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August 2024

September 2024

Your Cheap Fare Finder

The cheap fare finder from National Rail Enquiries shows the fares for all UK train operators on all routes.

Simply select your preferred dates and time of travel to find the best value fare you can purchase and get great savings on your journey.

Enter your journey details to find and buy train tickets.

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If you are flexible with dates and times for your journey, and can book in advance, you can often achieve huge discounts when buying train tickets. Whether you're travelling for work or leisure, the cheap fare finder is your one-stop shop to finding the best option for your selected point-to-point journey.

Our cheap fares are subject to these provisions .

Here are some other tips on ways to save money on train travel.

Use Railcards for Great Savings

Choose the right railcard that's for you and you can get a 1/3 off rail fares on your standard rail tickets. There are a range of national Railcards . There is also a selection of regional Railcards which can be used in specific areas of the country.

Find train tickets using National Rail Enquiries

Book in advance

Advance fares are single (one-way) tickets, offering great value for money on many journeys. Advance tickets are sold in limited numbers and subject to availability. The earlier you book, the more money you save. Buy train tickets up to three months in advance for the cheapest fares.

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BritRail Passes

BritRail Free Day Promotion

Purchase a classic BritRail Consecutive or FlexiPass between now and July 3 and get an extra day of travel. Passes included in this promotion are the BritRail Pass and BritRail Europe Pass only – no regional BritRail Passes are included. Promotion is only applicable for the M-Pass format.

All validities, classes and discounted Passes are included such as Senior, Child, Free Child and Youth. Customers can start traveling up to 11 months from the date that they purchase their Pass.

BritRail provides international visitors to the UK with the freedom to keep to a flexible schedule while traveling throughout British rail’s extensive national network. BritRail’s range of rail passes offers unlimited train trips on each travel day as you journey across England, Scotland and Wales. Choose the BritRail pass that best suits your itinerary and hop on and off the train at exciting destinations like Edinburgh, London and Cardiff! What better way to visit Britain’s historic castles and countless landmarks than by train?

Discover the M-Passes

As the digital answer to rail travel, the M-Pass facilitates seamless travel by downloading your pass to your phone. With flexible and consecutive options to choose from, the M-Pass is easily scanned at the train station to start your journey. Once your purchase has been completed, an email will be sent with your activation code. For consecutive M-Passes you must select your first day of use and flexible M-Passes will select their intended dates of use. Flexible M-Pass holders get the added bonus of one free seat reservation for their trip!

Select your pass

Britrail pass, britrail england pass.

BritRail London Plus Pass

BritRail South West Pass

BritRail Spirit of Scotland Pass

Popular Passes

The best way to explore England, Scotland and Wales is with a BritRail pass, allowing for unlimited train travel on Britain’s National Rail Network! Journey to popular cities throughout Britain while enjoying scenic views of England’s rolling hills, Scottish highlands and Welsh National Parks.

If you’re visiting England, your best bet to travel around the nine distinct regions of this beautiful country is by train. Enjoy coastal destinations like Brighton and vibrant cities including London, Manchester, Liverpool & beyond!

The BritRail South West Pass will bring you to cities in England such as London, Bath, Oxford, and popular destinations along the coast from Plymouth to Penzance! You can also visit Swansea and Cardiff in Wales making this the perfect pass to discover the southwestern region of Britain today!

Travelling the UK with a BritRail Pass

Britrail Passes for Unlimited UK Train Travel and Cheap Touring Options

Freedom to ride the rails - all paid for before you leave home

British Rail travel with a BritRail Pass makes a lot of sense if your vacation plans involve crisscrossing the UK from one major city or region to another. Train travel in the UK is faster, cheaper and easier than long distance road travel. Here's why:

• Britain may seem comparatively small, but distances are deceiving. Motorways are always busy and traffic, often and unexpectedly, reaches urban rush hour proportions in what can seem to you to be the middle of nowhere.
• If you are used to driving on the right, driving on the left while barrelling along at 70mph plus on congested roads, surrounded by high-sided, double-trailer semis (they call them articulated lorries here), can be nerve wracking.
• Secondary roads go through town centers or pass through rural areas where you can get caught behind farm vehicles or little old ladies traveling at 15 mph. You could spend an hour traveling 10 miles. They are fun for local sightseeing but don't expect to get anywhere fast.
• British gasoline (petrol) is very expensive. In April 2007 it neared £1 per litre - that's a little over a quart. Imagine paying more than $2 for a quart of gas. Motorway driving eats up a lot of fuel.

Even if you rent cars locally for sightseeing and getting around, trains are the way to go for longer distance vacation travel. And a BritRail Pass is the cheapest, most convenient way for visitors from abroad to travel by rail in the UK.

What is a BritRail Pass?

It's a prepaid pass, only sold outside the UK - you have to buy it before you leave home. It's valid for unlimited UK rail travel, during a specified period. BritRail Passes are available for four to one month's worth of consecutive days travel or, as flexible passes for a fixed number of days travel over a longer period of time - four days over two months, for example. There are youth, senior and group versions, as well as England-only, Scotland-Only, England and Ireland and London region passes.

Why Buy a BritRail Pass?

For Cheaper Travel: If you're touring, you probably won't be using return (round trip) tickets much and single tickets (one-way) are usually more expensive.

If you traveled from London to York to Edinburgh and back to London during a two week vacation in April, conventional tickets would cost about $500.00, traveling on the first train of the day in each case and buying the cheapest standard fare readily available. * A consecutive BritRail Pass for 15 days would cost $559** but you could add as many extra rail journeys as you liked without adding to the cost if the fancy struck. A flexipass for four days train travel in a two month period would cost only $329 and you would still have an extra day's travel available for a spur of the moment trip. * Some operators offer temptingly cheap promotional fares but there are only ever a few seats at that price and they must be bought well in advance ** Based on 2008 prices

For Freedom: Buy the pass before you leave the USA and you're free to travel whenever you like. There's no need to make a reservation. Figure out what train you want by visiting National Rail Enquiries , online, and then just show up at the station and hop on.

There are only two situations where you might want to book in advance:

• to guarantee a seat during peak travel times. If you ride the rails during off-peak hours - which are most of the time - finding a seat is easy without a reservation. But for travel during rush hours, you need to book. Seat reservations are free.
• for an overnight journey in a sleeper berth or reclining seat. But overnight rail trips within the UK are rare. ScotRail's Caledonian Sleeper , between London, Glasgow, Edinburgh and points north, is really the only one. A small additional charge applies to sleeper berths. Reclining seats are free but still have to be reserved.

Keep in mind that if you do plan to book a seat or sleeper berth, it must be done in person, after you arrive.

A spokesperson for the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), confirmed that online ticket sales and booking systems can't take confirmed seat bookings without also collecting the cost of the ticket. My quick phone round of several of the train companies' telephone information and booking services produced only fruitless conversations with overseas operators who had no idea what I was talking about.

Not to worry. Just stop by any station with a manned ticket office a day or two before your trip to book your seat. Advance Ticket Queues are usually short. In the case of a sleeper berth, book it as far ahead of your journey as you can.

How to buy a BritRail Pass

BritRail Passes are only sold outside the United Kingdom. In the USA they are available from Rail Europe. Click here to find out which BritRail Pass might be for you.

