UK Train Companies
There are 28 major UK train operators across the UK, typically covering a geographical area or region. Our aim at Trainline is to bring all of them together and make the UK rail network easy as pie to find the right information and buy tickets for from all the operators, and we'll even show you great options to connect between multiple operators if your journey requires a connection too!
Train operators in the UK
To find out more about any of the UK train companies and discover the range of services available, click the links below.
Former UK train companies
East Midlands Trains were the main operator of services on East Midlands lines until August 2019, when East Midlands Railway took over. EMT trains connected cities such as Nottingham, Leicester and Sheffield with London and parts of Northern and Central England.
Arriva Trains Wales were train operators that connected the biggest cities and smaller towns in Wales, as well as destinations like Manchester and Chester. Since October 2018, Transport for Wales now operate all former Arriva Trains Wales routes.
London commuter services
Travel to Ireland and the Isle of Wight
Rail & Sail
Rail & Sail tickets make your journeys to Ireland as straightforward as possible. We've teamed up with Irish Ferries and Stena Line, to give you a comfortable alternative to flights when travelling from the UK to Ireland.
Find out more about Rail & Sail.
Hovertravel
The fastest route across the Solent, book your Hovercraft tickets to the Isle of Wight with us. Please arrive at the terminal 10-15 mins before your preferred flight time and you'll be boarded as soon as possible.
Find out more about Hovertravel.
UK train network information
National Rail is the public-facing brand of the Rail Delivery Group (RDG). RDG provides information and timetables for all of Britain's train operating companies (TOCs).
British Railways was the state-owned company responsible for most overground rail transport in Britain from 1948 to 1997. Trading as British Rail from 1965, the company was privatised between 1994 and 1997 and was succeeded by National Rail.
Train companies in Europe
We sell tickets for more than 270 train and coach operators in 45 countries, so you can easily compare prices for train operators across Europe as well as the UK. As taking the train in Europe is often quicker (and better for the environment) than flying between popular cities, why not discover where trains in Europe can take you?
Find out more about European train companies.
Learn more about trains in Europe.