Train Travel

Wed 2 Sep 2020, 18:40

Thanks for all the replies. Just a shame that the GWR website and app are also stating that train times from this Saturday onwards may not be available and current timetables may be subject to last minute changes......doesn't make it easy to plan a trip for this weekend!

Wed 2 Sep 2020, 15:47

You don’t need reservations on any Cotswold Line service at the moment. I’ve travelled back and forth a few times (most recently this Monday) just with standard walk-up-and-go tickets. They are restricting the number of advance tickets that are sold but unless the train is really full, you’ll still be able to get on with a walk-up ticket.

CrossCountry (who run trains from Oxford and Worcestershire Parkway to Birmingham, among others) are being a bit fussier, so you might want to plan your route to avoid them unless you can get an online booking.

Wed 2 Sep 2020, 14:29 (last edited on Wed 2 Sep 2020, 14:34)

There's an interesting news item on the Chiltern Railways site about changes to the way refunds will be handled after 6 September. It's also there on the GWR site, but buried somewhat, and also less clearly stated.

It means that if you are wanting a refund for a season ticket that you were unable to use because of Covid, you need to apply before the end of this week. Changes also affect refunds for some other Advance, Off-peak, Super Off-peak and Anytime fares and packs of carnet tickets.

The link is here: https://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/news/reversal-relaxation-national-rail-conditions-travel

Wed 2 Sep 2020, 10:59

Hi John, we had this issue a few weeks back. We weren’t able to buy any tickets from Charlbury to Paddington as it said on all the apps (GWR, Trainline and National Rail) sold out - reservations required. In the end we didn’t go to London as we couldn’t buy online and didn’t want to risk missing the last train home without a reservation. I did find somewhere on the GWR website a line along the lines of “reservations are compulsory for this route”. However, on the day in question, we ended up getting the same train to Oxford only and there were no reservations above seats showing, and for this service we could buy online. It’s a bit of a mystery but keen to hear if this is now a requirement when travelling all the way to London. My advice would be to buy the ticket from the station machine and hope there are no reservations on the day! 

Wed 2 Sep 2020, 07:12

If you look at the departure information linked to in the top right of the Home page, with the exception of the 2 coach 8:05, they all say No Reservations. 

Tue 1 Sep 2020, 18:15

It’s a couple of weeks since I’ve travelled but there were no reservations in place then on any trains or journeys.

Tue 1 Sep 2020, 17:34

Can anyone confirm whether it is currently compulsory to buy train tickets in advance for travel from Charlbury to Paddington and back? GWR website seems to indicate that reservation is compulsory.

If so, any idea what you have to do if you miss your train/need to catch an earlier/later one?