What are the best ways to get cheap First Class train tickets?

It might seem that ‘cheap’ and ‘First Class’ don’t go together in the same sentence, but there can be some bargains if you know where to look. Whether that means following a particular route or avoiding certain times, let’s have a look at some of the best ways to save.

1. Avoid London

London can attract a premium (and lots of people want to go there!) So, if you’re after a trip in First Class for less, we’d recommend leaving it for a journey that avoids the capital. The same usually applies for Standard Class, too. Let’s take a look at an example where we’re travelling from York a month in advance:

It’s £45.50 to travel in Standard Class to London, or £95.70 in First Class. That’s more than twice the Standard Class fare!

Meanwhile, let’s see what happens if we go in the other direction and head for Edinburgh instead:

It’s £36.00 for Standard Class, and £52.40 for First Class. That’s a much smaller difference, and it isn’t a bad fare for a journey of over two and a half hours. So, your first step to finding cheap First Class train tickets is being choosy about where you go.

2. Pick a Friday morning for London trips

So, you want cheap First Class train tickets and you want to travel to London? Your best bet is to travel down on a Friday morning. In particular, you’ll find that this makes a difference for trips on the East Coast Main Line (Edinburgh – Newcastle – London) and West Coast Main Line (Glasgow – Preston – London and Birmingham – London).

This is because peak time restrictions are eased on a Friday. There’s less business-oriented travel too, so the trains are usually quieter. Because the most expensive tickets are Super Off-Peak ones, rather than Anytime or Off-Peak, this effectively ‘caps’ all of the cheaper Advance tickets.

3. Avoid the Frills

This depends on why exactly you’d like to travel in First Class. Do you want the full works with food and drinks, or do you just want a bigger seat to stretch out in with a cup of coffee? You might find cheap First Class train tickets with companies that don’t go all-out with the free food.

For example, we looked at York to London earlier, and found that it could be quite pricey. Let’s have a look and see how it compares if we choose Grand Central instead:

It’s still quite a bit more than you’d pay for Standard Class, but £55.00 is a more reasonable price than what we were finding above. You won’t get the same level of service, but you’ll still get a more spacious environment. In fact, we’ve written about the best First Class trains so that you can compare every First Class product across Great Britain.

The same applies if you pick an LNER train that doesn’t have such a substantial food menu, as there are three different menus to pick from (Dine is the largest, followed by Dish, then the most limited one is Deli). You can check which menu is scheduled on northbound trains here and southbound trains here.

4. Try Standard Premium

Did you know that Avanti West Coast gives you the option of travelling in a First Class carriage, sometimes for a fraction of the cost of a First Class ticket? Standard Premium is essentially First Class without the free food and drink. It’s the same seat and the same environment.

You don’t have to book it in advance, either. All you have to do is buy a Standard Class ticket, then take a free seat in Standard Premium. It costs up to £30 to upgrade on board, and the conductor will sell you the upgrade when they check tickets. You can book Advance tickets for Standard Premium, too. Let’s see what we get if we want to go from Carlisle to Crewe a month in advance:

So, it’s £16.40 for Standard Class, £31.40 for Standard Premium and a rather high £85.80 for First Class. That’s quite a saving over sitting in a traditional First Class carriage! We’ve also compared Standard Premium v First Class so you can see which upgrade is best for you.

5. Keep an eye out for last-minute bargains

Cheap First Class train tickets don’t have to be booked up months in advance. Sometimes, if you’re travelling at the last-minute, there’s very little difference in price between Standard Class and First Class. It might even be cheaper! Let’s take a look at travelling from York to Newcastle this coming Saturday:

That’s just over an extra fiver to travel in First Class, so it’s not a great deal more expensive. So, why is there very little difference on some trains and a huge one on others? In a nutshell, when it gets very close to departure, the cheaper ‘tiers’ of Advance tickets start to sell out. This can happen at a faster rate for Standard Class than First Class.

Is there anything else I should know?

Looking to know more about First Class? Take a look at our dedicated page for First Class train travel. We’re here to help with upgrading on board and even travelling in First Class for free. We’ve also compared Avanti West Coast and LNER.

The final thing we’d recommend is using the SmartSplit website to book your cheap First Class train tickets. We’re completely independent, so we’re happy to ‘tell you like it is’ when it comes to rail fares. Not only that, but we’ll show you the slower, but cheaper options that some websites won’t.

Don’t forget that we don’t charge any fees, either. That includes if you change your mind and want to travel on a different day. If your ticket is refundable, we’ll refund it fee-free, too!

_{^{All fares stated on this page are for ONE adult with no Railcard discount and were correct at 09:00 12/07/23 unless otherwise stated. All information is issued in good faith. They’re subject to change at any time and SmartSplit are not responsible for any loss or disappointment incurred as a result of the information provided.}}

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The cost of Avanti vs LNER First Class

One of the most important factors to consider when you’re booking an Avanti vs LNER First Class journey is the cost. After all, First Class can be expensive, so you’re likely to want to book it in advance. Let’s say that we want to travel from London to Edinburgh a month in advance, in the middle of the day, and see how much it costs:

The 12:16 Avanti West Coast service is £151.00. There’s also the option of paying £94.00 for Standard Premium if you’d prefer.

Meanwhile, it’s a little cheaper to take LNER at 12:30 instead:

It’s £132.40 to make this trip. It isn’t a huge saving, but LNER just edges out Avanti in the battle of Avanti vs LNER First Class. As I mentioned in my look at Avanti Standard Premium vs First Class, the advent of Standard Premium has caused First Class to generally be more expensive.

Avanti vs LNER First Class seats

So, let’s start out with the seats. Who has the better place to sit? Let’s start with Avanti West Coast. The trains are slowly getting a freshen up, and I was lucky enough to travel on a refurbished one:

The seats were well-padded and comfortable with a good amount of recline. There’s a bit of a wing on the headrest which provides good support, too. You’ll find plenty of power sockets if you need to get some work done:

The only awkward thing is the huge ‘lip’ on the table as it curves upwards towards the window. You’ll probably struggle to use a mouse without leaving a fair amount of extra space, if you’re right-handed. The same goes if you’re left-handed and sat on the left. On the plus side though, the ride quality is nice and smooth.

As for LNER, they have fairly large First Class seats:

They have a reasonable amount of recline and I’m always able to get fairly comfortable in them. The headrest is a bit hard though (it’s not like the ones in the photo above anymore), and they’re a bit prone to falling off the seat entirely.

Power sockets are in a better place as they’re under the armrests. There’s still a bit of a lip on the tables for four, but it isn’t quite as drastic as on the Avanti trains. The ride quality is a bit bouncy though, and I’ve witnessed glasses of red wine splashing all over the table (plus it can make working on your laptop a bit trickier).

Overall, the seats are fairly similar. In terms of Avanti vs LNER First Class seats, I’d say that the actual seat and ride quality is a little better on Avanti, but you have more space to work (and better placed sockets) on LNER.

Who has the better service?

