Can I get Family Train Tickets?
Some rail companies offer dedicated family train tickets. Here’s our guide to buying them on Railsmartr, who offers them and how much they could save you.
Who offers Family Train Tickets?
Three train companies offer dedicated family train tickets for their services. Those companies are Avanti West Coast, Great Western Railway and LNER. There’s only a limited quota of these tickets available. So, if they’re not showing up, we’d recommend looking for a different service. During school holidays, these tickets are naturally a lot more popular.
Let’s go through each of them, how many people they cover and how much they cost.
Avanti West Coast
It’s possible to get family train tickets on some Avanti West Coast services. They’re subject to availability (so it’s good to book as far in advance as you can) but the price always remains the same. You can buy them for either Standard Class or Standard Premium.
Generally, you’ll only find these special family train tickets for journeys to and from London. For example, you can buy them for journeys such as London to Birmingham, London and Glasgow and London and Manchester.
These tickets are for a minimum of one adult and one child, up to a maximum of two adults and three children. It doesn’t matter how many are in your group, as the price will stay the same. These tickets function like Advance tickets, so they’re not refundable.
When you buy them on Railsmartr, they’ll show up as ‘Family Advance‘.
Great Western Railway
You can buy family train tickets for Great Western Railway services on hundreds of different journeys. They’re for two adults and up to four children, and the price is fixed. No matter when you travel, or how many are in group, it’ll remain the same.
It’s just like an Advance train ticket, so it’s subject to availability, and it isn’t refundable. You can buy these tickets for either Standard Class or First Class. When you buy them on Railsmartr, they’ll show up as Family Advance Std or Family Advance 1st:
LNER
Finally, we have LNER. They offer dedicated Family Single tickets for journeys on their route. They’re valid for a minimum of one adult and one child, up to a maximum of two adults and four children. You’ll need to buy these tickets at least seven days in advance.
Just like the other kinds of family train tickets, the price is fixed. It doesn’t matter which service you pick or how many people are travelling. These tickets are only valid in Standard Class.
Are there any other discounts for travelling with children?
If you’re travelling around the South East of England, then many rail operators will offer a flat fare for children travelling with you. You can find out more information on our dedicated page here.
You could also consider buying a Family and Friends Railcard. We’ve written a dedicated guide to Railcards to help you work out whether it’d be the best option for you.
