Advance train tickets
Plan ahead with Advance train tickets
Choose date & time
Close ✕You can book up to 90 days in advance.
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Train operators can only release tickets for sale up to 90 days in advance.
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Your journey
Going departing after
If you book before you arrive at the station, you can save plenty of your time.
What are Advance train tickets?
An Advance train ticket is a fare which goes on sale before the day of travel – up to 12 weeks. They’re non-flexible Single tickets for an A to B journey, which means you’ll need to book another ticket if you’re returning.
Usually this ticket type is non-refundable, but at CrossCountry we recognise that plans can easily change. That’s why we offer free changes to Advance tickets booked online – you can find out more about that here.
Because they can be booked well before a journey departs, Advance tickets are the best way to organise your travel.
Advance booking dates
Due to delays in engineering work receipts as a result of COVID disruption, we are currently running a reduced advance booking window.
Whilst tickets can be bought up to three months prior to travel, seat reservations are not available until closer to the journey date. The table below provides the latest date that you can reserve seat reservations on our services. We apologise for any inconvenience caused, please check back for updates.
| Popular Routes | Monday - Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Edinburgh - Plymouth |
16 February 2024 |
10 February 2024 |
11 February 2024 |
| Newcastle - Reading |
16 February 2024 |
10 February 2024 |
11 February 2024 |
| Manchester Piccadilly - Bournemouth |
16 February 2024 |
10 February 2024 |
11 February 2024 |
| Manchester Piccadilly - Bristol TM |
16 February 2024 |
10 February 2024 |
11February 2024 |
| Nottingham - Cardiff Central |
16 February 2024 |
10 February 2024 |
11 February2024 |
| Birmingham New Street - Stansted Airport | 16 February 2024 | 10 February 2024 | 11 February 2024 |
(last updated: Friday 1 December 2023)
How to book Advance tickets
Booking an Advance train ticket is simple.
- Click the ‘Buy tickets’ button above or find your destination using the route finder below
- Alternatively, use the CrossCountry mobile app
- Select your destination and departure stations
- Choose your date of departure. Add your return date if you’re making the journey back, too
- Add the number of people travelling, railcards, route preferences, or any promotions you might have
- Now for us to do the work. We’ll present you with all the available tickets, with Standard to the left and First Class to the right
- When you select a Standard or First-Class ticket, you will be shown if an Advance ticket option is available. It’s recommended you book well before your departure date to ensure you can purchase an Advance ticket
- Once your ticket has been selected, click Continue to purchase
Once you’ve booked your Advance train ticket, the only thing left to do is make the journey.
The benefits of Advance train tickets
- You will be reserved on a specific train and get a reserved seat, reducing the stress of departure.
- Available for journeys in both Standard & First Class, meaning you can benefit from Advance tickets even when you're upgrading to First Class
- Available as an e-Ticket to save you queuing up at a station.
- You can apply your Railcard to an Advance ticket.
Our most popular Advance train ticket routes
We offer Advance tickets on most of our trains, so you can benefit from cheaper fares and tickets well before your departure date all over the UK. Just some of our most popular Advance routes are:
- Glasgow to Edinburgh
- Manchester to Birmingham
- Bristol to Cardiff
- Newcastle to Edinburgh
- Leicester to Birmingham
- Leeds to York
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