Travel with confidence

Please note a £10 admin fee still applies for refunding Anytime, Off-Peak or Super Off-Peak tickets.

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.

Rail Travel Vouchers that expired between 20 October 2020 and 30 June 2021 can be extended for a further 6 months from 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.

I want to amend my seat reservation

We always recommend reserving a seat on your chosen train.
At this time, we won't be able to amend your reservation to alter your seats before travel.

If your travelling in a group (e.g. with family or friends) then you may find your seating reservations are spaced out throughout the train.
If this is the case then you are allowed to sit together on the train wherever there are seats available.

We’ll still have unreserved coaches on all our trains:

Pendolinos:
Coaches C and U in Standard and coach H in First Class are unreserved.

Voyagers:
Coaches D and K in Standard and a percentage of seats in First Class are unreserved.

For more information on social distancing and travelling with confidence please visit our COVID-19 travel information page.

COVID-19 travel information page

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.

If you are travelling into London, please be aware that you must wear a face covering on the Transport for London network, in stations, and for the whole of your journey. If you do not, and you are not exempt, you could be refused entry, denied travel or told to leave Transport for London's stations and services. For more information visit TFL.

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.

If you are travelling into London, please be aware that you must wear a face covering on the Transport for London network, in stations, and for the whole of your journey. If you do not, and you are not exempt, you could be refused entry, denied travel or told to leave Transport for London's stations and services. For more information visit TFL.

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’re encouraging excellent hand hygiene for all our colleagues and customers and hand sanitising points can be found at the following stations:

• Birmingham International
• Carlisle
• Crewe
• Stafford
• Stoke
• Macclesfield
• Stockport
• Runcorn
• Preston
• Warrington
• Wigan
• Lancaster
• Penrith
• Oxenholme
• Coventry
• Rugby

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 and Standard Premium Class catering facilities

• At-Seat Order is available across all our trains. Using your phone, tablet or laptop, simply handpick the refreshments that take your fancy and place your order*. Log in to our free onboard Wi-Fi and start scrolling.
• Please note we’re not accepting re-usable coffee cups currently.

First Class Catering

• If you’re travelling First Class, you won't have to leave your seat to stay suitably refreshed onboard. Check our our delicious menu and head over to First Class Menus to find out more about our new exciting offering.
• We’re not accepting re-usable coffee cups currently. 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.

*Click & collect is available on both Pendolino and Voyager trains. Delivery is available on Pendolino trains only. At-Seat Order is subject to availability. If this service is unavailable for any reason, you can find food and drink in our onboard shop.