When you’re comparing Avanti vs LNER First Class, you also want to be sure that you’re going to get a great level of service. After all, it’s a premium product, so you’d expect premium treatment.

On my journey from Carlisle to Crewe, I was genuinely impressed by the staff. As soon as I boarded, someone approached me and asked what I’d like to eat, and listed off the options. I hadn’t even sat my laptop up or put my bag away! The staff were friendly, but professional and unobtrusive. I was even offered a hot drink on a shorter subsequent journey (Crewe to Liverpool). Nothing was too much trouble.

I’m an LNER regular, as I’m from the North East. So, I’ve had plenty of experience with the sort of service that you get over the years. In general, the staff are great (particularly the Geordie and Scottish crews) and we’ve left the rather weird days of Virgin Trains East Coast where you got the impression that quite a few of them didn’t really want to be there.

On my journey from Newcastle to Edinburgh, the service was a bit mixed. The drinks trolley came around asking if people wanted hot drinks (I didn’t). But then, I watched the gentleman on the trolley giving out cold drinks so I had to call him back and ask. The menu was also drastically more limited than advertised (with no apologies made, more on that later). The crew were doing their best though, and I wouldn’t say that they did a bad job. It was just poor luck that it was a very busy train with a limited menu.

Avanti vs LNER First Class food

So, what’s on the menu? These days, it’s fairly ‘static’ and First Class menus on trains don’t seem to rotate as often as they used to. Both of the trains I’m comparing were scheduled to offer a fairly similar menu, which in this case was their most extensive breakfast menu.

Avanti West Coast

The menu on Avanti West Coast can vary, depending on whether you’re travelling on a Voyager or Pendolino train. It’s a bit more limited on weekends, too. In my case, I was travelling on a weekday Pendolino train.

So, did the food live up to expectations? I thought it looked the part:

The toast was a welcome addition, too. Everything was tasty, well-seasoned and perfectly cooked. My only gripe was the scrambled eggs! The best way to describe them is that they were like the ones you’d find at a hotel buffet abroad. That is, they were a bit gritty and the texture in general was rather off. The good news is that if you made the same journey today, you’d get a fried egg instead.

Was it a huge portion? It wasn’t, but combined with the toast, it was fair. It kept me satisfied and it didn’t feel too stingy.

LNER

So, what about LNER? The Dine menu is what my train had scheduled for it. It was even off to a great start, as the right menus were out on the tables.

“We don’t have a chef”.

Oh dear.

It wasn’t the first time that this had happened. I’ve never actually seen the ‘full LNER’ breakfast with my own eyes. Instead, it was the lowly bacon roll:

The vegan sausage roll was available too, or overnight oats. The bacon roll was fine, and it was well-cooked and well-filled. As a bacon roll, you can’t complain. But it was still just a bacon roll.

Lounges

The last thing it’s worth comparing with Avanti vs LNER First Class is the lounge experience. Both companies have lounges for you to use both before and after you travel.

I popped into the Avanti lounge at Crewe and found that it was pretty good. You had plenty of different kinds of seating to choose from

You had plenty of food to choose from as well. It was mostly snacks, but homemade banana bread was a nice surprise. You can find a full menu online and there’s also a more substantial menu if you’re travelling from London Euston.

The LNER lounges are all rather stylish, like this one in Edinburgh:

The only issue is that none of the seats are very comfortable! They’re all a bit style and aesthetics over substance and functionality, and everything is a lot firmer than it looks. The food and drink offer is very much just hot drinks, water, biscuits and crisps, too.

Both lounges do their main function well though, which is to give you a quiet place to wait before you train, and maybe to get some work done. The railway is never going to be wining and dining you like in airline lounges.

So, who has the best First Class?

See, this is a tricky one. As you’d think that based on what I’ve said, I’d be all over Avanti West Coast and recommending them to everyone. Yes, they do a good product and have great lounges, as well as some lovely staff. But, and it’s a big but, they’re often very expensive. I’d recommend staying well away on weekends as you effectively only have half a carriage of First Class on most trains (Coach K).

The introduction of Standard Premium has also meant that many of the passengers who just want a cheap upgrade for a better seat are better off sitting there instead. It’s often a lot cheaper.

Meanwhile, LNER can be great value if you’re travelling last minute. Journeys to and from London can be pricey, but let’s take Newcastle to Edinburgh as an example:

This is for a journey tomorrow morning. It’s only an extra £11.80 to upgrade, which is a difference that many wouldn’t mind paying. You just can’t go in with expectations that are too high. You’ll be fed something, you’ll get a bigger seat and you can use the lounge at both ends of your journey.

In a sense, Avanti West Coast First Class is only worth it if you go on a weekday and the price difference isn’t too stark. LNER on the other hand is fine at any time of day, just don’t always expect the full works. My experience shows that the menu isn’t set in stone! It’s a great operator for getting a last-minute upgrade at a reasonable fare, while Avanti West Coast can be very expensive if you leave it too late.

Is there anything else I should know?

Looking to know more about First Class? Take a look at our dedicated page for First Class train travel. We’re here to help with finding the best First Class train, our Top 5 Tips for getting cheaper fares, upgrading on board and even how to use First Class for free. We’re also here to help with our guide to travelling to London.

Thinking of taking a trip soon? You can book it all with SmartSplit. We’ll be sure to show you the slower and cheaper options, so you can get the best value fare for your journey.

Changed your mind? Need to travel on a different day? No problem at all. You can change or refund your ticket (if it’s refundable) without any extra fees.

_{^{All fares stated on this page are for ONE adult with no Railcard discount and were correct at 16:00 05/07/23. Both they, and the First Class products shown, are subject to change at any time and SmartSplit are not responsible for any loss or disappointment incurred as a result of the information provided. All opinions expressed in this post are based on real-life experiences.}}

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What is Standard Premium?

If you’re not used to travelling on Avanti, you might be wondering what this third class of travel is all about. In a nutshell, it’s a First Class carriage with no at-seat service. You get the bigger seat, a quieter carriage and that’s it.

All of the photos you see today are of First Class, but the seats and environment themselves are exactly the same in Standard Premium. The only difference is a headrest that says ‘Standard Premium’ instead.

The upgrade cost starts at £10 and goes up to £30 depending on the length of the journey. You can pay the upgrade fee on the train, or you can also buy Advance tickets that skip this step and allow you to pay for everything at once.

What’s the difference between Avanti Standard Premium vs First Class?

In a nutshell, Standard Premium is the same environment, you get the bigger seat, a guaranteed table and better access to a power outlet.

First Class gives you at-seat service. During the week, that means a chef-prepared hot meal on some journeys, as well as other hot and cold options. You get lounge access, too.

The First Class lounges come with complimentary refreshments, such as snacks and hot drinks.

