National Rail facts for kids
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| Type | Public transport |
|---|---|
| Owner | Rail Delivery Group |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Introduced | 1999 |
| Related brands | |
| Markets | United Kingdom |
National Rail (NR) is the main brand name for passenger train services in England, Scotland, and Wales. It's like a common label used by many different train companies. These companies are all part of the Rail Delivery Group.
Before National Rail, there was a single company called British Rail. National Rail services use a common system for tickets. This means you can often use the same ticket across different train companies.
Contents
National Rail vs. Network Rail
It's easy to get National Rail and Network Rail mixed up! They sound similar but do different jobs.
- National Rail is the brand name. It helps passengers with things like tickets and journey planning. Think of it as the friendly face of train travel.
- Network Rail is the company that owns and manages most of the railway lines. They look after the tracks, stations, and signals. They are like the backbone of the railway system.
Most train services that carry passengers use Network Rail tracks. Some lines also carry freight trains. There are a few passenger services that run on tracks not owned by Network Rail, like some parts of the London Underground.
Train Companies (TOCs)
Many different companies run passenger trains in Great Britain. These are called Train Operating Companies, or TOCs. In the past, these companies were given special agreements called "franchises" by the government. Now, they mostly have "operating contracts." This means the government has more control over how they run.
The Rail Delivery Group is a group that represents all these train companies. They help with important services like the National Rail Enquiries website. They also used to manage how ticket money was shared between companies. Now, the government collects all ticket money and pays the train companies.
Design and Marketing
After British Rail was split up, each train company had its own look for signs and trains. But now, there are plans to bring back a more unified look for the whole railway network. This will be managed by a new organization called Great British Railways.
National Rail still uses the famous double-arrow symbol. This symbol was designed for British Rail a long time ago. You can see it on train tickets, the National Rail website, and other information. It's also used on road signs to show where a railway station is. The government still owns the rights to this symbol.
The letters used in the National Rail logo are a special version of a typeface called Sassoon Bold. Some train stations still use an older style of lettering called Rail Alphabet. This is also used for safety signs near the tracks.
Other Train Operators
Not all train services in Great Britain are part of National Rail. Many big cities have their own local train or tram systems. These include:
- The London Underground (the Tube)
- Docklands Light Railway in London
- Blackpool Tramway
- Glasgow Subway
- Tyne and Wear Metro
- Manchester Metrolink
- Sheffield Supertram
- West Midlands Metro
- Nottingham Express Transit
However, some local networks, like Merseyrail in Liverpool, are part of National Rail. Also, services like London Overground and the Elizabeth line are a bit of both. They are run by Transport for London (TfL) but are also part of National Rail. This means you can use National Rail tickets on them, and they appear in the National Rail timetable.
Trains like Eurostar, which travel to Europe, are not part of the National Rail network. Also, trains in Northern Ireland have their own system and were never part of British Rail.
There are also many smaller, privately owned or heritage railways. These are usually for fun or history, not for daily travel.
Tickets
National Rail services use a common ticketing system. This means you can buy a ticket to travel between almost any two stations on the network. Most tickets can be used on trains run by any company on your chosen route. Some companies also offer their own cheaper tickets for specific routes.
You can also buy tickets that include travel on the London Underground or even some ferry services. In London, you can use an Oyster card or a contactless bank card to pay for National Rail journeys in certain areas.
Here are some common types of tickets:
- Advance tickets: These are usually cheaper but are for a specific train and time.
- Off-peak tickets: These are for travel during quieter times of the day or week.
- Anytime tickets: These can be used on any train at any time.
- Season tickets: These allow unlimited travel between two stations for a set period, like a week or a month.
- Rover tickets: These give you unlimited travel in a certain area or on specific train lines for a set time.
- Ranger tickets: These are like rover tickets but usually for a smaller area and for one day.
If you get on a train without a valid ticket at a station where you could have bought one, you might have to pay a higher fare. Sometimes, a "penalty fare" applies, which can be £20 or twice the normal single fare.
National Rail also provides rules for travel, like the National Rail Conditions of Travel, which explain your rights and responsibilities.
Timetables
You can often get small, free timetables for specific train lines or companies at stations. The very last official printed timetable for the whole network was published in 2007.
Now, you can find the full timetable online as a PDF file on the Network Rail website. However, it's often best to check the websites of the individual train companies for the most up-to-date times.
National Rail Enquiries
The National Rail website (nationalrail.co.uk) is a very popular place to plan train journeys. It gets millions of visitors every day.
The website helps you:
- Plan your journey.
- Find out ticket prices.
- See live information about train arrivals and departures.
The site works with the websites of all the different train companies. When you choose your tickets, it sends you to the correct train company's website to buy them. This way, you usually don't pay extra booking fees.
National Rail also has a mobile app for phones. In the past, they offered real-time updates through messaging services like WhatsApp, but these have mostly been replaced by a simpler text message service.
In 2021, the National Rail website briefly changed to greyscale (black and white) as a tribute to Prince Philip. However, they quickly changed it back after people said it was hard to use for those with accessibility needs.
The website also supports the "Green Travel Pledge." This is a plan to help cut down on pollution from all types of transport in the UK by 2050. In 2023, the website got a new, more modern look.
See also
In Spanish: National Rail para niños
- Great British Railways
- Rail Accident Investigation Branch
- Rail transport in the United Kingdom
- Railcard
