c2c
c2c runs London Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness, serving 26 East London and South Essex stations, with e-tickets, Smartcard and contactless fares.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Official website
- Official website
- Train tickets
- Direct
Where c2c runs
c2c connects London Fenchurch Street with Shoeburyness on the Essex coast, serving 26 stations across East London and South Essex, including Barking, Basildon, Leigh-on-Sea and Southend Central. Fast services from Southend Central reach London in under an hour, which is why the line works as well for commuting as it does for a day at the coast.
c2c operates every service on this corridor itself, so there's no need to compare operators the way you would on a longer route shared by several companies.
Tickets and fares
c2c sells Anytime, Off-Peak and Season tickets, plus digital e-tickets that live on your phone. Booking an e-ticket in advance saves 33%, and that discount stacks with a Railcard for a bigger saving still.
Regular travellers are better off with the c2c Smartcard, which loads season tickets and applies Automatic Delay Repay without a manual claim. Contactless pay as you go also works across the whole network. For occasional trips, just tap in and out and let the fare calculate itself.
Kids travel for £2 at weekends and during school holidays, and a GroupSave discount applies for parties of three to nine travelling together.
Onboard and cycling
Trains on the line are the newer Class 720 units, with free WiFi and Quiet Zones. All c2c trains have toilets.
Folding bikes travel free at any time if fully folded. Full-size bikes are allowed outside the weekday rush, but not on trains arriving at Fenchurch Street between 07:14 and 09:30 or leaving between 16:30 and 18:35. Each station has its own cycle bays. Benfleet's is by far the largest, with space for over a hundred bikes, so check your station's capacity before relying on cycle storage at the London end.
Ownership
c2c transferred into public ownership in July 2025 under DfT Operator Ltd, the government's Public Ownership Programme for rail. Day to day, this hasn't changed how the railway is run for passengers.
Where to book
Train tickets
Frequently asked questions
Where does c2c run?
c2c runs between London Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness, serving 26 stations across East London and South Essex.
What's the cheapest way to buy c2c tickets?
Booking an e-ticket in advance through the c2c website or app saves 33%, and that discount combines with a Railcard for a further reduction.
Can I take a bike on a c2c train?
Folding bikes are allowed at any time if fully folded. Full-size bikes are allowed outside weekday peak times, but not on trains arriving at Fenchurch Street between 07:14 and 09:30 or leaving between 16:30 and 18:35.
Who owns c2c?
c2c Railway Limited has operated under public ownership since July 2025, as part of the government's DfT Operator Ltd programme for Britain's railways.
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Official website
