Travel with confidence

• Wear a face covering.
  In line with government guidance for England from 19 July, please respect others and, unless exempt, wear a face covering in crowded spaces throughout your journey. If you're travelling to or within Wales or Scotland, you must continue to wear a face covering (unless exempt) both at stations and whilst onboard your train.
• Go digital.
  Where possible, choose digital ticket options and use contactless payment methods.
• Please be patient.
  Our team are working hard to make your journey as safe as possible.
  Please remain patient with our colleagues and other customers.

• Where needed, fitted temporary screens at our ticket office counters.
• Cleaned thoroughly, especially in areas that people regularly touch such as self-serve ticket machines and toilets.
• Provided hand sanitising points in all of our stations. To see a full list of where these are located, please click here: Hand sanitising points

If you have a question or need any help at one of our stations, please speak to a member of our team. If there are no members of our team available, please contact us on social media or by using the station help points.

• We recommend that you book tickets in advance and reserve seats on your chosen train. If you are booking a weekday service, we'll allocate you a seat automatically.
• We have continued using long-lasting sanitiser that's effective against a wide range of bacteria, viruses and pathogens.
• We have increased our cleaning routines, focusing on door buttons, grab handles, tables, toilets and other areas that people regularly touch.
• We have made more journeys 'contact-free' by encouraging the use of digital tickets and contactless payments, and by delivering food and drinks directly to your seat.

Standard and Standard Premium Class catering facilities

• Shops onboard Pendolino services will be open with protective screens in place. 
• Shops onboard Voyager services are currently closed, but not to worry - you can use At-Seat Order if you'd like to buy food and drink onboard.
• At-Seat Order is available across all our trains. It means you can order food and drink from the comfort of your seat using your phone, tablet or laptop. You’ll get to handpick your refreshments and get your goodies delivered direct to your seat! (You can also click and collect if you’re onboard our Pendolino service.) Simply log in to your free onboard WiFi and start scrolling the selection of train snacks. Order here.
• Please note we’re not accepting re-usable coffee cups at this time. 

First Class Catering

• If you’re travelling First Class, you won't have to leave your seat to stay suitably refreshed onboard.
• Things are different in these current times, so we'll be running a slightly reduced menu.
• We’re not accepting re-usable coffee cups at this time.

• You can find out which catering facilities are available onboard your train from the customer information screens in the station and the passenger information screens onboard the train.

Bought your ticket on our website or app?

The quickest way to request a refund is via the 'My Account' section of our web and app. To do this you need to:

• Sign in to your account 

• Go to 'My bookings'
• Click request a refund/confirm refund request

For those wishing to refund a Car Park Season ticket, Please apply for your refund at the point of sale.

The refund will be from date you return the parking pass.

For the latest advice on Railcards please visit National Rail here.

If you have a Plusbus ticket, you can apply for a refund within 56 days of its validity. From 7 September 2020, refund applications must be made within 28 days.

Digital Rail Travel Vouchers

If you would like to surrender your ticket in exchange for a Digital Rail Travel Voucher then please contact us via our call centre on 0345 528 0253.

If issued with a eRTV the voucher is valid for 12 months from the date of issue. As a result of previous travel restrictions, Rail Travel Vouchers that expired or are due to expire between 20 October 2020 and 30 June 2021 can be extended for a further six months of their original expiry date. 

Your Rail Travel Voucher can be redeemed if you pop to any ticket office, and they’ll be able to get your new ticket sorted.
Vouchers can’t be used to book online or via the app and are not exchangeable for cash.

Paper Rail Travel Vouchers

If issued with a Paper Rail Travel Voucher the voucher is valid for 12 months from the date of issue. As a result of previous travel restrictions, Rail Travel Vouchers that expired or are due to expire between 20 October 2020 and 30 June 2021 can be extended for a further six months of their original expiry date. 

Your Rail Travel Voucher can be redeemed if you pop to any ticket office, and they’ll be able to get your new ticket sorted.
Vouchers can’t be used to book online or via the app and are not exchangeable for cash.

In line with government guidance for England from 19 July, we're asking that people please respect others and, unless exempt, wear a face covering in crowded spaces throughout your journey.

Government guidance in Wales and Scotland states that you must wear a face covering (unless exempt) when you're at a station and whilst onboard a train.

Some people may be exempt from wearing a face covering including young children, people with specific medical reasons, those with breathing difficulties or whose disabilities make it difficult for them to wear a face covering.

We recognise that not everyone is able to wear a face covering. 

To make it easier for you and our teams, we’ve partnered with the Sunflower scheme to help you discreetly indicate to our team that you may need additional support, a little more time or that you’re unable to wear a face covering.

By no means do you have to take part in the scheme and, if you’d prefer, you can still just have a word with one of our colleagues. But if you’d like more information, click here.

Currently, our busiest times are between 10am-12pm, 2pm-4pm and 6pm-7.30pm. We'll highlight popular trains when you book a ticket on our website. You can also view busy trends here. Please take this into account and choose a quieter service where possible.

Face coverings

In line with government guidance for England, please respect others and, unless exempt, wear a face covering in crowded spaces throughout your journey.

In line with government guidance for Wales and Scotland, you must wear a face covering (unless exempt) when you’re at the station and whilst onboard your train (including whilst on your journey to or within Wales and Scotland).

Some people may be exempt from wearing a face covering including young children, people with specific medical reasons, those with breathing difficulties or whose disabilities make it difficult for them to wear a face covering.

Social distancing

The guidance on social distancing has changed, which may mean that during busy times you may be seated next to another passenger.

Reservations can be made at the time of booking your journey on the Avanti West Coast website – simply select the service you would like to travel on. If you have a flexible ticket (Off-Peak, Anytime) or are a Season ticket holder, you can make a reservation by speaking to a member of staff in the ticket office of the station at which you bought your season ticket.

Some of our Ticket Offices opening hours have changed. Please click here for details and opening times of your specific station. Ticket Office counters have been fitted with a temporary screen for the period that social distancing remains in place.

We are accepting cash onboard our trains and in our stations but, we’re urging all customers to keep it contactless if you can. We recommend that everyone purchases tickets through our website or app before travel and choose a contactless, digital ticket. You can book up to 5 minutes before your scheduled departure time.

We have introduced hand sanitising points in all of our stations. To see a full list of where these are located, please click here: Hand sanitising points

Although we don't have hand sanitiser available for customers onboard, there are handwashing facilities on our trains. To minimise contact, and where possible, we'd suggest you bring hand sanitiser with you.

Yes, our toilets are open as usual and are regularly deep cleaned.  

No. If you have been diagnosed with coronavirus or are showing symptoms, you should follow the advice from the NHS.

Standard Class catering facilities

• Shops onboard Pendolino services will be open with protective screens and safety lines in place. 
• Shops onboard Voyager services are currently closed, but not to worry - you can use At-Seat Order if you'd like to buy food and drink onboard.
• At-Seat Order is available across all of our trains. It means you can order food and drink from the comfort of your seat using your phone, tablet or laptop. You'll get to handpick your refreshments and get your goodies delivered direct to your seat! (You can also click and collect if you're onboard our Pendolino service.) Simply log in to your free onboard WiFi and start scrolling the selection of train snacks. Order here.
• Please note we’re not accepting re-usable coffee cups at this time.

First Class Catering

• If you’re travelling First Class, you won't have to leave your seat to stay suitable refreshed onboard.
• Things are different in these current times, so we'll be running a slightly reduced menu.
• We're not accepting re-usable coffee cups at this time.

You can find out which catering facilities are available onboard your train from the customer information screens in the station and the passenger information screens onboard the train.