London to Leicester by train

London to Leicester is a direct East Midlands Railway journey of about 1 hour 10 minutes, and the fastest trains take 1 hour 3 minutes. Trains leave London St Pancras International and run to Leicester station without a change. They run up to three times an hour through the day. Advance fares from £15.90 each way are the cheapest option.

Trains leave from St Pancras and take about 1 hour 10 minutes

Every train is direct. East Midlands Railway runs them on the Midland Main Line, and the usual journey is about 1 hour 10 minutes. The quickest services take 1 hour 3 minutes, so a train that stops less often is worth picking if you have a connection.

East Midlands Railway is the only company running direct trains between London and Leicester.

Trains run from early morning to late evening, up to three an hour

The first train leaves St Pancras at 05:27 and the last at 23:35. Between those times you can expect up to three departures an hour. Weekend and holiday timetables can differ, so check your own date before you travel.

Find St Pancras International, not King's Cross

London St Pancras International is on Pancras Road in north London. King's Cross station is next door, and the two are easy to confuse, but Leicester trains leave from St Pancras. Check the departure board for East Midlands Railway and Leicester, and follow the platform number once it appears.

St Pancras shares King's Cross St Pancras Underground station, served by the Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines. It also has bus connections, a taxi rank, step-free access to all platforms, a ticket office and ticket machines.

Advance, Off-Peak and Anytime tickets work differently

An Advance ticket is the cheapest, and it is valid only on the date and train printed on it. You can usually buy one up to 12 weeks ahead, in limited numbers, and changes cost £10 plus any fare difference. Miss the train and you cannot just take the next one.

An Off-Peak ticket is tied to a time of day, not a train. On weekdays from London it is valid from 08:47 to 16:35 and again from 18:47, and on Fridays all day from 08:47. At weekends it is valid all day. Use any train within those hours. From Monday to Thursday, only an Anytime ticket works between 16:35 and 18:47. An Anytime ticket is the most expensive and works on any train at any time.

Tickets bought directly from East Midlands Railway carry no booking fee, and a Railcard can take up to a third off.

You do not need a seat reservation

Seat reservations are not currently available on East Midlands Railway intercity trains, so you sit in any unreserved seat in the class on your ticket. An Advance ticket is for one booked train. Pass holders do not need a reservation either.

Interrail and Eurail Global Pass holders can use these trains

Interrail Global Passes (for people who live in Europe) and Eurail Global Passes (for people who live outside Europe) are valid on East Midlands Railway, and a pass holder can board without a reservation. You activate a travel day and add the journey to your pass in the app before you board. If you live in the UK, a Global Pass covers only one outbound and one inbound journey in your own country, so you cannot use it for an ordinary trip inside Britain.

Arriving at Leicester station

Leicester station is on London Road, in the city centre. Taxis and buses leave from the station. Leicester Market and the King Richard III Visitor Centre are in the centre. The National Space Centre is two miles north, so take a taxi or a bus from Haymarket Bus Station, a short walk from the station. The station has step-free access to all platforms, a ticket office and machines.