Avanti Standard Premium vs First Class pricing

This is the big stickler when it comes to comparing Standard Premium vs First Class, and had me questioning whether the extra upgrade to First was worth it anymore. Put simply, it can be a little bit extra to take Standard Premium compared to Standard, then a massive jump to upgrade to First Class. Let’s take a look at a couple of journeys a month in advance:

So here, we want to travel from Glasgow to London. It’s £55 for Standard Class, £74 for Standard Premium and £125 for First Class. Standard Premium, at minimum, seems like a bit of a no-brainer for a long trip. First Class is definitely a bit steeper.

Let’s try London to Manchester:

So, it’s £44 to travel in Standard Class, £69 in Standard Premium and £120 in First Class. Again, there’s a fair difference there. So, when it comes to Standard Premium vs First Class, there’s definitely a steep price difference. The question is: what do you get for your money if you pay the extra?

It’s worth mentioning that you can only get Standard Premium on Pendolino trains. The limited number of Super Voyager trains only have First Class and Standard Class. These trains usually run between North Wales, Chester and Crewe or London Euston, as well as on the Shrewsbury to London route. It’s easy to tell which is which – as you won’t get offered a Standard Premium ticket for a Super Voyager!

The First Class service

I set out on June 15th, 2023, to find this out. I’d booked a ticket on the 09:10 train from Carlisle to Crewe, which took roughly two hours. This seemed like a decent length of journey to allow me to judge what kind of service you’d get in First Class.

The train rolled in a couple of minutes late, and I was already keen to jump on. The weather was hotting up and I was looking forward to a blast of air conditioning!

Getting on board

I boarded the train in Coach J and found a table for two fairly easily. It seemed to be around a third full, and I found there to be very few people sat in Coach K, as well. I had a refurbished 11-car Pendolino train, which had been given new seating throughout First, Standard Premium and Standard Class:

The seats were comfortable (though the same as you’d get in Standard Premium) and had a reasonable recline. The tables had an ample choice of power sockets to choose from, too:

My only complaint about the table is the massive wedge where it curves up. This can make working at a laptop a bit tricky if you have a larger device as it takes up a fair bit of room. Thankfully my work laptop wasn’t too big, so I had no problems.

Okay, so we’ve covered the seat experience (which you’d get in either class), so let’s get onto the First Class exclusives.

Food and drinks service

The big differentiator for Avanti Standard Premium vs First Class is the on-board service. As you can imagine, I was thrilled when a friendly crew member came through straight away taking breakfast orders. We hadn’t even left the station yet! The selection on offer was great (menu here) and I went for the Great British Breakfast. You also had the choice of white or brown toast to go with it.

Five minutes after leaving Carlisle, a drinks trolley came around offering hot and cold drinks (alcohol is available later in the day, though not at 9am) and I had myself an orange juice. It came in a proper glass, too.

The brekkie verdict

It took around 25 to 30 minutes for my food to arrive. I didn’t see that as a bad thing, as it meant that it hadn’t just been chucked in the microwave. Equally, it does mean that you can’t jump on for a 15-minute journey and hope to fill your boots. The portion size of the food was pretty decent:

The dish came with two rashers of bacon, one sausage, scrambled egg, a giant mushroom, a slice of black pudding and two slices of toast with butter. You also had the option of a roasted tomato, but I skipped out on that as I’m not a fan. It wasn’t a gut-busting mega-brekkie that you’d get down at your local greasy spoon, but it didn’t seem too skimpy. You get a choice of sauces too, and my brown sauce came in a nice ceramic dipping pot.

The sausage was delicious, as well the bacon. They were both ‘meaty’ and were of an excellent quality. The black pudding was great too, and it’s not something I usually opt for. The mushroom was tasty but a nightmare to cut into, and it let out a fair amount of liquid on the plate. The least impressive item was the scrambled egg. The texture was off, though the flavour was fine.

You can’t go wrong with toast and butter. Even the butter was delicious and easy to spread. Overall, it was a solid 8/10. As of the 19th of June, a new menu is coming in which replaces the scrambled egg with a fresh fried egg, too. A massive improvement, I reckon.

Final thoughts

After leaving Preston, I had another orange juice. That was it for the service, though. It was friendly, professional and well-focused. Quality over quantity, shall we say. Everyone around me was pleased with the food on offer, too. I heard a couple of ‘delicious’ comments about the smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, so that seemed to be a hit. The only person not impressed was the overly-loud bloke in a suit who aggressively batted away any offers of food and drink. He could have saved his money and gone for Standard Premium!

Standard Premium looked to be fairly busy when I popped my head in. The advent of Standard Premium Advance tickets has definitely bumped up occupancy levels, as it used to be pretty normal to get a carriage to yourself when it was a case of being ‘in the know’ and upgrading on the day.

I stepped off at Crewe into glorious sunshine, and was pretty impressed by the service I’d received:

Of course, that isn’t all. First Class entitles you to visit lounges that are located at most major stations on the Avanti network. So, that was my next stop.

Lounge Access

The lounge at Crewe is up on the footbridge towards the exit, just above Platform 5. You press the intercom, show your ticket to the camera, and you’re in.

You’ll find lounges at Crewe, Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool Lime Street, Birmingham New Street, Birmingham International and London Euston. There is also one at Glasgow Central, but information on the Avanti website suggests that this one is closed at the time of writing.

As for Crewe’s lounge, it was pretty pleasant. It had a nice atmosphere and plenty of different kinds of seating areas to use:

As for food and drink, the drinks selection was everything you’d expect. You had teas, a coffee machine and a fridge with water, fizzy drinks and even kombucha.

The food offering was decent, too. I could see muesli bars, banana bread, porridge pots (and honey), muffins, fresh fruit and pouches of olives:

There is a dedicated menu for the lounges which you can view online. The lounge at London Euston has a different menu with more substantial items available, as well as a paid-for bar! I went for a piece of banana bread in the end, and it was delicious.

I was once again, impressed. There was a clear differentiation appearing in the Standard Premium vs First Class experience, rather than just ‘you get food’.

Taking a shorter trip: Standard Premium vs First Class

Finally, I wanted to see how Avanti Standard Premium vs First Class faired on a short journey. After all, it isn’t uncommon to completely miss out on any service if your journey is too short. That might be because the staff are packing away, or they just haven’t seen you.

So, I was going to go from Crewe up to Liverpool Lime Street, which was just short of 40 minutes. The bizarre thing about this journey is that a one-way Standard Class fare is £16.60 if you’re travelling before 9am on weekdays, but just 30p more at £16.90 if you travel in First! The Off-Peak fare is still £13.80, but the difference isn’t huge. If it’s a return trip though, it’s a much bigger difference, as the return fare is £33.90 in First Class. In fact, two First Class singles are 10p cheaper than the return.

The Standard Premium upgrade price is £10 on this journey. Put simply, that isn’t worth it on top of the Standard Class fare!

So, what did I get? First of all, this was a nine-car train that hadn’t been refurbished yet, so it was a little different inside:

The lamps on the tables were a bit irritating and each window seat had just one three-pin socket (that I couldn’t get to work).

