How to take the rail journey from Manchester to London

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Manchester to London by train

How to buy tickets, what's on board the trains, how to use the stations, plus tips for making the most of the journey

Good news, the most frequent rail service between European cities over a distance of more than 200km has been restored, as once again three trains per hour are available in some hours when travelling on this route!

Routes you can take to go from Manchester to London

When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.

Choose one of the following options:

Looking for connections?

Journey guides for travel to Manchester Journey guides for travel from London

Route Information

Station Guides

This glass roof spans platforms 1 - 12 at Piccadilly station

Manchester Piccadilly Rail Station Guide

The frontage of Euston station is being altered by building work

London Euston Rail Station Guide

Travel Time (approx)

2hr 5min - 2hr 10min

Frequency

Daily

Travel Info

Monday to Friday: = 3 x trains per hour
Saturday and Sunday = 2 x trains per hour

Is this journey from Manchester to London direct?
Yes

Is the journey scenic?
Not particularly

When is the usual approximate earliest arrival at London Euston?

Before 07:30am on Monday to Saturday
Around 11:00am on Sunday
Source: National Rail

How easy is it to travel on from the station in London?
Euston station is served by both central London routes of the Northern Line and Euston Square underground station is within a five min walk - See the Station Guide above for more info, plus easy access to multiple options for booking somewhere to stay in the area around Euston station.

When is the usual approximate latest departure from Manchester Piccadilly?

Around 21:15 on Monday to Friday
Around 20:15 on Saturday
Around 20:55 on Sunday

How easy is it to travel to the station in Manchester?
Manchester Piccadilly is located on the eastern edge of the heart of the city - See the Station Guide above for more info, including the connections by tram; Plus easy access to multiple options for booking somewhere to stay in the area around Piccadilly station..

Are tickets cheaper if booked in advance for this journey option?
Yes

How soon ahead of travel are tickets typically placed on sale for this journey option?
12 weeks; See the Ticket Information for more details

What are the child ticket terms for the journey from Manchester to London?
Aged 5 to 15 = 50%; 4 and under = free

Does the ticket for the for this journey option include assigned seats?
Varies according to the type of ticket being booked, but Yes when booking Advance Tickets; See the Ticket Information for more details

Do rail pass users need to book reservations for the journey from from Manchester to London?
No, but they are available at no additional cost.

Is catering available on the train?
Yes - There is a bar/bistro car: And complimentary at seat catering in 1st class, which typically includes a full meal service.

What else is good to know?
See the general guide to travelling in Britain by train.

Travel Information

Final Destination: London Euston

All trains also call at: Stockport

Step on board Europe's most frequent service of trains between destinations more than 200 km apart

On Board - Summary

More information is available by clicking the on the 'train details', but the key things worth knowing when taking the Pendolino trains used on this route, are:

(1) These trains achieve their high end-to-end journey speed by tilting around curves in the railway line.
So if you are prone to motion sickness, taking preventative medication prior to boarding can be a good step to take.

(2) Also once the train has commenced its journey, if you have a seat reservation, you don't have to spend the duration of the train ride in the seat(s) you have been assigned, for your ticket to be valid.
If for any reason you want to move seats and the train isn't exceptionally busy, check whether alternative seats haven't been reserved during your journey; and if that is the case, you can transfer to them.

(3) Coach C on these Pendolino trains is usually set aside for travellers without reservations and this coach can often be less busy than the other coaches on the train.

This is a direct journey

You will be travelling on one of these trains...

Avanti Pendolino (UK) Train Guide

Good to Know

Two trains per hour take a route via Stoke-on-Trent, while the other travels to Manchester via Wilmslow, but which of these routes the train you will be travelling by follows, makes little difference to the journey time.

One route also isn't particularly more scenic than the other.
It is a pleasant but not particularly beautiful train journey, when the pioneering railway engineers constructed this route in the 1830s and 1840s, they didn't have a particularly challenging landscape to deal with.

There isn't a high speed railway line between London and Manchester, hence SMTJ hasn't classified this as a high speed journey), but this is one of the fastest European journeys by non high speed trains.
For much of the trip the train will be travelling at more than 200 km/h.

The view over the farm land in Cheshire

Heading into the countryside to the south of Manchester

It's not an especially beautiful journey, but is an historic one as the railways used for the route were all constructed before 1860; these days it's the rushing though the landscape at more than 200 km/h which provides the wow factor!

Save with Split Ticketing on Trainline When it's possible to save money on rail journeys in Britain, by splitting tickets in one booking, Trainline now automatically offers this option - look out for for the blue symbol!

