In our car-free-dom we use the train quite frequently. As I have written about before there are many benefits from travelling on public transport not being encased in your private car-box where you just see the world through a windscreen.

The train system in the UK is good at times and less good at others. The less good can be both about relability and comfort. Although when it works and you get a comfy seat it is an excellent way to get around. According to the latest government data you are going to be on time 67.7% of the time and your train cancelled 4.2% of the time.

A major ‘quirk’ of the UK train arrangements is that to get the best ticket prices you can need to book up to 12 weeks in advance. If you have just fallen off your chair at that news – then yes it is pretty mad! However, because it can be considerably cheaper buying in advance then you do really need to plan ahead.

Also, to add to the forward thinking on train ticket buying you also need to navigate the complications of an unending variety of ticket types, the possible cost benefits of split-ticketing, and that you can buy tickets via a seemingly endless number of different train ticket selling companies.

Over the years I feel like I have mastered some of the arts in train ticket buying (when to buy, who to buy from etc.) but it seems a constantly changing landscape so you need to regularly review your approach. Who thought buying a train ticket could be so complicated!

As a regular train ticket booker I know that it is essential that if you don’t want to discourage people from using the trains due to over complicated booking processes, and give visitors to the UK some hope of not get stung on the really expensive last minute train tickets then something surely needs to improve.

There is a new plan by the government to bring all the individual ticketing company websites into one under the lable – Great British Rail. It could be a step forward, let’s see.