Cheltenham Festival trains open for business

Race goers from across Britain, Ireland and mainland Europe will flock to the historic Cheltenham Racecourse between Tuesday 16 and Friday 19 March and are being advised to avoid the expected congestion by taking the train and the option of a 'bus add-on' ticket - available to buy via crosscountrytrains.co.uk

Aside from CrossCountry's 94 daily scheduled services stopping at Cheltenham, during race week there will be an additional two trains per day operating south from Derby (via Birmingham New Street) and north from Cheltenham.

CrossCountry has also launched a special 'bus add-on' ticket which can be used on the regular Stagecoach-operated shuttle bus service that will be serving Cheltenham station and taking people to the racecourse.

Andy Cooper, CrossCountry's Managing Director said; "The Cheltenham Festival is a highlight in the national racing calendar so it makes sense for us to operate extra services and larger trains throughout that week. We are well prepared for the extra customers and hope everyone planning to travel with us will take the hassle-free option of booking their Cheltenham train and bus add-on tickets through our website. We are looking forward to transporting as many race goers as possible to Cheltenham for what promises to be yet another fantastic four days."

Cheltenham Racecourse Managing Director Edward Gillespie commented; "Getting to The Festival by train is one of the least stressful ways to travel and we are delighted that CrossCountry is putting on these additional services and online ticket options. It is sure to benefit hundreds of our mutual customers."

For Cheltenham train arrival and departure times, and to book Cheltenham tickets in advance, log on to crosscountrytrains.co.uk

CrossCountry facts and figures:

STATIONS SERVED: 118
ROUTE MILES: 1,654
WEEKDAY SERVICES: 293
PASSENGERS CARRIED: Over 30 million passenger journeys a year anticipated
ANNUAL TRAIN MILEAGE: Approximately 16 million
EMPLOYEES: Approximately 1,700
LONGEST TRAIN SERVICE: 08.20 Aberdeen to Penzance (774 miles)

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Contact Information

CrossCountry Press Office: [email protected]

About CrossCountry

CrossCountry is a long-distance passenger train operator, with a network stretching from Aberdeen to Penzance and from Stansted to Cardiff and calling at over 100 stations. Based in Birmingham, CrossCountry connects seven of Britain’s 10 largest cities and delivers 240 services every weekday, equating to over 42 million passenger journeys each year.

For further information on CrossCountry services, visit crosscountrytrains.co.uk or visit one of our social media platforms via X @crosscountryuk or Facebook at facebook.com/crosscountrytrains