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Rail travel

All University Business Travel by rail, domestic and international, must be booked through your University contact using Key Travel.

Standard Class is the expected standard of travel for rail journeys in UK.

Travellers are encouraged to book fixed fares wherever possible.

First Class rail tickets may only be booked in the following circumstances:

  • the total duration of the one-way journey is over 4 hours; or
  • the costs are lower than or equivalent to a standard ticket for a like-for-like ticket (i.e. a comparable time to a desired location of the same ticket type (e.g. advanced, anytime etc.)) and that this can be evidenced.

Fully flexible (i.e. open) first class rail tickets must not be booked and will not be reimbursed.

First Class travel on rail may be permissible where it is expressly incorporated into the grant which is funding the travel.

Approval for First Class rail must be given from the Head of School/Service, an appropriately delegated nominee, or a member of staff senior to the HoS/S role.

The correct class of travel should be made at the time of booking the train.

Upgrades at the University’s expense are not permitted unless this requirement is pre-authorised by Faculty Executive Dean/Executive Service Lead and any expense claims received for upgrades will not be processed.

Travellers may upgrade at their personal expense.

Travellers are encouraged to book fixed fares wherever possible.  Travellers can change the time of their ticket/type of ticket held to accommodate changes in plans via Key Travel (if practical), using a purchasing card if they have been provided with one, or via expenses.

Travellers are encouraged to pre-book London Underground tickets via the Key Travel online booking tool.

Where this is not possible travellers can reclaim the cost via expenses, (stating to and from stations for each trip and obtain receipts as proof of purchase, where possible).

International Rail

For international rail journeys, travellers are required to book via the Key Travel booking service, online where possible or alternatively by email or phone?

Standard class/second class is the expected standard of travel (where equivalent to UK standard class).

First class is permissible if the package is as cost effective as the standard class.

Approval to travel first class on rail journeys must be given by the Head of School/Service, an appropriately delegated nominee or a member of staff senior to the HoS/S role.

Travellers are encouraged to choose low-cost ticket delivery options on pre-booked rail tickets, including:

  • m-tickets (tickets held on your mobile phone – you will need to have the trainline app downloaded onto a mobile phone that you will be travelling with); or,
  • ticket collection at the station.

Ticket delivery can be arranged via first class postage, but this is unadvisable and should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

If it can be demonstrated that the purchase of a rail card or season ticket would save the University money over the period of its issue through the requirement to travel regularly on University business, costs of rail cards and season tickets will be reimbursed.

In the event of compensation for cancelled or delayed train travel such payments should be returned to the University they cannot be retained for personal benefit.