Save with Split Ticketing on Trainline When it's possible to save money on rail journeys in Britain, by splitting tickets in one booking, T...

Approaching Oxenholme station on the left look out for Low Gill viaduct

The general guide to travelling by train in Great Britain Discover what's good to know about riding the trains, taking popular journeys, using the major stations, booking tickets and travelling with rail passes.

Tickets

Book Early And Save: Yes

Tickets Available from: 24* weeks ahead for travel on Mon-Fri; up to 12 weeks ahead for weekend travel.
*This booking ahead period is longer than that offered by the majority of British train operators.

If you want to travel at the cheapest possible price, look for the 'Advance' tickets - though be aware that this type of ticket can't be refunded if you subsequently change your travel plans.

Though something to be aware of when booking tickets, particularly for journeys by Avanti West Coast with its extended booking periods, is that the more expensive Off Peak and Anytime type of tickets can be placed on sale before the Advance tickets will be available.
If that is the case, it won't mean that the 'Advance' tickets have sold out, instead you won't see them, because they haven't have been placed on sale yet.

Though partially due to the frequency of the train service, you won't have to book months ahead to obtain the cheapest possible price for a London to Manchester train journey, particularly if you won't be travelling at business hours.

However, Advance tickets for travel by Avanti West Coast aren't taken off sale until around an hour prior departure; so it's worth checking to see if they're still available for the train you'll be taking before heading to the station, because if you book last minute at the station only the more expensive Off Peak or Anytime tickets will be available.

Choosing a departure

There are likely to be significant differences in prices between departures on your travel date, it's often possible to save more than £30 by taking an earlier or later train.
When heading north, the trains which depart London in the middle of the day tend to be cheaper.

If you can be flexible with your travel times and dates, it's a good idea to use the Best Fare Finder service on the Avanti West Coast website

The potential to save by splitting tickets on Trainline

It can be worth looking up this journey on Trainline.

It can be possible to save money by using split ticketing, with the booking process being no more complicated than booking conventional tickets - find out more.

Reservations:

When you book an Advance ticket for a London to Manchester train journey online, you will be automatically assigned a seat(s) - because you will have to travel by that specific departure
Because Off-Peak and Anytime tickets (usually) allow the freedom to choose between departures, you can request complimentary reservations when booking these tickets - find out more about this.

However, if you buy Off Peak or Anytime tickets just prior to boarding at the station, seat reservations won't be available

That's because reservations at stations need to be booked at least an hour ahead of departure; so also keep that in mind if you will be using a rail pass, including a Britrail or Eurail pass.

Travelling on Saturday-Sunday

Maintenance work on the railway is periodically undertaken, particularly at weekends and if it is scheduled on your travel date, it can affect when tickets will be released for sale.

If you're looking up a journey less than around 10 - 12 weeks ahead and the cheaper 'Advance' tickets aren't available, it can be a good indication that works will be impacting on your travel date.
It can be worth checking this on the Avanti West Coast website.

Making an end-to-end journey will still be possible, though you MAY ultimately have to take a substitution bus service for part of the trip.
It's the confirmation of these alternative travel arrangements which can hold up the release of the tickets for sale.

Receiving Your Ticket(s)

If you book with Avanti West Coast, you will have up to four options for receiving and using your ticket(s) are:

(1) Using e-tickets:

Book a ticket online and you will receive an e-ticket attached to your confirmation email.
Avanti West Coast allows multiple options for using these e-tickets, you can print them off OR download them to your mobile device, so when boarding you can access your ticket(s) on your phone and use it to open the ticket gates.

(2) Using m-tickets:

If you book using the Avanti West Coast trains app, you can activate your ticket within the app and use your mobile device to open the ticket gates.

(3) Collecting from the 'Fast-Track' ticket machines at the station.

You will receive a booking reference number on your order confirmation email and you can use this reference number to collect ticket(s) from a 'Fast-Track' ticket machine.
You will need to enter your reference number into the machine, so make sure you'll have easy access to it when you are using the machine.

You will also need to insert the specific credit or debit card you used when making the booking, so have that with you too.

Showing the email you have received to staff at the ticket gates won't get you on to the train, nor will this be valid if you can only show the email to the conductor when you are on the train.

If you forget to bring your ticket(s) with you to the station, but do have the card with you that you used when booking, you can use the machines to collect your ticket(s).
Take your time and take care that you have picked up all your ticket(s) and seat reservations.

(4) Opt to pay an additional charge to have your tickets posted to you.

More information is available here.

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