As for the service, a friendly host (also called Richard) popped down straight away and asked if I wanted anything to drink. I took him up on the offer of a coffee, which was really well-presented:

The crew, to their credit, stayed present in the carriages right up until arriving into Liverpool. My overall impression of Avanti’s staff was that they were passionate about what they did – and I did drop their social media team a message of thanks.

Avanti Standard Premium vs First Class – weekdays vs weekends

This is where things get a bit more complicated. You see, on weekdays, here’s how the formation of the train works:

• Nine-car train: Coach H is Standard Premium, J and K are First
• 11-car unrefurbished train: Coaches G and H are Standard Premium, J and K are First
• 11-car refurbished train: Coach H is Standard Premium, J and K are First.

On the refurbished trains, Coach G is converted to Standard Class to add in some extra capacity, which is where that carriage ‘disappears’ to.

So, what happens on weekends? Only Coach K is First Class. Coach K is part-kitchen, so it has a very limited number of seats. Just 18, in fact. Coach J becomes Standard Premium, alongside Coach H (and G on unrefurbished trains!)

First Class becomes very busy and the menu is different, too. It isn’t as substantial, basically. Meanwhile, you’ve loads of room to try Standard Premium. My advice is that you should choose Standard Premium on a weekend if you want an upgrade. First Class just isn’t big enough.

Standard Premium vs First Class – Is First Class worth it?

This is the million-dollar question. When it comes to Avanti Standard Premium vs First Class, is First Class worth it at all? My answer is: it can be.

If you’re travelling between stations with lounges and need somewhere quiet to work before the train for example, it’s great. You have access to refreshments (or even a bar), and it’s a world away from a busy platform.

Travelling on a weekday? Great. You have a decent number of First Class seats on every train and a substantial menu of food and drink. You’ll get a chef-prepared hot meal if you want one. The staff on board the trains are truly excellent and I can’t fault them. Their service was passionate, but sincere, and it wasn’t over-the-top or tacky.

You even have the weird fare anomalies (like a one-way trip from Crewe to Liverpool in the morning peak) where the fare is essentially the same between Standard and First.

So, when isn’t it worth it? I’d say definitely don’t bother on a weekend. Just plonk yourself in Standard Premium. I’d also say it isn’t worth it if you won’t make full use of what’s available to you. If you’re not bothered about lounge access and food and drink, just stick to Standard Premium. If you want a proper ‘experience’, then by all means try out First if the price is right. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer.

Is there anything else I should know?

Looking to know more about First Class? Take a look at our dedicated page for First Class train travel. We’re here to help with upgrading on board, tips to help you get a cheaper fare and even how to travel in First Class for free. We’ve also compared Avanti West Coast and LNER.

So, are you ready to take a trip? SmartSplit doesn’t believe in adding any fees on. No booking fees, no admin fees and no fees for all of the useful information and insider tips that we have about travelling by train!

Changed your mind? No problem. If your ticket is refundable and you haven’t used it, you get the entire value of your ticket back. If it isn’t refundable, you can change it without any extra charges. Just buy another one, send us the details of both bookings and we’ll refund the cheaper ticket. No questions, no quibbles.

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What’s the best way to take a day trip to Glasgow?

Glasgow is very well-linked by train, so that’s the best way! It has two major stations, which will bring you in from just about anywhere in Scotland, as well as a variety of destinations in England.

You’ll be arriving into Glasgow Queen Street if you’re coming from most large cities elsewhere in Scotland. This includes Stirling, Aberdeen, Inverness and Edinburgh. Don’t forget that if you want to book a cheap train ticket in Advance on ScotRail (who operate on all of these routes) then you’ll need to make sure that you buy it before 18:00 the day before you want to go. After this, you can only buy ‘flexible’ singles and return tickets.

Glasgow Central is where you’ll arrive if you’re coming from England, as well as places such as Kilmarnock, Ayr and Stranraer. If you’re travelling from Yorkshire to Glasgow, keep an eye out for fares routed ‘via Appleby’. Here’s an example travelling from Leeds:

You need to look for journeys with just one change where the first leg is a Northern train. You’ll even get to travel over the scenic Settle & Carlisle Railway on the way!

Getting around Glasgow

While Glasgow is full of attractions, you might want to use public transport to help you get around on your day trip. The Glasgow Subway will take you to a number of destinations that we mention on this page, while you could also take local ScotRail trains to reach some of them, too.

The Subway (also known as the Clockwork Orange) runs from early til late Monday to Saturday and during shopping hours on a Sunday. Did you know that it’s the third-oldest underground railway in the world?

A single ticket is £1.75, while a day pass is £4.20. You can find more information on the Subway’s website.

Free Museums to visit on a day trip to Glasgow

No day trip to Glasgow is complete without taking in some of the free museums on offer, so it’s a great place to start. You might struggle to get around them all in a day, but there’s something for everyone. It’s a great backup plan if the weather is a bit dreich, too.

Gallery of Modern Art

Coming off the train at Queen Street station? It’s just a short walk past St George’s Square to the Gallery of Modern Art, making it a great place to begin on your day trip to Glasgow. The building was originally constructed as the townhouse of William Cunninghame, a Tobacco Lord who made his fortune in the slave trade.

It’s now home to four different galleries as well as a library. The exhibitions change regularly, so you’ll always find something different to look at. Here’s the Taste! exhibition:

You can visit the gallery every day. It’s open from 10 til 5, except on Fridays and Sundays when it opens an hour later at 11am. Click here to find out more about what you can see when you visit.

Riverside Museum & The Tall Ship Glenlee

Heading a little outside of the City Centre, you’ll find the Riverside Museum, which is also home to the Tall Ship Glenlee. It’s a 15-minute trip on the Subway to Partick Station (also served by ScotRail trains), followed by a well-signed 10-minute walk.

Inside the museum, you’ll find a plethora of historic buses, trains, trams, cars, ships and more:

Don’t forget to take a look at the reconstruction of a typical Glasgow street. From a sweet shop to a Subway Station, they’ve included everything:

Finally, why not pop outside and take a look at the Tall Ship Glenlee? After a career sailing to the Americas, trading across the Mediterranean Sea and being used as a military training vessel, she returned to the Clyde in 1993.

You can jump on board and see what life was like at sea, as well as learn about the importance of the Clyde and the shipbuilders that graced it.

Both the museum and the Tall Ship are open every day. The museum is open 10 til 5 (11am Fridays and Sundays), while the Tall Ship is open 10 til 5 every day except Tuesday (11am).

Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum

One of the grandest-looking museums in Glasgow has to be the Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum. It’s a 10-minute trip on the Subway from the City Centre to Kelvinhall, followed by a 10-minute walk.

The best way to describe it is that it has just about everything! With 22 galleries to explore, it’s one of the most comprehensive museums that you’ll find on your day trip to Glasgow. It’s been a firm favourite with visitors and locals alike since it opened in 1901:

From Charles Rennie Mackintosh to a Spitfire plane, and the depths of Ancient Egypt to the wonders of Dutch Art, you’ll be taken on a journey to the deepest corners of Glasgow and the world.

The museum is open from 10 til 5 every day (11am Fridays and Sundays). You can download a full guide to what’s on here.

