Top apps for train travellers

Figuring out how to get from A to B on public transport has never been easier. Just pick up your phone or tablet and use one of these helpful apps that take the stress out of planning your journey.

We’d be lost without our phones. Literally – we all rely on apps such as Google Maps to find our way around, even when we’re close to home.

But there are lots of other apps that come in handy when you’re travelling by train. Here are a few of the best.

GWR mobile app

Buy tickets, check departure info and get receipts for travel, among other things, with this useful app. You can save up to 50% with an Advance ticket, compared to Anytime fares. The GWR app helps make it simpler than ever to catch our trains – perfect for regular passengers.
gwr.com/your-journey/tickets-railcards-and-season-tickets/mobile-app

National Rail Enquiries

This useful app has a ‘get me home’ feature that plans your journey back to chez moi (taking into account any service delays) and also gives you live train arrivals and departures, a planning function and alerts so you don’t miss your stop.
nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/84874.aspx

Tube Exits

For Londoners, the Tube Exits app can mean the difference between you missing your connecting train or getting stuck in the bottleneck of passengers making for the exit.

Enter your journey details and it’ll tell you which carriages to get on to ensure you’re closest to the exit you need.
tubeexits.co.uk

Tickety Split

There are occasions when it’s cheaper to buy two separate tickets for the legs of your journey than one covering the entire length of the trip.

For example, those travelling from Manchester to Bristol will find that at times it’s cheaper to buy a ticket from Manchester to Cheltenham and another from Cheltenham to Bristol.
moneysavingexpert.com/split-cheap-train-tickets

The Trainline

This handy little app allows you to book tickets to anywhere across the UK with a few taps on your smartphone.

The best bit? You can purchase tickets up until 10 minutes before the time of departure and collect them from more than 1,000 stations.
thetrainline.com/mobile/app

Pocket Earth

Find your way around, even when the signal is weak with Pocket Earth.

Before you go, download the map for the area you’re going to be exploring and you’ll have all the detailed information at your fingertips.

Pocket Earth blends simple map views with clear information about what’s in the area and how to get around.
pocketearth.com