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Train tickets with direct rail

Look, book and save on train tickets travelling anywhere on the UK national rail network, around Europe, through the Channel Tunnel with Eurostar and the Eurotunnel car train as well as numerous other train services.

In addition to finding train times and booking your train ticket you can also view information on virtually every train station in the UK and find out how to get to many attractions, sporting venues, ferry ports and airports by train too.

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Popular Destinations

• Trains to London
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Popular Journeys

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• London to Liverpool
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• Leeds to London
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• London to Paris
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• Eurotunnel to Calais

Trains around the UK

We cover all routes on the British rail network with all train companies. Find train times and book train tickets to and from over 2500 train stations now and save as much as 80% when you book in advance compared to buying on the day.

International trains

Plan and book your travel to Europe by train via Eurostar to numerous destinations or take your car across the channel on the Eurotunnel car train.

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Book a combined rail and ferry ticket and travel from your local station to destinations in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Wight and the Scottish Isles.

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Experience the fun and budget friendly way to discover Europe by train with an Interrail pass! From vibrant cities to charming villages, across countries and over borders - there’s really no better way to explore the continent!

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BritRail train passes for England, Scotland & Wales

Exclusive rail passes only available to overseas visitors to great britain.

5 types of BritRail Pass to choose from

BritRail GB Consecutive Pass - travel anywhere in England, Wales and Scotland by rail for a consecutive number of days chosen by you. There is no limit to the number of journeys you can make in this period.

BritRail GB Flexible Pass - travel anywhere in England, Wales and Scotland by rail. You select a number of days within a stated time period on which you wish to travel by rail. e.g. 8 days in 2 months means that you can travel on any 8 days chosen by you within a 2 month period. There is no limit to the number of journeys you can make on the active days within that period.

BritRail England Consecutive Pass - travel anywhere in England by rail for a consecutive number of days chosen by you. There is no limit to the number of journeys you can make in this period within England.

BritRail England Flexible Pass - the same as the BritRail GB Flexible Pass above but only valid for rail travel in England.

BritRail London Plus Train Pass - Aimed at visitors who want to stay in London and independently visit major attractions outside London on day trips.

Why buy a BritRail Pass?   Key aspects   UK trains for visitors   Common questions   Types of BritRail Pass   Buy BritRail Pass   BritRail Pass for London  

Why buy a BritRail Pass?

If you are a visitor coming from abroad, the advantage of purchasing your rail tickets using the pass are:

You get preferential rates as a foreign national

The tickets are generally much cheaper than if you were to buy individual train tickets when you get here.

Not available to residents of England, Scotland and Wales.

You save time queuing and its a very convenient and time-saving way of travelling by train.

BOOK BRITRAIL PASS

BritRail Pass - explore Britain by rail

Rail passes exclusively for visitors to the UK

Explore a range of passes from 3 days to 2 months from £96pp

Key aspects of BritRail Pass

Aimed at visitors who want to independently explore Great Britain. Train is generally much faster and more scenic than travel by road. Some routes are tourist attractions in their own right.

Provides unlimited travel on trains on the days covered by the pass.

Tickets are purchased in advance and will be mailed to your home address.

No need to book train tickets in advance.

Basic facts about UK trains for visitors

On nearly all the train routes used by this pass there will be be at least one train an hour, on most main routes there will be several trains an hour. Trains on most routes continue operating until late evening with some overnight trains.

Train travel is normally faster than if you covered the same journey by vehicle. On nearly all the trains used by this pass there are no seat reservations. You just grab the first seat available when boarding the train. There are toilets on all trains and all but the shortest journeys will have refreshments available of one sort or another.

Common questions about the BritRail Pass

Where do I activate/validate my BritRail Pass?

Before you can start to use your BritRail Pass you must have it activated. To do this, please take along your BritRail Pass and your ID (preferably a passport) to the ticket office at the train station you wish to make your first journey from. The ticket staff will then activate your pass for you. You can then board the train and, if asked, please show your ticket to the ticket inspector.

Where can I find train timetables?

You can find all train times and the normal fares levied at the link below..

Please note train journeys are not formally confirmed until 3 months before travel.

UK rail journey planner

Is the London Underground covered?

BritRail Passes are not valid on London Transport Underground trains or buses. To travel on the tube you will need an Oyster or Travelcard .

Are airport transfer trains included?

The BritRail London Plus Pass also includes airport transfers by train, including the Heathrow Express, Gatwick Express and Stansted Express but not the London Underground.

Types of BritRail Pass

There are various categories of BritRail Pass, by geographical coverage of the pass, number days you want the pass to last and whether those days are consecutive or spread over a much longer period.

Geographic coverage: Your options are Scotland, England and Wales combined, England on its own, or the south-east of England including London.

Duration of Pass: 3,4,8 and 15 days and 22 days or 1 month is available for consecutive day passes.

Flexible or Consecutive: Your days on the pass can either be consecutive, where the pass is valid for a number of days valid on consecutive days or flexible where you can travel on the number of days purchased over a 2 month period.

BritRail Pass Standard Fares+

Britrail london plus train pass - a rail pass for those based in london.

The BritRail London Plus Aimed at visitors who want to stay in London and independently visit major attractions outside London on day trips. The BritRail London Plus Train Pass provides unlimited travel on trains within the area of coverage (see map below) for a minimum of 2 days within a week.

BOOK BRITRAIL LONDON PASS

BritRail London Plus Pass - explore Britain by rail

3 days within 1 month

4 days within 1 month

8 days within 1 month

The most popular places to visit as a day trip from London are Bath , Oxford , Warwick , Stratford Upon Avon , Canterbury , Salisbury , Cambridge, Dover and Winchester.

Popular places to combine in a single day by train are: Windsor and Oxford, Windsor and Bath, Salisbury and Bath, Warwick and Stratford Upon Avon, Canterbury and Dover.

Train travel from and to London is normally much faster than if you covered the same journey by vehicle.

Windsor Castle: 30-40 minutes from Paddington, trains twice an hour. 50 minutes from Waterloo, also twice an hour.

Hampton Court: 30-40 minutes Waterloo, twice an hour.

Oxford: Around one hour from Paddington, trains every 20-30 minutes.

Salisbury (For Stonehenge): Around one hour 30 mins from Waterloo, trains every 30 minutes.

Bath: Around one hour 30 mins from Paddington, trains every 30 minutes.

Warwick: Around one hour 20 mins from Marylebone, trains every 30-60 minutes.

Stratford Upon Avon: Around 2 hours from Marylebone, direct trains every 3 hours.

Canterbury: Around 60-90 mins from St Pancras, Charing Cross, Victoria and London Bridge .

The Man in Seat 61

A beginner's guide to

Train travel in britain.

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Train travel UK & Ireland...

Train travel in europe..., train travel in asia..., train travel in africa..., train travel in america..., train travel in australasia, 20+ operators, one network.

Click here for the best map of the UK train network

Here is a quick guide to train travel in Britain .  Since 1995, Britain's rail network has been run by over 20 private train companies, but they work together as National Rail with co-ordinated fares & ticketing.  You can find train times & fares for all train operators all on one website, you can buy a train ticket between any two stations, tickets are normally valid on any operator's trains.

