Travelling by train
Whether it’s to enjoy the nostalgia of a steam locomotive, scale new heights with mountain railways or simply get from ‘A’ to ‘B’, rail travel in the UK and abroad offers a wide range of experiences for groups. Luke Dodd finds out more.
Transport is usually a straight-forward affair for GTOs, with groups travelling the length and breadth of the country by coach. However, why not break up your trip by taking a journey by rail. Throughout the UK, group organisers can find a variety of rail travel opportunities, with many offering group discounts and group catering options.
Making tracks in the UK
Reaching all parts of the country, travelling by train to mainline stations can make a welcome change from a coach journey with train companies usually offering group discounts and packages. GTOs organising trips may find it useful to purchase tickets and plan routes for train travel in the UK with National Rail, the brand name of the Association of Train Operating Companies representing mainline stations in the UK.
Offering services from and to a wide number of counties throughout England is Virgin Trains. Routes provided by the company run from London to the north west of England and Scotland, London to the West Midlands, the south west of England to the north east and Scotland (via Birmingham). Groups of 10 or more can enjoy a discount on travel.
Servicing the whole of Scotland, First Scotrail travels from and to various cities within the country and also offers the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper, which travels overnight to London from a number of Scottish terminals. Groups of 10 or more receive a discount on travel.
Meanwhile, groups can travel around the northern region of England with Northern Rail. The train operator concentrates on the north west and north east, offering groups of 10 or more discounted travel.
Staying in the region, the Transpennine Express also operates regular regional services in the north of England, including services linking the west and east coasts of England across the Pennines. Last year, it was announced that from December 2007, Transpennine Express will operate frequent services between Manchester Airport, Glasgow and Edinburgh, replacing the current Manchester Piccadilly-Scotland service provided by Virgin. Groups of 10 or more are offered discounted travel.
Travelling from the north to London, Hull Trains runs up to seven long distance services each day between London Kings Cross and Hull. The company also serves the towns of Stevenage in Hertfordshire, Grantham in Lincolnshire, Retford in Nottinghamshire, Doncaster and Selby in Yorkshire, Howden in Humberside and Brough in Cumbria. Groups of 10 or more receive a discount on travel.
Also offering services between London and the north, GNER trains travel between King’s Cross, Leeds and Edinburgh Waverley station. Groups of 10 or more receive discounts on travel as well as discounted London underground tickets, onboard buffet vouchers and passenger assistance for less able group members.
Meanwhile, in the Liverpool area, groups can travel on Merseyrail. Services run on two lines covering the Liverpool suburban area and greater Merseyside. The Northern Line links Liverpool with Southport, Ormskirk, Kirkby and Hunts Cross, whilst the Wirral Line, extending under the River Mersey, links Liverpool with New Brighton, West Kirby, Chester and Ellesmere Port. Groups of 10 or more receive a discount on travel.
Concentrating on services throughout the Midlands and central counties is Central Trains. The company’s main services are concentrated around Birmingham and also run to the north west and East Anglia. Pre-booked groups of 10 or more enjoy a discount on travel.
Staying in the Midlands, Midland Mainline operates services between the Midlands and London. It runs passenger services from stations in the East Midlands and Yorkshire such as Nottingham and Leeds to London. Its London terminal is London St. Pancras which it currently uses exclusively. Pre-booked groups of 10 or more receive a discount on travel.
Meanwhile, Silverlink offers routes around suburban London and from Northampton to London. Groups of 10 or more are offered a discount on travel.
Also operating routes to London, Chiltern Railways offers mainline services from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire and Birmingham Snow Hill to Marylebone station. Groups of 10 or more receive a discount on travel.
Offering rail travel across the west and south west of England and south Wales is First Great Western. Pre-booked groups of 10 or more receive a discount on travel.