People’s Palace

Open to the people of Glasgow (and beyond) since 1898, the People’s Palace was designed as a place of recreation, pleasure and learning. Since the 1940s, it’s been telling visitors about the social history of Glasgow. Set on Glasgow Green, it’s a 15-minute walk from the City Centre.

This is an essential part of any day trip to Glasgow if you’d like to know about the people that make Glasgow great. Take a step inside the minds and streets of Glaswegians and explore the issues and triumphs that they faced and embraced.

The museum is open from 10 til 5 every day (11am Fridays and Sundays).

Green Spaces

You might associate Glasgow with heavy industry, bustling streets and a general sense of urban-ness. While it’s a vibrant and busy city, this doesn’t mean that green spaces are out of your reach. If you want to get closer to nature, then Glasgow is still the city for you. Here are some of our favourite spots to take it all in.

Pollok Country Park

Our first stop is just 10 minutes by train from Glasgow Central. Hop off the train at Pollokshaws West and you’re almost already at the gates of the Pollok Country Park. It’s the largest park in Glasgow, too.

While you’re having a wander around the extensive grounds and woodlands, don’t forget to say hello to the Highland Cows:

The country park is also home to Pollok House, which was built in the mid-18th Century, though the site itself was actually home to the Maxwell family for six centuries. Home to an extensive art collection, it was also the founding site of the National Trust for Scotland.

Another thing to look out for is the scattering of rather quirky paintings around the park. They’re part of the Art Gone Wild trail:

Finally, the park is home to the Burrell Collection. It contains over 9,000 different objects, including stained glass, armour and over 200 tapestries.

Whether you just want a brisk walk or an entire day of exploring, the Pollok Country Park is a great place to make part of your day trip to Glasgow.

Botanic Gardens

The Glasgow Botanic Gardens have been a part of the city for over 200 years. Originally opened in 1817 on a different site, the Gardens were such a success that they moved to their current home on the banks of the River Kelvin in 1839. They’re just a short Subway ride away, a few-minutes walk from the nearest station at Hillhead.

You’ll find over 9,000 plants here, with the greatest number being in the plethora of glasshouses around the Gardens. The plants hail from all over the world, and not only are the Gardens a beautiful place to explore, but they help to keep endangered species alive in the face of climate change.

They’re open every day. In the summer months, this is usually from 7am til around 8pm.

Kelvingrove Park

Finally, if you’re paying a visit to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, it’s worth exploring the park that it sits in.

Kelvingrove Park was purchased and created for the rapidly growing West End of the city in 1852. It was actually the first purpose-built park in Scotland! We’d recommend having a stroll after you take in the delights of the museum.

Is there anything else I should do on a day trip to Glasgow?

Naturally, we haven’t covered everything. So here are a couple more things that you might like to see. With this much to take in, you might want to extend your day trip to Glasgow and make it a weekend!

Glasgow Necropolis

So, who fancies a trip to a cemetery? It doesn’t seem like an obvious place to make a part of your day trip to Glasgow, but it has a fascinating history. The Necropolis has over 50,000 people buried in it, and contains over 3,500 monuments. It’s a bit of a climb, but you can enjoy some great views over the city:

Unusually, not all of the monuments here relate to someone actually buried in the Necropolis, either. You can find out more on the Friends of Glasgow Necropolis site.

The Duke of Wellington Statue

Well, we’ve got to end on something light-hearted. Why is this statue famous, you ask? The cones on top of it! You’ll find the cone-adorned monument outside of the Gallery of Modern Art.

Sticking a cone on the statue has been a local sport since the 1980s, if not earlier. While the council and the authorities have spent much time and energy asking people not to do it (and even trying to put the statue out of reach), it’s always been met with defiance and outrage.

So, just enjoy snapping a picture and embracing the humour of Glaswegians. Why is there a cone on the statue? Why not.

Where should I eat and drink?

Glasgow is a foodie’s paradise. Whatever kind of cuisine you want to try, it’s probably going to be here. In fact, you could probably spend weeks eating the same kind of cuisine at dozens of different restaurants! It’s difficult to know where to start, but we have a couple of recommendations.

If you’ve been to the Botanical Gardens or you’re just wandering around the West End, then Ashton Lane is a great place to start. Whether you’re in the mood for ramen, a curry or even just a beer at the Innis & Gunn Taproom, there’s something for everyone.

Just around the corner, you’ll find KoKo House. We’d definitely suggest trying their soufflé pancakes. It’s cash only, but there’s a cash point nearby!

Fancy something more substantial? The Brunch Club is just a quick stroll from the Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery. They specialise in all your favourite brunch items, and even do a bottomless brunch with cocktails. We opted for the chicken and waffles with a drizzle of Hoisin sauce:

Is there anything else I should know?

Now that you know what to do on your day trip to Glasgow, it’s important to book everything as smartly as possible. When you book smarter with SmartSplit, we don’t charge you any fees. All of our tickets can be changed without any extra charges, or refunded if it’s a refundable ticket.

We’ve produced a bunch of useful content about travelling by train, too. Did you know that we’ve gone out to find the best First Class train, or even the best one to store your luggage?

The post Day Trip to Glasgow appeared first on SmartSplit.co.uk.

Who runs the trains between London and Birmingham?

Before we work out the best train between London and Birmingham, we should take a quick look at who runs them.

There are three companies to choose from:

• Avanti West Coast run the fastest trains between London Euston and Birmingham New Street. They take as little as 1hr 15min and are seen as the ‘premium’ option. They cost more and have catering options as well as First Class
• London Northwestern Railway run on the same route, but divert to also serve Northampton. They stop at more stations and a typical journey takes around 2hr 15min. The trains tend to be more of a ‘commuter’ style with tickets starting at much lower prices than Avanti
• Chiltern Railways operate on a different route between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street and Snow Hill. The fastest journeys start at around 1hr 40min with a couple of different train types. You won’t find any catering but the trains are a sort of mid-point between the long-distance style of Avanti and commuter-style of London Northwestern. Prices can start even lower than on London Northwestern Railway, but are typically just a little higher.

Finding the best train from London to Birmingham – the plan

I was setting myself up for quite the day. Starting in Newcastle at 06:40, I’d need to make the 3hr 20min trip down to Birmingham New Street to start this scientific adventure.

First up was the slowest of the three – London Northwestern Railway. I’d be leaving Birmingham at 10:36 and getting into the capital for 12:49 before having a spot of lunch. I didn’t want to make the connections too tight in case of delays.

Avanti West Coast were next, taking me straight back up to Birmingham New Street at 14:16, arriving at 15:48.

Finally, I’d be taking a stroll across Birmingham to Snow Hill station where I’d be taking the 16:51 Chiltern Railways train to London Marylebone, arriving at 18:41.

All that awaited me now was the 05:30 alarm…

Trip 1 – London Northwestern Railway

First up in the battle to be the best train from London to Birmingham was the super-budget London Northwestern Railway. Leaving at 10:36 from Birmingham New Street, we were due into London Euston at 12:49. This was going to be the slowest train of the day!