A typical inter-city train

Trains come in many different types & company colours, but they all work together as National Rail.  This is an LNER Azuma train, used on the East Coast Main Line linking London-York-Newcastle-Edinburgh.  You'll find seating plans for key British trains on the seat numbering plans page .

How to check train times & fares

To check train times & fares , use the National Rail website www.nationalrail.co.uk .  This is provided by RDG (Rail Delivery Group) on behalf of all train operators, and it shows train times & fares for all routes and all operators. RDG was formerly (perhaps more accurately) called the Association of Train Operating Companies.

Pro tip:   You can look up fares & restrictions at www.brfares.com although this is an online version of rail industry fares manuals so takes some getting to grips with.  However, I use it to see the range of fares available between two points without using a journey planner.

To check train times & fares by phone , call National Rail Enquiries on 0345 7 48 49 50, if you are located outside the UK call +44 20 7278 5240.  Lines open 24 hours a day, calls from UK phones are charged at local rates.

Is your train on time?   Go to www.nationalrail.co.uk/live-trains and enter the name of your station to see a live online departure board showing train arrivals & departures in the next hour or two, and whether they are on time or not.

Pro tip: If you want a really detailed version with planned train formations and rolling stock type, try www.realtimetrains.co.uk .

Maps of the rail network

Map of the national rail network :  Click here for the best national rail map .  This is the map which used to be included in the big printed Great Britain National Timetable, and in my opinion it's the still best map of the network, sufficiently schematic to see the lines, sufficiently geographic to see where they go.  The map is sadly no longer available on the National Rail website, where none of the replacement maps are as good.

Other maps :  There are other train network maps listed on www.nationalrail.co.uk/ passenger_services/maps , including maps of the London area rail network, the London & Southeast rail network, and rail networks in other major cities.

I also recommend rail fare expert Barry Doe's UK rail map which shows which train operator runs where, www.barrydoe.co.uk/railmap52.pdf .

Station plans:   You can find a plan of most stations showing layout, platforms & facilities at www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations .

How to buy tickets

Buy train tickets for any train journey in Britain at tfw.wales .

Transport for Wales is one of the 20+ British train operators and they sell tickets for all routes, all trains (except sleepers ), all operators, and charge the official price with no added booking fee.

You'll be offered a mobile ticket for many journeys, simply show the barcode on your phone, tablet or laptop.

Or you can collect tickets from the self-service machines at any main station.  You'll need the original credit or debit card with you as ID, if you have any problems you can also collect from the staffed ticket office.

Or they will post tickets to any UK address for a fee, with guaranteed next day delivery by 1pm.

Overseas users:   If you have any problems getting tfw.wales to accept your credit card, buy from www.thetrainline.com instead.

Tip:   There's no need to find the 'right' train operator website , or to compare prices on different sites as all train operator websites including tfw.wales sell tickets for all British trains at exactly the same prices from exactly the same National Rail fares database.

Tip:   There are 3 types of fare, Anytime, Off-Peak & Advance.  Anytime fares are good for any train.  Off-Peak fares are good for any train outside Monday-Friday peak periods.  Advance fares are only good for the specific train you book with limited or no changes or refunds allowed.  For a more detailed explanation, see my quick guide to the 3 types of train ticket .

Tip:   Avoid booking fees by using a train operator website such as tfw.wales as they don't charge a booking fee.  Most independent third-party ticket retailers add a small booking fee on top of the ticket price, including www.thetrainline.com , www.raileasy.com , www.mytrainticket.co.uk & www.redspottedhanky.com .  For example www.thetrainline.com charges around £1.50 booking fee.  There are a few exceptions, for example trainsplit.com doesn't charge any fee, but will share any saving if a split ticket saves you money, and new independent retailer railsmartr.co.uk also charges no fee.

Tip:   Train ticket booking normally open 8-12 weeks ahead , beware of trying to book too far ahead as explained here .  90% of all British train tickets are bought less than a month before travel.  But here's a good idea:  Sign up for a free email 'ticket alert' when ticket booking opens for the specific route you want, allowing you to snap up those cheap fares as soon as they are released (It's worth trying later in the day if you don't immediately see any cheap deals available).  To sign up for an alert, go to www.thetrainline.com , click Tools & Apps top right, then click Ticket alert.  Some other train companies also offer this service.

Tip:   Choose your exact seat from a plan.   A few operators allow you to choose a specific seat from a seat plan, but only if you use their own site to book their own trains.  Although I personally prefer the booking engine used by tfw.wales , independent split ticketing website trainsplit.com lets you choose an exact seat on most LNER, Avanti West Coast, Cross Country & East Midlands Trains services, all on one site - plus it charges no booking fee, and it checks to see if split tickets could save you money, too.

You'll find seating plans for some key British trains on the seat numbering plans page .

Tip:   Upgrade to first class using Seatfrog :  If you buy a standard class ticket for LNER (London-York-Edinburgh), GWR (London-Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Devon, Cornwall) or Cross-Country you can bid for a budget upgrade to first class.  See how it works and download the Seatfrog app .

The National Rail website www.nationalrail.co.uk doesn't sell tickets itself, but after answering your enquiry it will offer you a choice of ticket selling websites, with the operator most relevant to your journey at the top of the list.

To buy train tickets by phone , call any train operator telesales line.  They all sell the same tickets at the same prices, for example, Avanti West Coast on 0345 528 0253.

Tips for finding the cheapest tickets

Book longer-distance trips in advance.  Advance fares are the cheapest ticket for medium & long-distance journeys.  The price varies like budget air fares, the earlier you book, the cheaper they're likely to be.  Buy tickets for any route in Britain at tfw.wales or any other train operator website.  You can also buy at www.thetrainline.com , but they add a small booking fee.

Advance fares are only good for the specific train you book, no refunds, limited or no changes to travel plans.  If you want flexibility, you need to buy an Off-Peak fare or Anytime fare .

Even booking the night before can save money:   Bookings for Advance tickets theoretically close at 18:59 the day before travel.  But in practice they remove any remaining Advance fares at 23:59 on many routes, and one or two operators now even sell them on the day, so it's worth trying even if you've just missed the deadline!

Avoid busy days & times:   Advance fares vary in price from train to train & day to day just like budget airline fares, so hunt for the cheapest train.  Wednesday lunchtime is usually cheaper than Friday or Sunday afternoon.

Sign up for a ticket alert :   Advance fares normally go on sale 8-12 weeks ahead, the exact period varies.  If bookings aren't yet open for your date of travel, sign up for an automatic ticket alert at www.thetrainline.com/ticketalert (please let me know if that link stops working) and they'll email you the moment train ticket booking opens.  But don't fall into the 'trap' explained above by buying an expensive Anytime or Off-Peak ticket before cheap Advance fares go on sale.

Beware of booking too far ahead

Don't fall into the trap!   There are several weeks at the extremity of the booking horizon when expensive Anytime & Off-Peak fares go on sale but before cheap Advance fares go on sale.  This 'trap' catches out many overseas visitors to the UK, desperate to book train trips months ahead.  To see how far ahead booking for major operators is currently open, see www.thetrainline.com/ticketalert .

