The UK National Rail timetable has today been published online for the first time. The timetable contains the complete details of the more than 20,000 passenger train services operated by the Britain’s 23 train operating companies across 11,500 miles of track.  

The production of one single national timetable volume occurred for the first time in 1974 with the publication of the Great Britain Passenger Timetable. In 1986 it became a bi-annual publication, reducing the number of supplements that were needed throughout the year. Today, the National Rail Timetable is available online, free of charge, and in easy to download sections on Network Rail’s website (www.networkrail.co.uk).

The December 2006 edition will be the penultimate edition to be published as a printed document, with the May supplement being the final printed edition. From December 2007 the National Rail Timetable will only be available online
.
The availability of the timetable online will mean that the information will ultimately be more accurate as it will be easily updated and will remove the need to reproduce a large number of supplements.

The National Rail Timetable contains full details of rail services operated over the National Rail network, together with rail and shipping connections with Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands and certain European destinations.

National Rail Enquiries, (www.nationalrail.co.ukor 08457 48 49 50), remains the official information service for National Rail and provides impartial advice on all aspects of train travel – timetables, fares and buying tickets, live train running updates and other useful information.