HOW TO #1
HOW TO GET TRAIN TICKET/S:
SHORT ANSWER:
To get the train ticket use an app, I use Trainline currently.
1. First, you need to use the search function and put in your starting place, and your destination. EG. Chichester (to) London.
2. Add the type of ticket, i'd pick 'open return' because it means you don't have a set time to get the return train, meaning you can check the app at your destination when you want to leave and see which train you want to get, and hop on it! No need to buy a new ticket for the return that way as well, you just get right on.
3. Then pick the day and time you roughly want to leave, it will show you the specific times later.
4. Add 1 Adult/Child, depending on how old you are, or 2 Adults/Child if you're buying for yourself and a friend etc
5. Add a railcard if you have one. DON'T if you haven't bought one previously, as these may be checked and you'll get a fine if you don't have one!! More information on railcards at the bottom of the post!
6. Click 'find times and prices' etc
7. Pick which train time you want to get (check if it's direct or not so you know whether to expect to get off or not midway) and click on the one you want!
8. Scroll down and choose whether you want an E-Ticket (online ticket) or a physical one. A physical one means you'd have to collect it from the ticket box at the station, and an online one will be added to your online wallet so that you can just scan it on your phone. I recommend an online ticket as they're impossible to loose, a lot easier to use and less hassle on the first time.
9. Pay however you'd like and BAM! all sorted!
MORE IN-DEPTH VERSION:
To get the train ticket use an app, I use Trainline currently.
1. First, you need to use the search function and put in your starting place, and your destination. EG. Chichester (to) London.
3. Regardless of what you pick, you then need to enter the day and the estimated time, so add the day and time of the train you want (doesn't need to be a specific time! like EG. 12:00, because once you enter all of this it will then show you specific times like 12:10 etc).
4. Then you pick 1 adult, unless you are under whatever age constitutes being an adult (it will tell you when you click on it) or 2 if you are buying someone else's tickets as well etc.
5. If you have a railcard, add the one you have. A railcard is just a card that will get you a couple quid off or so, and to get one you will need to buy one on the app. EG: I have the 16-25 one that I pay for once a year as it gets me cheaper tickets. You need to have bought one to apply it as they may, on the off chance, ask to check it, in which case you can easily pull it up on your phone and show the QR code. Don't panic, this has never happened to me yet and the ticket inspectors are always nice anyways!
6. Now press "find times and places" or whatever your app says for next! It will now show you all the trains at the time you set, so all you need to do is pick which one works for you! Depending on where you are going it will say either 'direct' which means that it is a direct route and you don't have to ever get off the train until you get there, or " __ change/s" which means at some point you will have to get off the train at and get onto a different train. If you do have to change, it will tell you exactly what train to get next, and what platform to switch to if it requires you to (I will explain where it shows this at the bottom of this post).
7. Next, pick your train and click on it! It has a lot of fancy bits here that look important but unless you're being fancy and getting first class tickets (which means you can be in the first class carriage which truly isn't all that honestly, so don't bother unless you really want or require it!) and that whole 'ticket type' thing isn't important, or at least I've never used it!! I think its for different return stuff but honestly if you're returning on the same day then don't touch that section, its just scary and useless (promise!)
8. Press continue, now you can double check everything, but I always find that looking at the details for too long confuses me and makes me overthink that I've clicked something wrong when I HAVEN'T! Then scroll down to get to 'how to get your ticket' etc, and click which one you want. ETicket means it will be on your phone, mine goes to my apple wallet, and you use your phone to scan the ticket there. Collect from train station just means a physical ticket, so you'd need to go to the ticket booth at the station and show them your phone and they'll give the physical one. I would always go for the online one personally for at least your first time on a train just because its impossible to lose and a lot less hassle!
9. Now buy it however you want online and it will pop up with something to (this is only if it's an online ticket) add the tickets to your online wallet, click that, and then I always go into my wallet to check they're there. You should have one saying "start" ---> "destination" and one saying "destination" ---> "start"!
10. And... BAM!!! Tickets sorted, I definitely way over complicated that but whatever!!!
RAILCARDS:
First just gonna copy paste the explanation of a railcard in case you skipped the more in-depth explanation!
"A railcard is just a card that will get you a couple quid off or so, and to get one you will need to buy one on the app. EG: I have the 16-25 one that I pay for once a year as it gets me cheaper tickets. You need to have bought one to apply it as they may, on the off chance, ask to check it, in which case you can easily pull it up on your phone and show the QR code."
To show the QR code:
Go to your app, open profile (this is for Trainline, it will likely be the same or similar across all train apps), click on railcards and tap "show".
How to get a railcard:
Go to profile, click on railcards and press "buy a railcard", click 'I know the right railcard for me" or scroll to where it shows the railcar options, and pick which one applies to you. A lot are age specific, hence my 16-25 one (i'm 18), but there a few others like a disability card or the couple card etc. Click buy now and add your details and how you'll pay. The one I have usually cuts my prices down by a 1/3, so like my last ticket bought would've been £30 but it was £20 (i'm aware UK train prices are insane, don't get me started).
WHERE TO SEE THE PLATFORMS AND TIMINGS IF YOU ARE CHANGING TRAINS:
Okay so (this is from memory as I don't have a ticket I can check rn, will double check when I get one)!
PS. everything practical will be in the " HOW TO GET A TRAIN" blog post!!!!
Once you've bought your ticket it should either be accessible on the main page of the app or in the 'my tickets' section. Tapping on it should show the platform and times. This tells you which platform you need to be on when your train arrives and when it will arrive. It will ALSO say which platform you need to be on for your second train at the change and when that train will arrive!!
For example: If I am getting the 12:15 train from Chichester to London, I will have to change trains at Guilford (this is not geographically correct, Im throwing out names I know here). So when pressing on the ticket, it will say something along the lines of:
Chichester
(12:15) (platform 1)
------> Guilford
Guilford
(12:35) (platform 2)
--------> London
This tells me that when I get off at guilford my next train will be on platform 2 at 12:35. When a train arrives at platform 2 at 12:35, I know that's the right one so I get on, and BAM!! Done, im off to London now!
It won't be obviously in this layout but the times and platforms WILL BE THERE, just look around. I'll see if I can get a screenshot of one of my tickets at some point to show the exact layout.
HOW TO USE THE APP TO SEE YOUR TRAIN LIVE:
The way I see my train live is by searching up the train I got on. So I search up what I did to get the ticket and find the exact one I am on currently, and there should be a "LIVE" option. Click on that and it will show you where you are at that exact moment, and where all the different stops are.
This is useful if you want to see how much longer is left on the train ride or how close you are to the destination!
There is probably an easier way to see the live instead of re-searching everything up but I've just got used to it this way.
BY THE WAY: When you search it up, the train you are on may not be there as it has obviously already departed so all you need to do is press the up button and it'll show the previous trains too!
HOW TO CHECK FOR RETURN TRAINS IF YOU ARE OPEN RETURN:
Do exactly what you did to find your first train, but with your destination as the start and your home station as the new destination, if that makes sense.
For example: I got the train from Chichester -------> London. To get back I just search up London ------> Chichester.
Add the time you want to leave in and you don't need to bother with any other details because you aren't ACTUALLY buying a new ticket, you're just seeing when the next ones are.
Then head to the station to get whichever train you picked. You already will have the return ticket as you bought an open return, so just scan it and get on the train you just picked.
WHAT IFS:
All what-if answers will be on the "HOW TO GET A TRAIN" blog post!
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