Anytime & Off-Peak fares go on sale 12 weeks out, even if reservations have not yet opened, because these fares can be sold without a seat reservation.  They have a fixed price & unlimited availability, they cannot sell out.  There's no advantage in buying these in advance.

Advance fares are much cheaper, but can only go on sale when reservations open, usually 8 to 10 weeks out (it varies) because availability at each price level is controlled by the reservation system.  To secure a cheap price, you need to buy these Advance fares in advance.

So if the cheapest price you see when booking your London-York trip 10 weeks out is £100+, don't think "Oh no, all the cheap tickets have sold out!", just wait a few weeks until Advance fares magically appear from £23 upwards.  Got that?  Great!

Cheaper fares on slower routes

London to Exeter, Plymouth, Bath, Bristol, Newport & Cardiff:   There are cheaper fares on the slower route from London Waterloo via Salisbury, compared to the main route from London Paddington.

London to Liverpool, Manchester, Crewe, Preston and so on:   There are cheaper fares using slower London & North Western trains rather than the fast Avanti West Coast expresses.

Split-ticketing

How to check if split-ticketing will save you money:

Go to trainsplit.com and use their journey planner.  You then click to buy all the tickets online as one transaction, as easily as buying one ticket.  There's no booking fee unless they make you a saving, then they take a small fee out of the saving.

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Railcards :  Save money if you're under 26, over 60, a family, or disabled

- if you're under 26, there's a 16-25 Railcard .

- if you're aged 26-30 (= under 31 years old) there's now a 26-30 Railcard .

- if you're over 60 there's a Senior Railcard .

- if you're a family or group of friends with at least one child, there's a Family & Friends Railcard .

- if you travel as a duo, there's now a Two Together Railcard for 2 named people of any age who travel together.

- if you have certain types of disability there's a Disabled Person's Railcard .

And no, you don't need to be British or live in the UK to buy a railcard, see the overseas visitors paragraph below !

Alternatively, you can buy a 3-year Railcard for £70 which saves money over 3 x 1-year cards.

A railcard can pay for itself in just one or two long-distance train journeys.  For example, an Off-Peak return London-Manchester costs around £98, so it's £64 return with a railcard, that's a £34 saving straight away.

Disabled Person's Railcard

You can buy a UK national railcard even if you live outside the UK, as long as you meet the criteria for age or for a family group or two people travelling together.  You don't need to be a British citizen or live in the UK to qualify.

The easiest option is to buy online & download a digital railcard onto the National Rail Railcard App on your iPhone or Android phone. Just click the link for the railcard you want and follow the instructions:

www.senior-railcard.co.uk , www.16-25railcard.co.uk , www.family-railcard.co.uk , www.twotogether-railcard.co.uk , www.network-railcard.co.uk .

Tip:   The railcard lasts 1 year from the date you buy it.  You can buy tickets online with the railcard discount applied before you buy the railcard, because you don't need the railcard number to buy a discounted ticket.  So it makes sense to only buy the railcard close to the date you plan to first use it.

Tip:   If system refuses to accept your non-UK postcode the first time you enter your address, no problem, just use this UK one: EC1A 4HD, it makes no difference.  At the payment stage you can select your correct nationality then enter the correct postcode for your billing address.

Tip:   If it says invalid passport number there's advice on how to fix this in the railcard website FAQ, it involves entering everything exactly as it's written in your passport.  Persevere, it should accept almost any current machine-readable passport.

Tip:   If it won't accept a U.S. passport number, start typing the numbers and letters at the bottom of your U.S. passport's photo page. When you get to 30 characters, the system should accept it, even without the remaining numbers and letters.

After buying your railcard (or even before you buy it) you can buy railcard-discounted tickets online at any National Rail authorised sales site such as tfw.wales .

General train travel information:  www.nationalrail.co.uk

As well as online train times and fares, www.nationalrail.co.uk has:

Are the trains running on time?  Are there engineering works?

Go to www.nationalrail.co.uk/live-trains , enter the name of your station to see a 'live departure board' showing train arrivals & departures in the next hour or two, and whether they are on time or not.

Advanced users may find the website www.realtimetrains.co.uk useful.  If you look up a train and click for the detailed version, it shows rail mileages.  It holds actual on-time performance data for the past 7 days.  You can check the progress of a train that's currently running, and it even shows the booked rolling stock type and train formation.

Train company websites

Go to www.nationalrail.co.uk , scroll right to the bottom and click 'Train Operating Companies' for each train company's website address, postal address & phone numbers.

First or Standard class?

Most leisure travellers go standard class, with first class used by businessmen.  But if you pre-book you can find some great first class deals.  First class fares on inter-city trains run by Avanti West Coast, LNER and East Midlands Trains include light meals & drinks, at least on Mondays-Fridays.  GWR & Cross-Country first class includes complimentary tea & coffee on their inter-city routes.  However, your default assumption on other routes should be that first class simple means nicer seats and more room.

This is 1st class (above left) and standard class (above right) on a Pendolino from London to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, the Lake District, Carlisle and Glasgow, run by Avanti West Coast.  As you can see, in standard class there are 2+2 seats across the car width, in first class it's 1+2, so there's more elbow room, more legroom, and there are tables for two and solo seats (below left).  Avanti West Coast is unique in offering a middle class between standard and first called Standard Premium, which uses exactly the same seating as 1st class but without any food or drink included.

Food included in 1st class on LNER, Avanti West Coast & East Midlands Trains:   Below right, a light meal and wine served on an LNER Azuma train from London to Edinburgh, included in the fare.  Avanti West Coast & East Midlands Trains offer a similar 1st class food & drink service.  Another good reason for taking train not plane between London and Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester or Newcastle!

London Underground & Bus information

tfl.gov.uk   for London Underground, bus, Docklands Light Railway, Croydon Tramlink and other London transport information.

tfl.gov.uk/modes/tube   for London Underground information.

Need a bus at the other end?

www.traveline.info allows you to check local bus times across the UK, or you can call Traveline on 0871 200 22 33.  Traveline is a national initiative to make local travel information available on a single number nationwide.  All call centres open 08:00-20:00, some open longer.

There is a system called PLUSBUS, where for £2-£3 more than the normal train fare you can add unlimited bus travel within your origin and/or destination city.  So for example, instead of buying a normal return from London to Manchester for (say) £98, you can buy a return to Manchester Plusbus for just £3 or so more and get exactly the same train ticket but with unlimited free bus travel within central Manchester for the day added on.  See www.plusbus.info for details of the 200 towns and cities in which PLUSBUS operates, or just ask when you buy your train ticket.

Need a ferry at the other end?

For ferries to France , Spain , Belgium , Denmark , Norway & Sweden , see the relevant country page.

To Orkney & the Shetland Isles

Northlink Ferries ( www.northlinkferries.co.uk ) sail from Scrabster near Thurso to Stromness at Scapa Flow on the Orkneys, and from Aberdeen to Lerwick on the Shetland Islands.  Aberdeen-Shetland has a daily overnight service, the ships are little gems, with cosy cabins, lounges, bar, restaurant, and an excellent premium lounge called the Magnus Lounge which is well worth the small extra charge.  All cabins have en suite toilet & shower, premium cabins include access to the Magnus Lounge.  Northlink's terminal in Aberdeen is in central Aberdeen, an easy 5-10 minute walk from Aberdeen station.

Taking your bike ?

Most trains carry bicycles, sometimes for free, sometimes for a small fee with advance reservation required.  

See www.atob.org.uk/rail-ferry-zone for a summary of the bike arrangements on every train operator, although it may not be 100% up to date.

Details can also be found at www.nationalrail.co.uk/on-the-train/train-travel-with-bicycles   and on individual train company websites. 

For information on taking your bike on Eurostar & other European trains, see the Taking your bike to Europe by train page .

Only a few operators will carry tandems, for advice on train travel with tandems see tandem-club.org.uk .

Rail Rovers :  Unlimited train travel for anyone

Rail Rovers give unlimited travel over all or selected parts of the British rail network and can be bought by anyone, including UK residents, see www.nationalrail.co.uk/.../rangers_and_rovers .  There are rail rovers covering the whole network or just certain areas.  The All-Line Rail Rover gives unlimited travel over the whole British national rail network.

2024 All Line Rail Rover prices:

7-day standard class All-Line Rail Rover £598 (child under 16 half price, 34% off for 16-25/senior/two together/forces/disabled railcard holders)

14-day standard class All-Line Rail Rover £908 (child under 16 half price, 34% off for 16-25/senior/two together/forces/disabled railcard holders)

7-day 1st class All-Line Rail Rover £908 (child under 16 half price, 34% off for senior/two together/forces/disabled railcard holders)

14-day 1st class All-Line Rail Rover £1,387 (child under 16 half price, 34% off for senior/disabled/two together railcard holders)

How to buy a rail rover

You can check current prices & buy online at tickets.gwr.com/..../roversandrangers .  Alternatively, you can buy Rail Rovers from any railway station or train operator telesales line.  You can only buy one from stations within 3 days of the date you want them to start.  If you have any trouble buying a rail rover, ask them to look in section G of their fares manual.

Travel restrictions

The All-Line rover used to be valid on all national rail trains without time restrictions but some restrictions were introduced in 2011  to stop business travellers using it on certain key business routes.  No restrictions apply on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays, but on Mondays to Fridays the All-Line Rail Rover is not valid for boarding or alighting train services operated by Avanti West Coast, LNER, East Midlands Trains or Arriva CrossCountry at the following stations before 10:00:

London Euston

London Kings Cross

London St Pancras International

Birmingham New Street

Luton Airport Parkway

Milton Keynes Central

Watford Junction

There are no restrictions on these companies' trains at other stations or on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, or on other companies' trains at any station on any day.  So it's no problem using a Great Western train getting in to London before 10:00, or a ScotRail sleeper arriving at London Euston before 10:00.

All-Line Rail Rovers are also valid on the Ffestiniog Railway, and on Caledonian sleepers (seated cars free, sleepers if you pay the berth supplement).  They are not valid on Eurostar, Heathrow Express, Heathrow Connect, London Underground or Docklands, heritage railways (except Ffestiniog Railways) or shipping services.  For information on rail rovers covering other areas call National Rail Enquiries on 03457 48 49 50.

If you buy a rover using a 2-Together railcard, you also can't use the pass before 09:30 Monday-Fridays.

BritRail passes: Unlimited train travel for overseas visitors

If you live overseas and plan to visit the UK, you can buy a 'BritRail' pass which gives unlimited train travel on all 20+ British train operators for various periods.  It's now available as a mobile pass that you can buy & download to your phone.

BritRail prices, information & buy online

BritRail pass or point-to-point tickets?

A pass is only worth it if you're going to make a number of long-distance train trips around Britain, so don't bother with a BritRail pass if all you're going to do is make one long-distance trip, or a number of relatively short trips.  For longer distances, a BritRail pass typically works out about the same as a normal Off-Peak flexible ticket bought on the day of travel, it's more expensive than the cheaper Advance tickets, but is far cheaper than the Anytime tickets needed to travel in the Monday-Friday business peaks, see the 30-second guide to UK rail fares .  So if you want to make early starts on Monday-Fridays and have complete all-day flexibility, a BritRail pass is a great idea, but if you're prepared to avoid the Monday-Friday morning & afternoon business peaks, and especially if you book cheap tickets in advance at tfw.wales (no booking fee!) on a no-refunds, no-changes-to-travel-plans basis, ordinary point-to-point tickets will be the same or cheaper than a pass.  Before investing in a BritRail pass, check that normal tickets wouldn't be cheaper for what you plan to do, using tfw.wales or www.nationalrail.co.uk .

How to make BritRail seat reservations online

Seat reservation are optional on all British trains (except overnight sleeper trains).  So you don't have to have one, and indeed can't make one anyway on many local/rural/urban/suburban routes.  But they are a good idea on long-distance routes, especially at busy times.

Do not pay £££ (or $$$) to make seat reservations through an agency.  There's a well-hidden way to make stand-alone seat reservations for free to go with a pass.

Go to www.gwr.com and register for an account.  Sign in & click My account .  Then click Bookings .  Then click the Make a seat/bike reservation box. 

Run an enquiry and select a train.  It will look as if you need to select a fare, select any fare in the right class, it doesn't matter which, continue and make the reservation.  It says you won't be charged and indeed you'll get the free stand-alone seat reservation without needing to enter any payment details.

Even though it's GWR, this works for any train/route/operator where seat reservations are available including LNER, Avanti, Cross-Country, TransPennine & GWR.  Please let me know if this process changes, or ceases to work.

Tip for seat reservations on LNER trains:   If you want a seat reservation on an LNER train (for example, between London & York, Leeds, Newcastle, Edinburgh) you can also use www.lner.co.uk/travel-information/make-a-reservation , up to 5 minutes before the train leaves its starting station.  The advantage over using gwr.com is that you can choose an exact seat from a seating plan on LNER trains if you make a reservation this way.  You'll need to register for an LNER account during the process, but no payment is necessary, it's free just like gwr.com.  However, gwr.com can reserve seats on any operator, this LNER system can only make reservations on LNER trains.

Or make reservations in person

Simply ask at any staffed station any time up to about 2h before departure, or ideally the day before.  There are always places available, even on the day.

A simple guide to train fares

Anytime, Off-Peak & Advance...  They say train fares are complicated.  But for all practical purposes, there are now just 3 types of fare making it as simple as 1, 2 3.  All the train companies now use the same 3 names for the same 3 types of ticket.  Always confirm the exact restrictions and conditions when you buy your ticket. 

Which train operators & routes can you use ?

People get hung up on there being 20+ different train operators, but it's actually pretty simple.  The government requires train operators to work together as a network, so:

Why are there several 'Anytime' & 'Off-Peak' tickets for my journey, all with different prices?  Unfortunately, online ticket systems don't usually show the ticket routing.  So you might see two 'Anytime' fares from (say) London to Hull, one apparently valid on all the trains, the other only valid on a handful of trains and cheaper than the first one.  The reason is simple, in this case the first one is the 'route any permitted' anytime fare, the other is a cheaper 'route Hull Trains only' anytime fare only valid on Hull Trains' own services.  Similarly, you may find two Anytime or Off-Peak tickets between London & (say) Birmingham, one valid on all trains, the other only on some of the trains.  In this case it's because there are two sets of fares to Birmingham, one set being the 'route any permitted' fares valid on all routes & operators, the second being cheaper 'route High Wycombe' fares valid on all operators but only on the slower route via High Wycombe.  This would be obvious, rather than confusing, if the online systems stated the ticket routing for each fare they showed, but they don't.  The choice between (on the one hand) slower but cheaper and (on the other hand) faster, more frequent but more expensive, is up to you.

Breaking your journey ('stopovers'):  With an Off-Peak ticket you can take an interesting or scenic route and change trains as much as you like without leaving the station, as long as you stay within the time restrictions which apply to your ticket and stick to one of the permitted routes (see below).  However, you can only break your journey (i.e. stop off and leave the station) on the return leg of an Off-Peak return, not on the outward leg of an Off-Peak return, and not at all on an Off-Peak one-way ticket.  With an Anytime one-way or return ticket, there are no time restrictions and you can break your journey anywhere you like along any of the permitted routes.

How are fares set?  Here comes the science bit...  Behind the scenes, fare setting works like this:  Every origin-destination pair (known as a 'flow') is allocated to a particular train operator who has the right and the obligation to set the fares.  This operator is known as the 'Lead Operator' for that flow.  Once the Lead Operator has set the fares, every other operator serving any part of that flow (known as the 'Secondary Operators') are legally obliged to accept those fares for travel on their trains.  As I've said, Advance fares are by definition only valid on one train operator's trains, and both Lead Operators and Secondary Operators are allowed to set Advance fares for their own trains.  In addition Secondary Operators are allowed to set other (more flexible) fare types for their own trains, although only a few choose to do so.  For example, you'll see 'anytime' & 'off-peak' fares from London to Hull routed 'Hull Trains only' set by Secondary Operator Hull Trains, in addition to the main London to Hull 'route any permitted' anytime & off-peak fares set by Lead Operator LNER.  However, Lead Operators are not permitted to set fares which are only valid on their own trains, other than Advance fares, temporary fares & first class fares.  Revenue from the fares set by Lead Operators is shared between all operators serving that route, based on a computer system called ORCATS which models the proportion of passenger miles travelled on each operator.

What are the permitted routes?

The 'permitted routes' for a given origin & destination are set out in a document called the National Routeing Guide.  Don't worry about getting hold of a copy, even ticket clerks can't understand it half the time, just accept that it exists, and its contents have been incorporated into the various journey planning systems such as those used on nationalrail.co.uk, thetrainline.com & raileasy.com.  To give you a flavour of how flexible the permitted routes are:

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Manchester has always been independent and forward-looking since its industry-oriented past. Trains to Manchester stop at four main railway stations: Piccadilly, Oxford Road, Victoria and Deansgate, which make up the Manchester station group.

Edinburgh is a truly fascinating and beautiful city of Scotland with a wealth of attractions. Take a train to Edinburgh and enjoy what it has to offer for every visitors. Edinburgh's main attractions are there for all to see: Edinburgh Castle, the grandeur of the Royal Mile, the endless shows of the Edinburgh Festival and the Fringe during August.

Birmingham is the second largest international city in the United Kingdom after London. Its population and area are second only to London. It is located in the center of England, on the main railway line from London to Liverpool, with well-developed transportation links.

The distance between London and Glasgow Central is 345 miles. The average journey time between London and Glasgow Central is 5 hours 38 minutes. On an average weekday, there are 32 trains travelling from London to Glasgow Central. The journey time may be longer on weekends and holidays.

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Europe’s air quality status 2024, key messages.

• Despite ongoing overall improvements in air quality, current EU standards are still not met across Europe.   
• 96% of the EU’s urban population is exposed to unsafe concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ).
• The new EU air quality standards introduced in the revised ambient air quality directive — proposed to come into force in 2030 — are more ambitious than the current ones.

This briefing is one in a series to be published by the EEA as part of the Air quality in Europe 2024 package.

It assesses concentrations of air pollutants in ambient air across Europe, comparing them against current EU standards and the 2021 WHO global air quality guidelines . The EU standards were set out in the 2004 and 2008 ambient air quality directives .

Under the European Green Deal (EGD)’s zero pollution action plan , the European Commission set the interim 2030 goal of reducing the number of premature deaths caused by fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 , a key air pollutant) by at least 55% compared with 2005 levels. The ultimate objective is for air pollution to have no significant impact on health by 2050. To this end, the Commission published a proposal to review the ambient air quality directives in 2022. Among other things, it aimed to align the air quality standards more closely with WHO recommendations.

Co-legislators agreed to more ambitious EU air quality standards in February 2024. However, they are still less strict for all pollutants than what the WHO outlines in their air quality guideline levels .

In 2022, despite ongoing reductions in emissions , most of the EU’s urban population continued to be exposed to levels of key air pollutants that are damaging to health (see Figure 1). In particular, almost all of the urban population was exposed to concentrations of PM 2.5 above the 2021 WHO annual guideline level of 5µg/m 3 and to concentrations of ozone (O 3 ) above the short-term guideline level of 100µg/m 3 .

Figure 1. Share of the EU urban population exposed to air pollutant concentrations above certain EU standards and WHO guidelines in 2022

Notes : Exposure above EU standards: the EU urban population is exposed to PM 2.5 annual concentrations above 25µg/m 3 ; PM 10 daily concentrations above 50µg/m 3 for more than 35 days per year; O 3 maximum daily 8-hour mean concentrations above 120µg/m 3 for more than 25 days per year; NO 2 annual concentrations above 40µg/m 3 ; Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) annual concentrations above 1ng/m 3 ; and sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ) daily concentrations above 125µg/m 3 for more than three days per year. Exposure above WHO guidelines: the EU urban population is exposed to PM 2.5 annual concentrations above 5µg/m 3 ; PM 10 annual concentrations above 15µg/m 3 ; O 3 maximum daily 8-hour mean concentrations exceeding 100µg/m 3 for more than 3-4 days per year; NO 2 annual concentrations above 10µg/m 3 ; BaP annual concentrations above 0.12ng/m 3 ; and SO 2 daily concentrations above 40µg/m 3 for more than three or four days per year. Source : EEA, 2024 .

Methodology

This analysis highlights pollutants deemed most harmful to human health and those that most frequently exceed the current EU air quality standards and WHO guideline levels.

The concentrations are obtained from monitoring station measurements and are officially reported to the EEA by its members and other collaborating countries [1] . The classification of the monitoring stations and the criteria used to determine their inclusion in the analysis are described here . The number of countries that submitted data and the number of monitoring stations with the minimum data coverage required vary for each pollutant. This is summarised in Table 1 for 2022 and Table 2 for 2023. When referring to countries reporting data above certain levels, it means that they reported at least one station with concentrations that surpassed them.

Data for 2022 and 2023 were extracted from the EEA’s reporting system on 5 March 2024.

The analysis for 2022 is based on officially validated data reported by countries. The analysis for 2023 is based on provisional up-to-date (UTD) data. It may change once fully validated data is received by the EEA and more countries are considered. Validated data for 2023 will only be available later in 2024 and will be presented in the 2025 briefing.

