HOW DO YOU USE A TRAIN?

Question

This may sound lie a very simple question to many people but i have personally never used a train in my life,

so my question is how do you use a train?

what do you ask for at the ticket office?

what if there is no ticket office?

How do i find the right platform?

any help is much appreciated, please anwser before the 16th this month pls!

Answer 1

if it is a commuter (local) type train, you will buy a ticket at a ticket counter or a vending machine.  You would tell the ticket agent or vending machine where you want to go (your destination) and when you want to go.  They will probably offer you some possibilities.

If it is a long distance train such as Amtrak or Viarail then you may need a reservation.  A few Amtrak trains are unreserved, so you can just buy a ticket and hop on board.  Most require a reservation to guarantee you a seat on board.  Again, you would tell the station ticket agent where you want to go.  If you live near a station without a ticket office, you will have to buy your ticket in well in advance over the phone or online.  This can take a long time time, as the ticket has to be mailed to you.  If you know in advance that you will be in an area without a ticket office, you can buy your ticket at any manned station.  You would just need to explain to the agent that the ticket is for travel leaving from a different station, going to your destination.

Commuter trains usually have only standard seating type, usually called coach class.  Long distance trains have coach class as well, and also have sleeping car or business class service.  The ticket agent may ask you which type of service you want.  The coach service is least expensive, but is less comfortable for sleeping.  The business service provides some complimentary snacks and a more comfortable seat.  The sleeping car service provides you with a private room with seating that can be converted to berths for sleeping.  The sleeping car also includes meals in the dining car.  Passengers not in sleeping car accommodations have to pay extra for the food.

In a small train station, there may only be one platform, and only one train all day.  In this case, there may be very little signage, besides the station name.  In large stations, there are usually signs or video monitors that display which train is at which platform.  If you are confused, you can ask a station employee for directions.  Don't feel embarrassed about asking them for help, as lots of people ask them for help, and it is their job to help their customers.

Good luck on your train trip and I hope you enjoy it!

Answer 2

It all depends on which train you're using.  You can go to the ticket office and tell them where you're going and buy a ticket.  If there is no office then you can buy a ticket online usually, or on the train itself.  There are usually signs on the platforms saying where to go.  

If you tell us exactly which train you're riding and to where, we can be more specific.

Answer 3

When you come to a station, all over Europe and also in other places, there will be signs to the ticket office, or ticket vending machines.

If there is a ticket office, go there and ask, the person will be happy to sell you the ticket and tell you all you need to know.

They will need to know where you want to go, when you want to travel, both directions if you intent to buy a ticket for the return journey too, with how many people and if they are child, adult, over 60's or 65's, and for some travel also under 26's.

Whether you want to travel in luxery, agains much more money (first class,) if overnight, whether you want a bed and how much you are willing to pay for it. So think about all that.

They will tell you when your train leaves, and if already known, which platform.

If you use a station that is to small to have a ticket office, you mostly can buy your ticket from a machine.

Usually it has a system that is self explanatory, you have the choice for a destination and mostly whether you want to return the same day, (sometimes also for a return ticket an other day,) and whether you want first class or second class, (often with different names,) select second, standard or coach class, unless you want to spend extra money to no avail.)

Take coins, as well as your card, and if the machine accepts bills, make sure they are fairly new.

When you have your ticket, you need to go to the platform.

Small stations have one or two platforms, often either between the tracks, or on both sides of the tracks. Then there will be signs which track is used by trains in which direction.

In any case, you can just ask a fellow passenger if it is not clear at first view.

We all have doubts when at an unfamiliar station, so it is a normal question, also for people who travel often.

Most or all stations have a list with all trains which use that station.

The ones leaving the station are often on yellow, the ones arriving on white, but that is not always the case.

With this listing there will often be a notice for which platform, but not always.

In some countries, specially on the bigger stations, the platform which the train uses can change, sometimes just to be anounced about the time the train comes in.

In that case there will be a big notice board with the trains listed and the tracks or platforms announced.

The number on that board is the same as those at the start of the platform or the stairs leading to the platform.

On the platform there is often (always?) a second notice telling that this train is going to wherever.

On the train can be the destination too, sometimes on the front, like a bus, sometimes on the side, near the front and rear ends, sometimes on or next to all doors.

Be careful, often the signs at the start of the platform only give the name of the final destination, not yours, but not all trains stop at all stations. There should be a full list of stops, again, if your station is not mentioned, ask.

Sometimes you need two or more trains to get to where you need to go, in that case, you will be told to get of a train in a certain station, there you will do the same again, looking for the right platform and track. You will, almost always, get a ticket to the final destination, so you will not have to buy a new ticket.

And when in doubt, ask the people also getting on or already in the train.

If you want to use a train in one of the countries/areas where all trains are long distance trains, ask whether how much in advance you need to buy your ticket, and whether you need to make a reservation.

The train companies all have a website nowadays, and a telephone number for questions.

In Europe, as standard, if it is a high speed train you need a reservation, if it is a long distance train you are adviced to make a reservation, if it is a local train you can not make a reservation.

In the USA, Canada and Australia, it is either a long distance train, make a reservation well before traveling, or a local train, no reservations available. They often use a different station.

If you tell us more about which country you think about traveling by train, we can give you more detailed and to the point info.

A good website about train travel in Europe is:

http://www.seat61.com/

Added:

While there are train systems where you can enter the train without a ticket, some others will fine you if you do, even when there is no ticket machine on the station.

Again, if in doubt, ask the others waiting for the train.

If nobody else is waiting, enter the train where a staff member is, (conductor or guard) and ask when entering.

Answer 4

It would depend on what type of train you are trying to use. Local mass transit type commuter rail is a lot different than something like AmTrak where you are going across the country. Try calling the train company you are riding with ... or check their website.

Answer 5

Exactly what type of ticket you ask for depends on the kind of journey you wish to make.

Tickets come in different types, these include single (one way) and return. Some return tickets are cheaper if you return the same day or within a limited period. Some tickets are only valid on certain trains - make sure you know which before boarding.

If there is no ticket office at the station where you board, the guard (aka 'conductor' or 'train manager') will have a machine to issue tickets on board. Simply book your ticket when he/she does their inspection round, which they will do after each station stop.

You can also book train tickets on line - see link below.

At large stations the platforms for arriving trains are announced over the PA and there are also computer screens showing the arrivals and departures, times, platforms etc. Be prepared however for last-minute platform changes which cause frantic passengers to scurry from one to the other. Bristol Temple Meads is particularly bad for this! I don't know if it's quite so bad at other stations.

If you're completely lost then don't hesitate to ask the station or train staff for help - it's part of their job.

Good luck and have a safe and pleasant journey.