They run trains every half an hour, with the timetable having been simplified on this route last December.

The cost

I paid £12.20 for an Advance single on my train (with a 16-25 Railcard) a week in advance. However, this is by no means the cheapest possible fare.

An Advance single (without Railcard) starts at £8 one way. Tickets on the day range from £29.00 for a Super Off-Peak Return to £99.20 for an Anytime Return (correct as of March 2023).

Waiting to get on board

Birmingham New Street can be quite the confusing station to navigate, with different coloured lounges and various sets of ticket gates to get onto the platforms. Fear not though, all of the departure boards tell you which coloured area to aim for:

If you’re coming off a connecting train instead, head to the ‘b’ ends of the platforms. This allows you to switch over to your connection without running in and out of different sets of barriers. I had a while to wait though, so ended up using an ‘a’ end and having a walk around the station. It’s a lot less bleak than the rather dark and dingy platforms!

My best advice if you’re peckish and on a budget would be to head up the escalator on the left of the picture above. There’s a Tesco on the upper level (part of “Grand Central”) which sells all the usual meal deals and such at the normal prices you’d expect.

With a cheese twist in hand, I headed for the platforms and was happy to see that my train was already there and ready for boarding. Most London Northwestern trains to and from London arrive around half an hour before they leave again and they’re usually left unlocked. So, you have plenty of time to find yourself a seat.

The train itself

London Northwestern Railway runs a fleet of Class 350 ‘Desiro’ trains on all services between London and Birmingham. There are a couple of different types, with some having tables and sockets, while others are laid out for short-distance commuter trips. Most run as eight coaches on these services. In the peak hours, you might find that an extra four coaches are added/removed at Northampton, so that 12 coaches run between London and Northampton.

They’re fairly decent looking trains, having been reliably running on the West Coast Mainline for nearly two decades:

The seat experience

So, remember when I said that some trains on the route are really meant for short-distance commutes? As soon as I got to the platform, my heart sank, as I could see that at least one part of the train was one of these. This is the chance you take when you book with London Northwestern!

A quick pace down the platform didn’t get me any further luck, as it turned out that both of the four-coach trains that formed the service were the same type. I gave up and went back to the rear, which seemed to be the quietest place to go. You’re most likely to get a seat in coaches 7 and 8.

So, what are the seats like? Let’s take a look:

Yep, they aren’t winning any awards for comfort. This type of train doesn’t have any sockets, either, so bring a powerbank just in case.

I found myself an airline-style pair of seats which had a reasonable amount of legroom (I’m 6ft). They were firm but I soon settled myself in, even if I was a little peeved that I’d drawn the short straw.

If you end up with the ‘other’ type of train on this route, you’ll get 2+2 seating with tables and sockets. Unfortunately you can’t guarantee which type you’ll get, though!

Storing your luggage

I couldn’t see any proper luggage stacks in the carriages I walked through, so the luggage racks you see in the image above are all you’ve got.

They looked large enough to store a cabin-sized suitcase so will be enough for most. I certainly wouldn’t take this train if I was taking the kitchen sink with me, though! Throughout the journey, I didn’t see anyone struggling to store anything and there weren’t any cases randomly left around the doors.

Fancy an upgrade?

First Class fares start at £20.30 one way (without a Railcard). No matter which type of train you get, it’s all mostly the same. This means that on a train like mine, it’s a bit of an upgrade, but it’s almost a downgrade on the more ‘luxurious’ ones.

What perks do you get? Curtains and a seat that reclines, as well as a guaranteed power socket. I was surprised to see that the compartment was really busy though, so this is the best photo I could get to show what the seats are like:

It certainly won’t be winning the award for best train from London to Birmingham in First Class, that’s for sure. If you really want to upgrade on the day though, it’s £10 single and £15 return on weekends. You can do it on board, too. There’s more info on the London Northwestern Railway website.

Update – From May 21st, 2023, First Class fares will no longer be offered on this route. So you can enjoy a ‘free’ upgrade to these seats from this date if you’d like!

If you’re feeling peckish

Then you go to the shop before you get on. There isn’t any catering on these trains! As I mentioned earlier, there’s a Tesco in Birmingham New Street if you’re on a budget. London Euston has plenty of options as well, including an M&S.

Onboard service

There were at least two different guards on board but they didn’t make good on their promise of ‘walking through the train’. All you’d get were slightly-too-loud announcements repeating what the automated ones had just said. No tickets were checked, either.

I wasn’t overly impressed but on one train we passed at Northampton I could see the guard with a ticket machine around the centre of the set. So it’s possible that your guard might actually make themselves seen!

Final thoughts

We arrived in London Euston on time, at 12:49. What did I think of London Northwestern Railway? It definitely isn’t the best train between London and Birmingham, but it can be very cheap, especially if you have a Railcard.

You have to know what to expect, which is that this is a commuter train between Birmingham and Northampton and Northampton to London. It just so happens that it runs all the way through. If time isn’t of the essence and you find a bargain, go for it. After all, it was a well-kept train and noticeably very clean.

Trip 2 – Avanti West Coast

After a spot of lunch in the Doric Arch pub over the road, it was time for the next train. My train was the 14:16 Avanti West Coast service to Preston via Birmingham, and it was set to take just over an hour and a half. This was a good 45 minutes or so quicker than London Northwestern! On time alone, you could say that this was the best train between London and Birmingham.

Avanti generally run two trains per hour between London and Birmingham, though the eventual aim is to get this back up to three. COVID-19 staff shortages and DfT cost-cutting have meant that this date keeps getting pushed back. At the minute, you’ll find a couple of hours in the morning and evening peaks where there’s a third train every hour.

The cost

It was £20.85 for an Advance single (with a 16-25 Railcard) booked a week in advance. If you want a much cheaper price on Avanti, you’ll need to plan ahead a little more.

Fares do start at £8 (without a Railcard) but it seems that this isn’t too common. The best I could find was £14 on the late-night trains two months ahead*. Even then, London Northwestern Railway undercut this by a fair amount:

If you want to buy a ticket on the day, it’s £65.80 for an Off-Peak Return or a whopping £188.80 for the Anytime version.

_{^{*Fares quoted are correct at 27/03/23 for 24/05/23 and are subject to change at any time. SmartSplit are not responsible for any loss or disappointment incurred as a result of this information.}}

Waiting to get on board

London Euston is pretty infamous for the ‘Euston Scrum’. This is what happens when everyone has to wait on the concourse before a train is announced before making a beeline for it as soon as the platform appears on the screen!

It isn’t pleasant, so Network Rail tried to ‘fix’ the issue by replacing the big set of departure boards with two smaller sets:

While the boards are definitely better, it’s a bit of a strange place to put them. In any event, I’d looked up my platform online already, so I just hovered around at the top of the ramp. Just under 20 minutes before the train leaves, the platform is announced. There’s also a full ticket check before you get on.

