Great Western Railway (GWR)
GWR runs from London Paddington to Bristol, Bath, Cardiff, Devon, Cornwall, Oxford and Reading, with Advance, Off-Peak and Anytime fares.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Official website
- Official website
- Train tickets
- Direct
GWR, short for Great Western Railway, runs from London Paddington out to Bristol, Bath, Cardiff, Devon, Cornwall, Oxford and Reading. Its popular routes include Bristol to Bath, Bristol to Cardiff, and London to Windsor.
Choosing a ticket
Four ticket types cover most journeys. Advance is the cheapest option: non-refundable, tied to a specific train, and bookable up to 18:00 the day before travel. Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak sit in the middle, refundable and Railcard-friendly, but only valid inside their time windows. Anytime costs more and drops the restrictions entirely, though a minimum fare applies if you use a Railcard with it. Refunds on the flexible tickets carry a £5 admin fee.
A Flexi Season ticket buys 8 days of travel in any 28-day period, which suits commuting a couple of days a week rather than five. Standard season tickets suit a daily commute. Groups of three to nine adults travelling together can claim a third off Standard Off-Peak fares through GroupSave, though the whole group has to travel together and Railcard discounts don't stack on top. Rovers and Rangers passes, sold at station ticket offices, give unlimited travel for a set number of days across an area such as South Wales, South West England or the Thames Valley.
First Class and the Night Riviera Sleeper
First Class gets you bigger seats, complimentary refreshments, and the option to book a table in the Pullman Dining restaurant car. GWR also runs the Night Riviera Sleeper, its overnight service.
Bringing a bike
Reserve a bike space whenever booking gives you the option; spaces are limited and go quickly. You can add a reservation online, by phone, or at a staffed ticket office. Folding bikes with wheels up to 20 inches travel without any restriction. On other services, GWR carries at least two full-size bikes per train on a first-come basis, but not on trains arriving at Paddington between 07:30 and 09:30 or leaving between 16:00 and 19:00 without a reservation, and not at all on rail replacement buses. Don't lock a bike to the train. E-scooters are banned across the whole network over fire risk from their batteries.
The Night Riviera Sleeper takes bikes only with a mandatory reservation, storing them in Carriage A. At several stations, including Oxford, Kemble, Kingham, Moreton-in-Marsh and Cheltenham Spa, GWR partners with local bike-hire schemes such as Bainton Bikes, Beryl Bikes and Voi if you want wheels at the other end.
Where to book
Train tickets
- Buy direct from Great Western Railway (GWR)
Great Western Railway (GWR)
Frequently asked questions
What ticket types does GWR sell?
GWR sells Advance, Off-Peak, Super Off-Peak and Anytime tickets. Advance is cheapest but non-refundable and tied to one train, while Anytime costs more with no time restrictions.
Do I need to reserve a bike space on GWR?
Reserve a bike space whenever you can, since space is limited. Unreserved bikes aren't carried on trains arriving at London Paddington between 07:30 and 09:30 or leaving between 16:00 and 19:00.
Can I get a discount for group travel on GWR?
GroupSave gives a third off Standard Off-Peak fares for groups of three to nine adults travelling together, provided the whole group travels together and no Railcard discount is stacked on top.
What is the Night Riviera Sleeper?
The Night Riviera Sleeper is GWR's overnight sleeper service. Bringing a bike needs a mandatory reservation, and bikes travel in Carriage A.
More operators in United Kingdom
Train service
Avanti West Coast runs London Euston to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh, with Advance, Off-Peak and Anytime fares.
Official websitec2c runs London Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness, serving 26 East London and South Essex stations, with e-tickets, Smartcard and contactless fares.
Official websiteCaledonian Sleeper runs overnight from London Euston to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William, with cabin and seated fares.
Official websiteChiltern Railways runs London Marylebone to Birmingham, Oxford, Stratford-upon-Avon and Aylesbury, with Advance, Off-Peak and Anytime fares.
Official websiteCrossCountry runs long-distance trains linking Scotland, the North, Midlands, Wales and the South West without changing in London.
Official websiteEast Midlands Railway runs Intercity trains to London St Pancras, regional services across the Midlands and North, and Eurostar connections.
Official websiteThe Elizabeth line is TfL's cross-London railway linking Heathrow and Reading with the City and Shenfield or Abbey Wood.
Official website- Check times & prices
Eurostar runs high-speed trains from London St Pancras to Paris (2 h 16 min), Brussels (1 h 53 min) and Amsterdam; London departures require border checks.
Official website Gatwick Express runs non-stop between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport in about 31 minutes, with some trains also serving Brighton.
Official websiteGrand Central is an open-access operator from London King's Cross to York, Sunderland, Doncaster and Bradford. Bike spaces are limited.
Official websiteGreat Northern links London King's Cross and Moorgate with Cambridge, King's Lynn and Peterborough on the southern East Coast Main Line.
Official websiteGreater Anglia runs from London Liverpool Street to Norwich, Cambridge, Ipswich, Colchester and East Anglia's coast, Broads and airports.
Official websiteHeathrow Express runs non-stop between London Paddington and Heathrow in 15 to 21 minutes. Fares from £10 in advance, up to £26 on the day.
Official websiteHull Trains is an open-access operator running direct services from Hull and Beverley to London King's Cross, with Advance fares bookable up to 26 weeks ahead.
Official websiteIsland Line runs Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin on the Isle of Wight, operated by South Western Railway.
Official websiteLNER runs East Coast Main Line trains from London King's Cross to Yorkshire, the North East, Edinburgh and Inverness.
Official websiteLondon Northwestern Railway connects London Euston with Birmingham, Liverpool, Northampton and Crewe. Bikes travel free; e-scooters are banned.
Official websiteLondon Overground is a TfL rail service with six named lines circling outer London, using Oyster and contactless pay as you go.
Official websiteLumo runs all-electric trains from London to Edinburgh and Newcastle, plus a newer London to Stirling route via Preston.
Official websiteMerseyrail runs the Northern and Wirral lines around Liverpool. Buy before boarding or tap MetroCard, contactless or a smart device.
Official websiteNI Railways is Translink's rail brand in Northern Ireland, running trains to Bangor and Derry~Londonderry and the Enterprise to Dublin.
Official websiteNorthern runs regional and commuter trains to over 500 stations across the North of England, from Advance to Anytime fares.
Official websiteScotRail runs over 2,000 daily services across more than 340 Scottish stations, publicly owned by the Scottish Government since 2022.
Official websiteSouth Western Railway runs from London Waterloo to Southampton, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, Exeter and the Isle of Wight's Island Line.
Official websiteSoutheastern runs across London, Kent and East Sussex, with High Speed services to St Pancras and 164 stations on its network.
Official websiteSouthern runs between central London and the south coast through Sussex, Surrey and parts of Kent and Hampshire, calling at Gatwick Airport.
Official websiteStansted Express runs Stansted Airport to London Liverpool Street in 48 minutes, every 15 minutes, with fares from £9.90.
Official websiteThameslink runs a 24 hour core route between Bedford and Brighton through central London, with a direct link to Luton Airport.
Official websiteTransPennine Express runs intercity trains across the North of England and into Scotland, linking Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Official websiteTransport for Wales runs the Wales and Borders rail network, from the Cambrian Coast and Heart of Wales lines to Cardiff, Chester and Manchester Airport.
Official websiteWest Midlands Railway runs regional trains around Birmingham to Coventry, Shrewsbury, