East Midlands and Yorkshire on Hull Trains. The company also offers discounts when using Carry my Luggage – a private porter service that transports your luggage for you.
Across northern England, two operators, First Transpennine Express and Northern Rail, both offer groups discounts on tickets. First Transpennine Express also give groups the option of reserving seats together.
To get to attractions in Liverpool and Merseyside, meanwhile, your group can take a Mersey Rail service across the city and region. Offering groups discounts on fares, the network’s stations give you easy access to a number of attractions including the Lady Lever Art Gallery and the Albert Dock.
Two operators, Virgin Trains and Cross Country, operate services that cross the UK, from Cornwall in the southwest to Edinburgh in the north east. Both offer group discounts on tickets and the option of reserving seats to keep your group together.
To travel further north, First Scot Rail operates a range of services from London to Scotland. These include overnight sleepers from London Euston and express services. Group discounts of between 10% and 30% are available on both standard and first class journeys.
Brief encounters
Recreating the glory days of the nation’s steam railways, heritage train lines will give your group a chance to travel the countryside in classic style. Most of the lines offer groups a range of discounted prices and packages.
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway, situated just outside the ports of Ryde and Fishbourne, runs for five miles between Wootton and Smallbrook Junction where you can board normal rail services. Many of the carriages date back to the 1800s and the line offers combined tickets for the Steam Railway and ferries to the island.
Moving to the mainland, the Bure Valley Railway is a light steam railway that runs for nine miles through the Broads National Park in Norfolk. Its historic trains are available for private hire and groups can book tickets that are combined with a cruise along the Broads.
In Essex, meanwhile, the Colne Valley Railway in Castle Hedingham operates a range of services including luxury dining trains featuring Pullman carriages or a former royal train dining car.
Also offering groups the option of dining aboard a Pullman train, the Kent and East Sussex Railway runs for 10.5 miles between Tenterden and Bodiam. The Railway also sells combined tickets that include a visit to local attractions such as Bodiam Castle, situated a short distance from the line’s terminus.
Moving to East Sussex, the Lavender Line runs historic steam trains from the village of Isfield near Lewes. At the railway’s Isfield Station, there is also a small museum and visitors centre where your group can explore the history of the Line.
From East Sussex, your group can travel from Sheffield Park to Kingscote in West Sussex on the Bluebell Railway. The line operates a number of historic vehicles along the route including a recreated version of the Golden Arrow, the luxury train that once operated between London and Paris.
Hampshire’s Mid Hants Railway – Watercress Line, meanwhile, operates luxury dining trains as well as special events trains between Alresford and Alton.
In the south west, the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway operates a range of steam locomotives and antique carriages between Cheltenham and the Cotswolds village of Toddington. Groups can also choose a number of onboard dining options.
Also in the south west, your group can travel on a range of classic railway vehicles on the East Somerset Railway, which operates preserved steam locomotives and antique carriages along lines near Shepton Mallet.
The neighbouring county of Devon is home to the South Devon Railway, a heritage line running between the villages of Buckfastleigh and Totnes. Besides journeys in antique passenger carriages through the Devon countryside, it offers pre-booked groups onboard catering packages in its inter-war dining cars.
Further west, groups can also explore Cornwall by steam train aboard the Bodmin and Wenford Steam Railway which runs for 13 miles across the county.
Groups heading to Wales can explore the region by travelling on any of nine small gauge lines collectively known as The Great Little Trains of Wales. In the south, this includes the Brecon Mountain Railway, which takes you across the Brecon Beacons National Park, whilst in the north, groups can explore the coast and mountains of the Snowdonia National Park aboard a number of its lines such as the 175-year old Ffestiniog Railway which operates out of Porthmadog or the Welsh Highlands Railway, which runs from Caernarfon.
In northern England, the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway offers groups the opportunity to tour the Pennines and Bronte Country on a range of historic locomotives. There are five restored stations on the line – which was the setting for the 1970 film, ‘The Railway Children’ – including a site in the Brontes’ former home town of Haworth.
Staying in Yorkshire, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway has also been the setting for film and TV shows, such as Heartbeat and the Harry Potter films. Running 18 miles from the village of Pickering to the coastal resort of Whitby, the line offers groups a number of special events throughout the year such as themed 1960s Days.
In Scotland, meawhile, your group can take a tour of the rugged east coast countryside on the border of Aberdeenshire and Moray aboard one of the heritage trains operated by the Keith Dufftown Railway. The line connects with First ScotRail services in Keith Town, then runs on to Dufftown 11 miles away via five rural stations.
Across the globe
From Paris to Sydney, the world�s railways offer you a range of luxury options and the chance to explore a country from the comfort of your compartment. Trips can either be booked through the operator themselves, many of whom offer group discounts, or through independent group travel agents as part of a package.
Eurostar
Operating out of the new Eurostar terminal at London’s St Pancras International and calling at Ebbsfleet International station in Kent, these services allow your group to reach central Paris in two hours 15 minutes; Brussels in one hour 58 minutes and Lille in one hour 20 minutes.
Venice-Simplon-Orient-Express
In addition to the iconic journey offered between Venice and Istanbul by way of other European capitals such as Vienna and Budapest, the company also runs luxury trains connecting worldwide destinations such as New York and Santa Barbara on the US west Coast and Sydney to the Australian Blue Mountains.
The Trans-Siberian Express
Taking your group across eight time zones from Moscow to Vladivostok on Russia’s Pacific coast with a detour en-route to Ulaan Baatur, the Mongolian capital, this journey will give your group a chance to see an ever changing landscape that includes the Russian Steppes and the vast plains of Siberia.
The Darjeeling Mail
First established in the heyday of the British Raj, a trip on this train will allow your group to travel in comfort between the Indian cities of Bombay and Calcutta via Darjeeling in the Himalayan foothills.
PeruRail
The company operates a number of luxury trains across the Andes, starting from the city of Cusco and stopping at the Inca sites of Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu.
The Rocky Mountaineer
Running trains from the Canadian city of Vancouver into destinations in the Rocky Mountains, the company offers groups a range of luxury rail journeys through one of the world’s largest moutain ranges.
Rail Europe
The organisation sells tickets for journeys on high-speed trains throughout Europe, allowing you to buy one ticket per-person to travel across the Continent via connecting operators.