This just applies to Avanti trains. If you’re taking a London Northwestern train, there’s usually nobody checking tickets or you’ll just have to pop it in a gate.

I had to be quick after the train was announced, as people were already running for the platform! The general atmosphere for this way of boarding is never great, and it affects Avanti the most here.

The train itself

I was taking a nine-car Pendolino train today. Introduced to the route in the early 2000s, they’re certainly rather striking. They’re capable of tilting around corners and have a bit of an ‘airplane’ feel inside.

In the early 2010s, some sets were extended to 11 cars and several new ones were built, as well. As we speak, they’re also getting a pretty extensive refurbishment.

Unfortunately, I was in for the ‘original’ experience, which was an unrefurbished nine-car. At the time of writing, most trains haven’t been refurbished just yet.

Storing your luggage

I headed for the unreserved coach, which is Coach C on these trains. Every carriage has quite a few luggage stacks dotted around, so you won’t struggle for space.

I wrote in my review of luggage space on trains that I was pretty impressed by the overhead racks, too. Just beware that they’re smaller in some parts of the train. This is usually where there’s equipment on the roof.

The seat experience

The seats are fairly pleasant, though legroom is a little tight in the airline-style ones. The reason I made a beeline for a table seat is that they’re the only seats with sockets on the unrefurbished trains. By each window table seat, you’ll find two USB sockets and a three-pin one:

The one ‘hack’ for getting around needing a full-sized table to use a socket is in Coach A. Seat A28 has a half-sized table but it faces a luggage rack, so you’ll not have anyone sat opposite you. A21 is the same, but it doesn’t have much of a window view. You’ll find these seats at the very back of the train heading south, and the very front going north.

On the refurbished trains, there are sockets at every seat. It’ll just take a little while for every train to be done.

The one thing I had noticed though was that everything was fairly shabby. The seat next to me had a massive rip in it and the seat-backs had paint peeling off. Clearly with refurbishment on the horizon, standards have slipped.

Fancy an upgrade?

First Class fares start at £42 one-way for an Advance single (without Railcard). For this, you’ll get a bigger reclining seat, as well as complimentary food and drink (menus available here).

However, if you just want to upgrade on the fly, you can try Standard Premium. In a nutshell, it’s the First Class carriage without the free food and drink. It’s £25 to upgrade on board. I’ve tried this before and it was definitely worth it for the extra space, but remember that £25 is the price no matter how far you go.

If you’re feeling peckish

There’s a shop in Coach C. It sells quite a variety of food and drink, and it has the positive of allowing you to browse what’s on offer without needing to ask.

It opened pretty much straight away after leaving Euston, and was doing good business all the way through to Birmingham. Prices were about what you’d expect for a train, with a meal deal including a sandwich coming to £5.90 (as of March 2023). You can find the full menu here.

At the time of writing, at-seat service is technically available in Standard. I say ‘technically’, because I have never known this to be working. From May 2023, it’s going to be discontinued.

Onboard service

The Train Manager made an announcement and again claimed that they’d be walking through the train, but I never saw them. We did however have regular runs from cleaning staff with bin bags.

Final thoughts

If you want a ‘long-distance train’ experience, then Avanti is likely to be the best train between London and Birmingham. The main stickler is that it’s quite expensive, and even booking in advance doesn’t get it anywhere near the price of London Northwestern Railway.

Coach C was very busy, too. I had two other people at the table with me for most of the trip. It’s definitely better if you have a seat reserved in advance (and a suitable one, at that), as some trains just don’t have many unreserved places.

Still though, we arrived into Birmingham New Street on time. It’s a better bet if you have lots of luggage too, as there’s plenty of space for it.

Trip 3 – Chiltern Railways

It was time for the final trip. So far I didn’t have any overwhelming feelings about what the best train from London to Birmingham was, as both companies had been pretty much as expected. One was cheap and felt like a commuter train, one was more expensive and felt like a ‘proper’ one.

Chiltern almost falls in the middle. My 16:51 train from Birmingham Snow Hill to London Marylebone took 1hr 50min, which is one of their faster ones on the route.

You’ll find two trains per hour on the route for most of the day, though one per hour tends to start from Birmingham Moor Street during Off-Peak hours.

The cost

My Advance single ticket from Birmingham Snow Hill to London Marylebone cost £13.20 (with Railcard) booked a week in Advance. Tickets start at £6.40 (without Railcard) one way. Even on the day I booked, you could find some cheaper trains at a similar time for £10.55 (with Railcard).

If you want to buy on the day, fares range from £36.40 (Super Off-Peak Return) to £135.30 (Anytime Return) as of March 2023.

Waiting to get on board

Birmingham Snow Hill station certainly won’t be winning any design awards. It’s a pretty depressing Brutalist building with all of the platforms underground. That said, it’s small and there’s plenty of space to wait, so it isn’t truly awful. If you want some fresh air, you can go right to the back of the platforms.

It’s worth mentioning that the other station, Birmingham Moor Street, is significantly nicer. Restored back to its original GWR heyday, you’ll probably prefer to wait around here if you can:

The reason I’d picked Snow Hill was so that I could have the first pick of seats when the train arrived. It was also so I could show you what the interior was like before it became swarmed with people!

The train arrived in from London on-time at 16:39, meaning that it was a fairly short wait til it went back to London. This varies throughout the day, but usually the train will be there a little earlier. In any event, there wasn’t much of a crowd waiting, with most people who want this train jumping on at Moor Street instead.

Notably, quite a crowd joined at Birmingham Moor Street. If you’re taking a train that starts at Snow Hill at a busy hour of the day, it might be best to book from there. The platform that these trains use at Moor Street is quite narrow and it didn’t look like the most comfortable place to wait.

The train itself

Today I had a three-car and two-car Class 168 Chiltern Clubman coupled together to make a five-car train. Anything from three to six cars is common on the route, but I’ve never experienced anything severely overcrowded.

My train had been built in 2000, so it was around the same age as me! I couldn’t get a photo until we arrived in London, but it’s the train on the left:

Storing your luggage

It did take a bit of looking, but there are luggage stacks on this train. You’ll find them right at the inner ends, usually opposite a toilet or next to the doors between the carriages.

The overhead racks looked capable of storing cabin-sized suitcases at a push, but it might have been a little cosy. It certainly wasn’t the best train from London to Birmingham for luggage, but most people wouldn’t have a problem. During the journey I certainly didn’t notice anyone struggling to store anything.

The seat experience

The one thing that you notice when you board is that these are fairly classy looking trains. There are actually two kinds of seats, with the ones at the carriage ends having a bit of a flatter and thinner back and headrest. The most comfortable ones have more of a wraparound headrest and look like this:

You’ll find a socket at every window seat, including at the tables. The seats themselves are really quite comfortable and probably the best of the three trains I’d tried.

Fancy an upgrade?

In most cases, it’s tough luck. Chiltern abolished First Class quite a few years ago! According to their website, the ‘Business Zone’ carriage isn’t available either. This was a carriage on certain trains where you could pay on board and upgrade for a bigger seat and more space. However, I’ve noticed trains still running around with this carriage, and consensus seems to be that if it’s available, you can travel in it without an extra charge.

