What is Ticket Alert? 

In the UK, Advance tickets are usually released around 12 weeks before the departure date. If you know when you want to travel but tickets aren't on sale yet, Ticket Alert will email you to let you know when they are, usually at a cheaper price than booking closer to the date of travel. 

Currently, Ticket Alerts can only be set up for single journeys.

* Average savings on all fares booked at least one week before day of travel vs Anytime fares purchased on day of travel. Subject to availability. Excludes coach.

How to set up a Ticket Alert with us

1

Search for your desired travel dates in our Journey Planner or our app.

2

If tickets are already available, great! If not, you'll be able to set up a Ticket Alert.

3

If you already have a Trainline account, just hit Set Ticket Alert. If not, just pop your email in first. 

4

Now sit back and relax. As soon as Advance Tickets are on sale for your chosen date, we'll email you to let you know.

Advance ticket booking window

Advance train tickets tend to become available in the UK 12 weeks before the departure date. These are the latest dates that we've found tickets available for**.

Last updated Wednesday 28th February 2024.

Train operatorLatest ticket availability
Avanti West Coast17th May 2024
Chiltern Railways5th April 2024
CrossCountry17th May 2024
East Midlands Railway24th May 2024
Grand Central23rd August 2024
Great Western Railway31st May 2024
Greater Anglia10th May 2024
Hull Trains31st May 2024
London North Eastern Railway (LNER)31st May 2024
London Northwestern Railway26th April 2024
Lumo1st June 2024
Northern6th April 2024
ScotRail17th May 2024
South Western Railway17th May 2024
Southeastern17th May 2024
Southern17th May 2024
Thameslink17th May 2024
TransPennine Express1st June 2024
Transport for Wales10th April 2024
West Midlands Railway26th April 2024

 

** We attempt to detect when Advance tickets have been released each day by analysing the results of millions of users’ journey searches. There may be interim dates when timetables and Advance tickets are yet to be confirmed by train operators. We’ll do our very best to alert you as soon as our systems detect availability. If you do not receive an alert, check back in before you travel to book a ticket and reserve a seat.

Frequently asked questions

When are cheap train tickets released?

Advance train tickets – usually the cheapest type of train ticket – are usually released up to 12 weeks before the departure date. To get the cheapest available ticket, travelling during Off-Peak times or booking a SplitSave ticket via the app are both ways to save money.

When do Advance train tickets become available?

Train companies in the UK can release their Advance tickets up to 12 weeks before the departure date. Only a limited number of Advance tickets will be available, so be quick to book as the fare can rise as the cheapest tickets start to sell out.

How far in advance can you book train tickets?

You can usually book train tickets in the UK up to 12 weeks in advance, these are called Advance train tickets and are generally cheaper than booking nearer to the departure date.