Additional information and further analysis are available in the Eionet status reports ETC/HE 2024/3 (Targa et al., 2024a) and ETC/HE 2024/5 (Targa et al., 2024b), prepared by the European Topic Centre on Human Health and the Environment (ETC HE) .

Further information on the concentrations of air pollutants, including those for previous years, can be found at the EEA’s statistics viewer . Data can be downloaded here .

Apart from the measurements from monitoring stations, some countries also reported 2022 official data from modelling applications, which are available from the Air Quality Modelling Viewer . The results from these modelling applications have been included in this analysis where they implied concentrations above the EU standards.

Navigate the tabs for information on each pollutant: 

• Other pollutants

PM 10 stands for particulate matter with a diameter of 10µm or less. PM 10 is emitted mainly by the combustion of solid fuels for domestic heating, although industrial activities, agriculture and road transport are also important sources. Some also come from natural sources such as sea salt, Saharan dust or volcanoes, and some (secondary PM) form in the atmosphere as a combination of different gases (for instance, ammonia and nitrogen dioxide). Member States can discount the contribution of natural sources to the total concentrations for compliance assessments as these sources are out of their control, but we do not exclude these sources in this status analysis.

Concentrations above the EU daily limit value for PM 10 are seen mainly in Italy and some eastern European countries (Map 1 and Figure 3). In most central and eastern European countries, solid fuels such as coal and wood are widely used for heating households and in some industrial facilities and power plants. The Po Valley in northern Italy is a densely populated and industrialised area with specific meteorological and geographical conditions that favour the accumulation of air pollutants in the atmosphere. Some concentrations are also above the EU daily limit value in southern Spain and the Canary Islands, mainly due to the natural contributions of Saharan dust ( MITECO, 2023 ).

Map 1. Concentrations of PM 10 in 2022 and 2023 in relation to the EU daily limit value

Note: The map shows the 90.4th percentile of the PM 10 daily mean concentrations, representing the 36th-highest value in a complete series. It is related to the PM 10 daily limit value, allowing 35 exceedances of the 50µg/m 3 threshold over one year. Source: EEA’s AQ e-reporting database.

Table 3. Country status for PM 10 in 2022 and 2023

Note: ( a ) all the reporting countries; ( b ) all the reporting countries except Estonia and Iceland; ( c ) all the reporting countries except Luxembourg. Source: EEA’s AQ e-reporting database.

Figure 2. Percentage of reporting monitoring stations registering PM 10 concentrations above the EU limit values and the WHO guideline levels in 2022 and 2023

In 2022, 16% of monitoring stations measured concentrations of PM 10  above the EU daily limit value (Figure 2), 84% of which were urban and 12% suburban.

Furthermore, Italy and Poland reported 2022 exceedances of the PM 10  daily limit value based on  assessment models  for 7 and 13 air quality zones, respectively.

Figure 3.  PM 10  concentrations in 2022 by country in relation to the EU daily limit value

Note:  The figure shows, per country, the concentrations of each reported station; the minimum and maximum concentrations; the median and the 25th and 75th percentiles of all the measurements (90.4th percentile of the PM 10  daily mean concentrations).

PM 2.5 stands for particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5µm or less. These particles are emitted mainly from the combustion of solid fuels for domestic heating, industrial activities and road transport. As with PM 10 , they can also come from natural sources and can form in the atmosphere. For compliance assessments, Member States can discount the contribution of natural sources to the total concentrations as these sources are out of their control, but in this status analysis, we do not exclude them. Agricultural emissions of ammonia significantly contribute to forming fine particulate matter in the atmosphere.

PM 2.5 concentrations above the EU annual limit value were seen in Italy and some eastern European countries (Map 2 and Figure 5). As for PM 10 , solid fuel use is the main reason for the situation in central and eastern Europe, together with an older vehicle fleet. In northern Italy, the high concentrations are due to the combination of a high density of anthropogenic emissions and also meteorological and geographical conditions that favour the accumulation of air pollutants in the atmosphere and the formation of secondary particles.

Map 2. Concentrations of PM 2.5 in 2022 and 2023 in relation to the EU annual limit value and the WHO annual guideline level

Source: EEA’s AQ e-reporting database .

Table 4. Country status for PM 2.5 in 2022 and 2023

Notes : ( a ) all the reporting countries, except Iceland; ( b ) all the reporting countries. Source: EEA’s AQ e-reporting database .

Figure 4. Percentage of reporting monitoring stations registering PM 2.5  concentrations above the EU annual limit value and the WHO guideline levels in 2022 and 2023

In 2022, 2% of monitoring stations registered concentrations of PM 2.5  above the EU annual limit value (Figure 4), 78% of which were urban and 15% suburban. In contrast, 95% of the PM 2.5 reporting stations registered concentrations above the WHO annual guideline level, 76% of which were urban and 20% suburban.

Furthermore, Italy and Poland reported exceedances of the PM 2.5  annual limit value based on  assessment models  for three and one air quality zones, respectively.

Regarding the EU standards related to the Average Exposure Indicator [2] for PM 2.5 , which assesses the general population’s long-term exposure in urban areas, all EU Member States continued to meet the exposure concentration obligation of 20µg/m 3 in 2022, set as a 2015 target under the  ambient air quality directive [3] . Furthermore, for the first time, all Member States [4] met the national exposure reduction target set for 2020.

Figure 5. PM 2.5  concentrations in 2022 by country in relation to the EU annual limit value and the WHO annual guideline level

Note:  The figure shows, per country, the concentrations of each reported station, the minimum and maximum concentrations, the median and the 25th and 75th percentiles of all the measurements (annual mean PM 2.5. concentrations).

Ozone (O 3 ) is a pollutant formed in the atmosphere when heat and light cause chemical reactions between nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including methane (which is also a powerful greenhouse gas ). Emissions of these gases occur from anthropogenic sources and, in the case of VOCs, also biogenic. Ozone is also transported to Europe from other parts of the northern hemisphere and the upper atmosphere. Meteorology plays an important role in forming and dispersing air pollution, and interannual variations in concentrations. This effect is especially significant for ozone.

Map 3. Concentrations of O 3  in 2022 and 2023 in relation to the EU target value

Notes:  The map shows the 93.2nd percentile of the O 3  maximum daily eight−hour mean, representing the 26th-highest value in a complete series. It is related to the O 3  target value. Data are presented here for one year only instead of the average over a three-year period, as stated in the definition of the EU target value for O 3 . Source : EEA’s AQ e-reporting database .

The highest concentrations in 2022 were found in some Mediterranean and central European countries (Map 3 and Figure 7).

Table 5. Country status for O 3  in 2022 and 2023  

Notes : ( a ) all the reporting countries.  The stations in Kosovo, although reported, did not get the minimum data coverage to estimate the relevant ozone statistics. Source : EEA’s AQ e-reporting database .

Figure 6. Percentage of reporting monitoring stations registering O 3  concentrations above the EU target value and the WHO guideline levels in 2022 and 2023

The long-term EU objective for ozone of 120µg/m 3  was met at 16% of monitoring stations in 2022.