If you’re feeling peckish

Go to the shop beforehand! There isn’t any catering on Chiltern trains. Snow Hill is near a number of shops including a Tesco. At Marylebone, you’ll find an M&S Food.

Onboard service

All Chiltern trains need to have a guard on board between Birmingham and Banbury. After that, the driver can operate the doors in most cases.

Before we left Snow Hill, the guard made an announcement and came through the train checking tickets multiple times on the trip. After two trips with totally invisible staff, this was quite a breath of fresh air. He was friendly, efficient and enthusiastic.

Final thoughts

This was probably my favourite journey of the three. The train was clean, comfortable and laid out properly for the sort of journeys being made on it. The atmosphere on board as well was completely different to the other two trains.

Everyone was chatting to each other and I spent the second half of the trip talking to a mother and daughter off to the theatre. Naturally this isn’t going to happen on every train, but it was nice nonetheless.

We arrived four minutes late into Marylebone, having followed a late-running West Midlands Railway train for the first part of the trip out of Birmingham. It was only 15 minutes or so slower than the more expensive Avanti train, which seemed a fair compromise considering how much cheaper it was.

Marylebone is a charming little terminus to arrive and depart from, too. It’s one of the smallest London stations and doesn’t have the ‘chaotic’ feeling of the likes of Euston:

Keep an eye out for some of the old Network South East signage, too (like the ‘tickets’ sign). Rather quirky considering it hasn’t existed for three decades!

The verdict – what’s the best train from London to Birmingham?

I’d say that the best train from London to Birmingham, all things considered, is the one operated by Chiltern Railways.

It doesn’t do catering or First Class, but it was a good balance between cost and journey time. The trains are classy and comfortable, too. It’s also the only train I caught where the guard actively walked through and checked tickets.

There’s no doubt that London Northwestern Railway will likely give you the cheapest of the cheap fares, but the trains often reflect that.

Avanti West Coast would likely for some be the best train from London to Birmingham. After all, it’s the fastest and has the most amenities. But boarding at Euston can be quite stressful and the price is quite a bit higher than the alternatives. The train I caught also felt rather unloved!

Both London Northwestern Railway and Avanti West Coast are receiving new and refurbished trains on these routes, so it’d be interesting to give this another go in the future and see if Chiltern still come out on top. Notably, from May 2023, it’s expected that the average journey time on Chiltern will increase to around two hours. The trade-off is that the likes of Warwick get more direct trains to London.

Is there anything else I should know?

Looking to know more about the Capital? Take a look at our guide to travelling to London. We’ll tell you about getting the best fares on routes like Edinburgh to London and Southend to London, as well as whether it’s worth upgrading to First Class on Avanti.

No matter which train you choose though, don’t forget that you can book all of them fee-free with SmartSplit. We don’t charge any fees if you change your plans, either.

The post What’s the best train from London to Birmingham? appeared first on SmartSplit.co.uk.

This page was originally written in March 2023 and was updated with new data in August 2023.

How do we work out how reliable trains are?

A great question! We measure reliability by what’s known as ‘PPM’ or ‘Public Performance Measure’. Every time a train runs (or doesn’t!) it’s separated into one of three categories:

• On-time – If it arrives less than five minutes late (10 for long-distance trains)
• Late – If it arrives between five (or 10) and 30 minutes late at its destination
• Very late/cancelled – If the train arrives more than 30 minutes late or is cancelled.

If your train is cancelled part-way through the trip or skips stops to make up time, it’ll also ‘fail’ PPM.

So what’s the least reliable train operator?

For June and July, the least-reliable train operator award goes to Grand Central. But why? Let’s go through some of the reasons:

• They’re a small company that only runs a few services each day. If even one service is cancelled, that has a big impact on their statistics
• Services run on a busy section of railway. The East Coast Mainline is prone to issues and their services interact with lots of others
• Their trains aren’t reliable. The fleet of Adelante trains are prone to breaking down, put simply! They’re remedying this though. Extra trains are being introduced so that there are more spares to fall back on.

Can we trust these statistics?

For some companies, you might be wondering how the statistics look quite reasonable, despite the fact that their trains seem to be so unreliable. For example, at the time of writing (16th August 2023), Northern’s JourneyCheck page looks disastrous:

Okay, so 103 of those cancellations are actually for the following day, but that seems like a lot more than 6% of trains being cancelled, which is what the official stats say. So, what actually happens here?

Put simply, if it’s cancelled before 10pm the previous day, it doesn’t count as a cancellation. This is known as ‘P-coding’ and means that it won’t be reflected in the performance statistics. Most frustratingly for passengers, the reason given is ‘a short notice change to the timetable’. This reason doesn’t tell you anything!

The latest report by the Office of Rail and Road from January to March 2023 shows just how this works. At the time that it was written, TransPennine Express were using P-coding extensively. Since then though, they’ve managed to improve industrial relations, and the statistics below are a far better reflection of reality.

So, is Grand Central the least reliable train operator? Officially, yes. Unofficially, perhaps not.

Who’s the most reliable train operator?

Now we’ve covered who the least reliable train operator is, it’s only right to cover who the most reliable one is.

If we focus purely on trains that are on-time, that’d be Caledonian Sleeper. They managed to run 96.8% of their trains on time.

The operator with the lowest rate of cancellations was c2c, with just 1.1%. Chiltern Railways isn’t far behind with 1.3%.

What do these operators all have in common? For one, a relatively common fleet of trains. Chiltern has three types of train and c2c is running just one type of train. Meanwhile, Caledonian Sleeper has just one fleet of carriages, and a few types of locomotive. Their trains run overnight, and have large allowances in the timetable in case of engineering works.

c2c and Merseyrail are also fairly self-contained networks. It’s unlikely that another company’s trains will cause them to be delayed, and they’re pretty small networks, as well.

What are the full statistics?

Want to know how your local operator did? Here’s the full statistics for June and July. We weren’t able to get monthly statistics for Hull Trains.

_{*Includes Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express.}

What can we take from this data? As you’d expect, companies that have smaller networks and don’t have to interact with too many operators tend to fare better. Those that travel over longer distances and interact with each other more are more vulnerable to delays.

Operators like Grand Central are also more vulnerable to poorer statistics, as they only run a handful of trains per day. If even just one train is delayed, that’ll cause a much bigger knock than on LNER or Avanti, for example.

What can I do when there’s a delay?

When you book with SmartSplit, we’ll let you know if there’s any planned changes to your train, if we’re given enough notice. If you choose to change your plans, we’ve got you covered, too.

You’re also entitled to claim compensation in the event of a delay. You can find out more with our guide on what to do when there’s disruption.

_{All punctuality data on this page is courtesy of trains.im. You can visit their site, check how your operator is doing and can also make a donation to help with upkeep.}

_{The data is also issued without liability, and is correct at the time of writing (16th August 2023).}

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