Meanwhile, within London, groups can travel to various airports with different train operators. The Stansted Express links Liverpool Street station to Stansted Airport and also calls at Tottenham Hale for connection to the London Underground and easier access to the West End and north London. Meanwhile, the Gatwick Express offers a frequent shuttle service between Victoria station and Gatwick Airport. This service will be expanded to Brighton from December 2008. Finally, the Heathrow Express operates from Paddington in central London to Heathrow Airport. All these airport train services offer groups of 10 or more discounted travel.
Offering group travel around the south east is Southeastern Trains, which serves towns in Kent such as Tunbridge Wells and parts of East Sussex including Hastings, as well as London. The London terminals of its services are Charing Cross, Blackfriars, Cannon Street and Victoria. Groups of 10 or more travelling off peak enjoy a discount on travel.
Meanwhile, Southern Trains runs routes between south London, Surrey and Sussex to Victoria and London Bridge. Groups of 10 or more can enjoy a discount on travel.
Finally, South West Trains provides train services between the south west of London and the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire. Groups of 10 or more receive a discount on ticket prices.
Experience heritage
Rail travel can also offer groups a nostalgic journey whilst travelling onboard a steam train or mountain railway.
Beginning in Bury, groups wishing to re-live a forgotten era and travel by steam train can try the East Lancashire Railway in Greater Manchester. The line operates a service from Bury to Ramsbottom via Summerseat as well as via Irwell Vale to Rawtenstall and, in September 2003, an eastbound extension from Bury to Heywood was opened. Groups of 10 or more qualify for a discounted rate on travel.
Alternatively, in Shropshire, the Severn Valley Railway runs regular steam-hauled passenger trains between Kidderminster in Worcestershire and Bridgnorth in Shropshire, a distance of 16 miles. Discounted rates are available for pre-booked groups of 15 or more.
To the west, the Ffestiniog Railway and West Highland Railway are both operated by the Ffestiniog Railway company. The two Railways offer opportunities to travel through the Snowdonia National Park by narrow gauge steam train. The steam engines take passengers from the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog to the harbour at Porthmadog. Its sister railway, the Welsh Highland, currently runs between Caernarfon and Rhyd Ddu but, after the current railway extension is complete in 2008, will be continuing down through Beddgelert and the Aberglaslyn Pass before joining up with the Ffestiniog Railway in Porthmadog. Refreshments are available on board all services and can be booked in advance. Pre-booked groups gain discounts on both railways.
Staying in the area, the Snowdon Mountain Railway offers groups the chance to observe picturesque views of Mount Snowdon. However, the railway will not reach completely to the summit of Mount Snowdon this year due to improvements being made to the line, which will be completed by 2008. Groups of 15 or more receive a discount on tickets for the Railway and can also take advantage of group catering options.
Moving to Gloucestershire, groups can travel on the Dean Forest Railway. The four and a quarter mile long railway runs between Lydney and Parkend and is located in the Forest of Dean. Groups of 15 or more can enjoy discounted rates as well as group catering options.
To the south, in the county of Somerset, groups can enjoy the West Somerset Railway. The railway is a 20-mile long country branch line of the old Great Western Railway and services stop at 10 stations. Groups of 16 or more receive a 25% discount on travel.
Meanwhile, in Hampshire, the Watercress Line (Mid Hants Railway) runs between Alton and Alfreston. Groups can experience many sights travelling on the restored steam railway, which meanders through ten miles of Hampshire countryside. Catering options on its mid-week trains for groups of 15 or more have also recently been updated.
Also based in Hampshire, Steam Dreams offers day trips onboard the Cathedrals Express train from London to a choice of over 30 towns and cities across England including Newcastle and Chichester. At Christmas, Shopping Specials are laid on, offering groups the chance to make trips from London to York, Bath, and Lincoln (coinciding with the famous Christmas markets). Christmas Carol Specials are also offered, which include as well as travel, admission to carol services in Salisbury, Chichester, Ely, Norwich, Sherborne Abbey in Dorset and Winchester College Chapel in Hampshire. Steam Dreams can cater for group sizes ranging from groups of four up to 64 or a whole train of 400.