Italy reported exceedances of the O 3  target value for the protection of health based on  assessment models  for three air quality zones. Italy and Poland reported exceedances of the O 3  long-term objective for the protection of health in 9 and 46 air quality zones, respectively.

Figure 7. O 3  concentrations in 2022 by country in relation to the EU target value

Note:  The figure shows, per country, the concentrations of each reported station, the minimum and maximum concentrations, the median and the 25th and 75th percentiles of all the measurements (93.2nd percentile of O 3 maximum daily eight-hour mean). Data are presented here for one year only, not the average over a three-year period as stated in the definition of the EU target value for O 3 .

In 2023, the long-term EU objective for ozone was met at 14% of monitoring stations.

The leading source of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) is road transport, which emits NO 2 close to the ground, mostly in densely populated areas, contributing to population exposure. Other important sources are combustion processes in industry and energy supply.

Concentrations above the annual limit value were found in many Turkish cities and some big cities with a high volume of traffic (Map 4 and Figure 9).

Map 4. Concentrations of NO 2  in 2022 and 2023 in relation to the EU annual limit value and the WHO annual guideline level

Source :   EEA´s AQ e-reporting database .

Table 6. Country status for NO 2  in 2022 and 2023

Notes : ( a ) all the reporting countries; ( b ) all the reporting countries, except Kosovo; ( c ): all the reporting countries. The stations from Kosovo, although reported, did not get the minimum data coverage to estimate the NO 2 statistics related to the WHO air quality daily guideline level. Source : EEA’s AQ e-reporting database .

Figure 8. Percentage of reporting monitoring stations registering NO 2  concentrations above the EU limit values and the WHO guideline levels in 2022 and 2023

In 2022, 2% of monitoring stations registered concentrations of NO 2  above the EU annual limit value (Figure 8), 76% of which were traffic stations. Concentrations above the NO 2 WHO annual guideline level were registered at 74% of all monitoring stations, 45% of which were traffic stations.

Belgium, Italy and Poland reported exceedances of the NO 2  annual limit value based on  assessment models  for three, two and four air quality zones, respectively.

Figure 9. NO 2  concentrations in 2022 by country and in relation to the EU annual limit value and the WHO annual guideline level

Note:  The figure shows, per country, the concentrations of each reported station, the minimum and maximum concentrations, the median and the 25th and 75 th percentiles of all the measurements (annual mean NO 2 concentrations).

In 2023, 1% of monitoring stations registered concentrations of NO 2  above the annual limit value, all of which were traffic stations. 68% of monitoring stations registered concentrations above the WHO annual guideline level, 46% of which were traffic stations.

Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP)  is a carcinogenic pollutant emitted mainly from the combustion of coal and wood for heating and, to a lesser extent, from industrial installations and the combustion of agricultural waste.

The highest concentrations  were found in Italy and eastern Europe (Map 5 and Figure 10), where the use of coal and other solid fuels for residential heating is widespread.

Map 5. Concentrations of BaP in 2022

Source: EEA’s AQ e-reporting database

Country status for BaP in 2022: 12 out of 27 reporting countries, all of which were EU Member States, registered values above 1.0 ng/m 3 . Concentrations above 1.0 ng/m 3  were registered at 25% of the reported monitoring stations, the majority of which were urban (78%) or suburban (18%). Greece and Poland reported exceedances of the BaP target value based on  assessment models  for one and 32 air quality zones, respectively.

Figure 10. BaP concentrations in 2022 by country

Note:  The figure shows, per country, the concentrations of each reported station, the minimum and maximum concentrations, the median and the 25th and 75th percentiles of all the measurements (annual mean BaP concentrations).

Country status for  sulphur dioxide (SO 2 )  in 2022:

• 4 out of 37 reporting countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Türkiye, North Macedonia and Serbia) — none of them EU Member States — registered levels above the EU daily limit value of 125µg/m 3 ;
• 17 countries, including nine EU Member States, registered values above the WHO daily guideline level of 40µg/m 3 [5] .

In 2022, 1% of reporting monitoring stations registered concentrations above the EU daily limit value and 6% of stations registered concentrations above the WHO daily guideline level.

In 2023, 11 reporting stations outside the EU (nine in Bosnia and Herzegovina and two in North Macedonia) registered concentrations of SO 2  above the EU daily limit value. In the same year, concentrations above the WHO daily guideline level were registered in 13 countries (including 10 EU Member States) out of 33 reporting countries.

Concentrations above the corresponding EU limit or target values were also registered in 2022 for the following pollutants:

• carbon monoxide (CO) at one station, located in the non-EU Member State of Serbia, out of 35 reporting countries;
• for benzene and lead, no stations reported concentrations above EU annual limit values in the 28 and 30 reporting countries, respectively. Italy reported exceedances of the benzene annual limit value based on  assessment models  for one air quality zone;
• arsenic in six stations across three EU Member States (Belgium, Finland and Poland, with two stations each) out of 29 reporting countries. Poland reported exceedances of the arsenic annual target value based on  assessment models  for two air quality zones;
• cadmium at one station, located in the EU Member State of Bulgaria, out of 30 reporting countries;
• nickel in four stations located in four EU Member States (Finland, France, Germany and Italy) out of 29 reporting countries.

[1]  The 27 European Union Member States, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Türkiye. The six West Balkan countries are cooperating countries. These include Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo (the designation is without prejudice to position on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/99 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence). Andorra reports data on a voluntary basis.

[2]  The Average Exposure Indicator (AEI) is based on a three-year average measured at urban background stations. The AEI for 2022 is based on 2020-2022. It assesses the general population’s long-term exposure in urban areas.

[3]  As well as the EU-27, Iceland and Norway also reported an AEI2022 below the exposure concentration obligation. The AEI2022 estimated for Switzerland, Andorra, Kosovo, Türkiye and Montenegro was also below the exposure concentration obligation. On the contrary, the estimated AEI2022 for Serbia, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina was above the exposure concentration obligation.

[4]  Plus Iceland and Norway.

[5]  The 99.18th percentile of the daily values has been considered, meaning three days of exceedance per year.

EEA, 2024. Indicator AIR003 'Exceedance of air quality standards in Europe'

Targa, J., Colina, M., Banyuls, L., González Ortiz, A., Soares, J. (2024a). Status report of air quality in Europe for year 2022, using validated data (ETC-HE Report 2024/3)

Targa, J., Colina, M., Banyuls, L., González Ortiz, A., Soares, J. (2024b). Status report of air quality in Europe for year 2023, using validated and up-to-date data (ETC-HE Report 2024/5).

MITECO, 2023. Evaluación de la Calidad del Aire en España 2022, Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico Secretaría General Técnica. Centro de Publicaciones., NIPO: 665-21-045-X

Identifiers

Briefing no. 06/2024 Title: Europe’s air quality status 2024 EN HTML: TH-AM-24-009-EN-Q - ISBN: 978-92-9480-650-5 - ISSN: 2467-3196 - doi: 10.2800/5970

Related content

Interactive charts, related publications.

The country assessments are the sole responsibility of the EEA member and cooperating countries supported by the EEA through guidance, translation and editing.

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Temporal coverage.

For references , please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/europes-air-quality-status-2024/europes-air-quality-status-2024 or scan the QR code.

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