Frequently asked questions

If you need to travel with us, travel with confidence. 

For the latest government travel advice in England advice click here. For advice in Scotland click here.

• Hands: Our stations and trains have toilets to regularly wash your hands
• Face: You must wear a face covering, unless you are exempt
• Space: To keep you safe onboard, you must have a seat reservation which will be automatically socially distanced.

LNER trains will continue to run during the festive period, except on these days:

• No trains run on Christmas Day and Boxing day
• No trains to and from London King's Cross from 27 December to 30 December, due to planned engineering works. 

Normal ticketing restrictions continue to apply, for information on changing or refunding your tickets tap here.

Read the full Coronavirus travel advice

We're excited to welcome you back onboard our trains. With our Covid Aware safe travel pledge, you can book and travel with confidence, when you're ready.

We know that travelling on long journeys can be overwhelming. We have:

• Made our ticket change policy flexible
• Increased our onboard and station cleaning
• Introduced reservation-only travel so that each customer has a socially distanced seat.

We're here to welcome you onboard, when you're ready to travel.

Our safe travel pledge

Face coverings must be worn in stations and on our trains, unless you are exempt. Otherwise you could be fined £200.

It is important that you sit in your designated coach and seat number shown on your ticket or reservation confirmation email. All seats are socially distanced from other passengers. 

If you have a ticket but need a seat reservation you can make one quickly and easily online using our seat reservation tool. 

All customers travelling on an LNER train must have a seat reservation to travel.

We are introducing reservation only travel to ensure a safe number of customers are on each of our train services.

How to make a reservation

• If you've got a flexible ticket (Off-Peak or Super Off-Peak) or a Season Ticket you can quickly and easily make a free reservation online.
• Alternatively, you can reserve a place on the train at the station travel centre, view our revised opening times here.

Make a reservation online

Face coverings on public transport is mandatory in England and Scotland unless exempt. Otherwise you could be fined £200. 

• Please wear your face covering in stations and onboard our trains, unless you are exempt
• The face covering could be a scarf or other form of material that could catch droplets coming from the mouth or nose
•  For exemptions in England click here, and exemptions in Scotland click here
• The £200 fine is for the first offence, the fine will then double for each additional offence up to a maximum of £6400.

Yes, we love to be green so you can carry your bike free of charge on LNER trains as long as you have a valid ticket and you have made a reservation for your bike. Spaces are limited and subject to availability.

If you're travelling on an LNER train only, you can make a reservation online when you book your ticket. Alternatively, you can make a reservation at one of our Station Travel Centres, or by calling 03457 225 333.

If you're travelling with another train operator on your journey you'll need to check their own policy too. You can do this by visiting the National Rail website.

Travelling with your bike

All our seats are socially distanced but some trains will still be busier than others. Where possible you should travel when our trains are quieter, midweek Monday to Thursday, and avoid busy travel times. Use our tool to check for quieter trains. 

Check for quieter trains

If you need to travel, travel with confidence.

We've made our trains and stations as safe as possible so that you can travel with confidence. Please be aware of any local or regional lockdowns in Scotland and the restrictions in England that may affect your travel.

Our safe travel pledge

If you bought your Season Ticket directly from us, we can generally give you a refund under the following circumstances:

• In the case of an annual Season Ticket: provided there are 7 or more weeks validity remaining. Annual Season tickets typically have no refund value after 10 months and 12 days, although they are still valid for travel until the expiry date.
• In the case of a Season Ticket valid between one and ten months: provided there are seven days (or more) validity remaining.
• In the case of a weekly Season Ticket: provided there are three days (or more) validity remaining.

We are currently working to normal timelines for processing Season ticket refunds of 14 working days. You can see an estimate of your Season ticket refund using our Season ticket refund calculator.

To claim for a Season Ticket refund, please email your ticket image to us at season.tickets@lner.co.uk showing:

• Full name on the season ticket
• Original Ticket Number of the season ticket
• Please cut your ticket in half from top to bottom with VOID written across it
• Take a photograph of the ticket on a plain background with the two pieces of the ticket clearly apart
• Please ensure the details on both halves of the ticket are readable
• It is only necessary to send an image of your actual travel ticket(s), we do not need to see your seat reservation or collection receipt
• Season ticket end date (where applicable)
• Photocard Number (if a season refund)
• Station from and station to
• Class of travel (First or Standard Class)
• Amount
• And your last day of travel

Season ticket refunds are subject to a £10 administration fee. We are currently working to normal timelines for processing Season ticket refunds.

