Buying a Ticket
A full range of tickets is available from the ticket office at a Northern station. Tickets can be purchased by cash, most major debit and credit cards, Rail Warrants and National Rail Travel Vouchers. All Northern services operate only a standard accommodation class.
We will serve you in an impartial, accurate and efficient way. We will always try to sell you the most appropriate ticket for your journey whether or not you are travelling on Northern services. When purchasing a rail ticket for immediate travel, you will not have to wait more than five minutes in busy periods and three minutes at all other times.
The opening hours of each ticket office will be displayed at each station. We will display details of busy times at ticket offices to help you avoid delays. If you wish to make a reservation or purchase a ticket in advance of travelling this information will enable you to choose a quieter time in which to do this. We will undertake regular checks to ensure that the above standards are being achieved.
A Telesales service is available 0700-2200 Monday to Friday, 0700-2100 at weekends on 0845 700 0125. Ticket information can be found by clicking here. Please allow seven days for delivery of tickets. Tickets are also available from rail-appointed travel agents.
Tickets are available wherever there is a staffed ticket office or a suitable selfservice ticketing machine. Tickets for travel must be bought before your journey commences. This is a legal requirement. Where ticket facilities are not available, you will have the opportunity to purchase one on the train from the conductor.
If you board a train without a ticket at a station where ticket facilities are available the conductor will sell you only the full single or return fare and you will not be entitled to any discounts or special terms which would otherwise apply. Where fraudulent travel is involved it is our policy to seek criminal prosecution.
As part of our commitment to making sure that we provide the service you expect, we need to make sure that all our customers are paying the appropriate fare for the journey they are making. In addition to our on-train conductors we also deploy ticket inspectors who will make random checks of tickets. These staff are there to demonstrate to our fare-paying customers that we are doing everything possible to ensure others do not fail to pay. Where there is evidence of an intention to avoid payment we will seek criminal prosecution.
If you decide not to use a ticket you have bought you can apply for a refund at any station ticket office within 28 days of the expiry date shown on the ticket. We will normally charge an administration fee of £5, unless we have been at fault. Special conditions apply to advance purchase products such as APEX tickets. Tickets purchased from a Travel Agent or via another operator’s telesales must be returned to the issuing office for refund.