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For National Rail journeys in Great Britain, check the specific train in National Rail’s Live Departures and Arrivals, then check your full trip and current disruption in the Journey Planner and Disruptions pages. Treat any reroute as a possibility to verify—not proof that your ticket is valid on it. Confirm ticket conditions with the operator, ticket seller or station staff before boarding an alternative.
Check whether your train is running
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Enter your departure station and, if useful, your destination. Select the service you plan to take.
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Open Journey Details to check the train’s calling points and other service information. National Rail says you can continue monitoring its progress in real time.
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Live Departures and Arrivals is useful for a particular train. To check a trip involving connections, use the Journey Planner as well: a delay on one leg can affect whether you can make the rest of the journey.
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Check disruption affecting the whole journey
Use the National Rail Journey Planner to check your complete itinerary, then review National Rail travel information and disruptions and the relevant train operator’s status updates. National Rail’s homepage provides disruption information that can be filtered for current incidents, planned work up to 12 weeks ahead, and Station Alerts. Check again close to departure: live running information can change.
Compare alternative services before changing plans
When your planned train is delayed or cancelled, compare candidate services against the details that matter to your trip:
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Destination: Does the service reach where you need to go, or will you need another connection?
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Arrival time: Compare the expected arrival, not just the departure time.
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Changes: Check how many changes are required and where they take place.
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Live status: Confirm that the proposed service is running and check its calling points.
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Ticket validity: Verify that your ticket permits travel on that operator and route.
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A route shown in a journey planner is a candidate, not confirmation that your ticket covers it. Trainline’s disruption guidance, marked updated 7 September 2026, advises passengers to check ticket conditions for operator or route restrictions: Trainline’s Great Britain disruption guidance.
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Ticket validity depends on the ticket and the circumstances of the disruption; there is no universal rule that every ticket can be used on any alternative route. If the conditions are unclear, ask station staff, the train operator or the ticket seller before boarding. Keep the ticket’s route and operator restrictions in view when comparing options.
Set alerts and get updates during a delay
For a selected service in National Rail’s Journey Planner or Live Departures and Arrivals, you can set one-off or repeat delay and disruption alerts by email, SMS or WhatsApp. A UK mobile number is required to verify SMS or WhatsApp alerts. National Rail also offers TrainTracker phone and text information.
UK government guidance says passengers should be kept informed of estimated departure and arrival times as soon as they are available during a delay. Check the operator’s updates for information about your specific service: Rail passengers’ rights and obligations.
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Where this guidance applies
These National Rail tools and service details concern National Rail services across Great Britain. They should not be assumed to cover Northern Ireland or rail networks in other countries.
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