You can make a reservation using our free online tool. Alternatively, you can do this at the Station Travel Centre. 

Make a reservation online

Head to the Need to change your ticket? page and you'll find everything you need to know.

You can change your ticket, a £10 admin fee will apply.

Advance tickets are not usually refundable. However, we understand that sometimes your plans might change. In some circumstances we have removed the £10 admin fee and are able to offer an eVoucher for journeys you're no longer able to make due to Covid restrictions.

Anytime and Off-Peak tickets are always refundable. You can follow the steps in the next section to apply for a refund for these kind of tickets. A £10 admin fee will apply. Refunds for Anytime and Off-Peak tickets can be applied for up to 28 days after the date of travel.

For more info take a look at our Need to change your ticket? page.

If you're a Season Ticket holder click here to find out how to get a refund.

If you decide not to travel, some tickets allow you to claim a refund.

• Advance tickets are not usually refundable. However, we understand that sometimes your plans might change. In some circumstances we have removed the £10 admin fee and are able to offer an eVoucher for journeys you're no longer able to make due to Covid restrictions.
• Anytime and Off-Peak tickets are always refundable. You can follow the steps in the next section to apply for a refund for these kinds of tickets. A £10 admin fee will apply. Refunds for Anytime and Off-Peak tickets can be applied for up to 28 days after the date of travel.
• Season ticket refunds will apply from the date of the refund application, although an exception will remain for certified sickness as per National Rail Conditions of Travel.

More information and claim a refund

We've got five options: 

• eTickets (download them straight to your device or print them at home)

• Ticket on Departure

• First Class Post

• Next Day Special Delivery

Not every type of tickets allow for all these options. Find out more about ticket delivery options here.

Up to two children, aged 4 years old and under, can travel free of charge with a fare-paying adult. Please bear in mind that as they do not have a ticket or a seat reservation, so on busy trains they will be expected to sit on your lap. You can purchase a childs ticket or Family Return to reserve a seat.

If you're travelling with more than two children under 5 and one adult, you will need to purchase a childs ticket for the additional children,

If your children are aged between 5 and 15 we offer discounted fares which are available on our website.

If you're travelling as two adults and between two and four children, the Family Return ticket might also be a great saving for you and it offers a flexible return ticket, find out more here.

Yes, you can. Go to My Account and click on Apply for a Refund. Then follow the instructions.

If you were planning to collect your tickets from the ticket vending machine at the station and you want to refund ALL the tickets in the booking, choose the 'Refund' option. Your tickets will be automatically cancelled and a refund, minus any admin fee, will be credited back to your account within a few days.

If you only want to refund some of the tickets in your booking, you'll need to collect them from the ticket vending machine first, and then request a refund using one of our Refunds forms. These are available at our Travel Centres or you can download a refund form here.

You can still book a place for your wheelchair on our trains. First thing's first: make sure you're on a desktop or tablet device when you're making your booking. When you’re on the 'seating preference' section click on 'assistance request' and request a wheelchair space. 

We’ll forward your details to our Assisted Travel team who'll contact you to confirm the space has been reserved. If a wheelchair space isn't available on the train you've requested, they'll ask if you can travel at another time. In the worst case scenario, you may have to cancel your booking.

If you'd like to talk to someone about your specific needs, contact our Assisted Travel team on:

• Let us know, at least by 22:00 the day before you travel, so we can help make sure you have a hassle-free journey. But, even if you need a hand on the day, we’ll still do everything we can for you.
• Live Chat daily between the hours of 08:00 - 22:00 - on our Help and support pages.
• Call 03457 225 225 daily between the hours of 08:00 - 22:00.
• Request assistance online via the assisted travel form.
• Or use the Text Relay Service on 18001 03457 225 225. 
• All assistance requests must be booked by 22:00 the day before travel.

Why aren't Advance tickets on sale yet?

We're still finalising our timetable due to the changes from Coronavirus and some planned engineering works.

Because cheap Advance tickets are linked to a specific train and seat we need to know this before you book (so we don't end up selling you a ticket for a train that won't run).

Create a Ticket Alert for Advance tickets

Other websites may provide Off-Peak or Open tickets but these are typically more expensive. We recommend that you create a Ticket Alert to find out when our Advance tickets are on sale. Or you can find out when are tickets will be coming on sale on our Tickets for Future travel page.

Create a Ticket Alert

Our Christmas tickets are now on sale for December and early January. Trains a likely to be busy over the Christmas period, with planned engineering work also taking place.

Plan ahead, buy your ticket early and follow our Christmas travel tips to avoid disappointment.

Christmas tickets and travel tips