Just off the south coast, the Isle of Wight once boasted 54 miles of railway, most of which was closed between 1952 and 1966. However, a five mile section of the railway has been preserved by the largely volunteer-run Isle of Wight Steam Railway, which began operating trains in 1971. Travelling between the towns of Smallbrook and Wooten, the steam railway also offers a large number of events each year including its 1940s Weekend in June and July, which offers the chance to view costumed characters and purchase war-time paraphenalia at Havenstreet Station and travel upon a specially decorated ‘Military Train’ along the usual route. Groups of 10 or more receive a discount on ticket prices.
Train travel abroad
Whilst in a foreign country, groups can travel with a number of rail operators, which all offer group discounts. Groups may also find organising rail travel throughout Europe easier by dealing with Rail Europe, SNCF’s (the French National Railway Company) UK representatives specialising in European rail travel, which offers deals on ticket prices for groups.
Travelling between the UK and the continent, Eurostar offers groups of 10 or more benefits including the opportunity to book up to 12 months in advance through Eurostar’s dedicated groups team and to reserve carriages exclusively for your group. Tickets are issued under the group name so they are transferable between colleagues with Waterloo International and Ashford International offering dedicated group welcome desks. Groups travelling to the Continent with Eurostar will find that from November this year, journeys to Brussels, Paris and Lille will be around half an hour shorter due to operations moving to its new station at St Pancras in London and the new UK high speed line – known as High Speed 1. Alongside St Pancras International, Eurostar is also opening a new station at Ebbsfleet in Kent – Ebbsfleet International. Other new continental high speed lines from the UK set to open in 2007 and 2008 will cut connecting journey times to cities such as Amsterdam and Cologne.
Groups can also travel upon France’s SNCF. About 14,000 trains are operated daily and SNCF operates almost all of France’s railway system, including the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, literally ‘high-speed train’). Groups of 10 or more receive a discount on travel.
In fact, SNCF’s TGV offers routes connecting France and Italy and new routes this year include services between Paris Gare de Lyon and Paris-Bercy to Turin, Milan, Venice, Florence and Rome. With an estimated completion date of 2018, three new tunnels through the Alps are in the process of being engineered and built and will decrease the travel time between Lyon and Turin. Groups of 10 or more receive a discount on travel.
Operating from the Belgian Eurostar terminal at Brussels and the Eurostar terminal at Paris, French train operator Thalys provides journeys to the Netherlands and Germany. Groups of 10 or more can enjoy a discounted rate of travel.
Meanwhile, in Spain, groups can ride the Elipsos, a train service, which is a joint venture between SNCF and the Spanish national railroad, Renfe. It was created in 2001 to handle railway services between Spain, France, Switzerland and Italy. Groups of 10 or more receive a discount on travel.
With headquarters in Switzerland, Cisolpino offers groups the chance to ride on its Pendolino ‘tilting trains’ travelling from stations in Switzerland to Milan, Venice and Florence. All the services run through tunnels built through the Alps. Groups of 10 or more receive a discount on travel.
Also offering services from Switzerland to surrounding countries, CityNightLine offers a night train service to Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Denmark. Whilst onboard, groups can nap in the Sleeping Car or relax in the Bar and Lounge Car. Groups receive a discount on travel.
Whilst in Switzerland, why not travel upon the mountain railway Glacier Express, which travels from St.Moritz to Zermatt and from Piz Bernina to the Matterhorn offering views of the Alps. Groups receive a discount on travel, with the ticket price also including lunch and drinks onboard.
Moving to Canada, groups can travel upon the Rocky Mountaineer, which has its headquarters in Vancouver. The train journey, which travels through the Rocky Mountains, lasts for two days and is available along three routes. Groups of 10 or more can take advantage of discounted travel and customised packages organised by the Rocky Mountaineer group sales team, which can incorporate sightseeing excursions and various catering options.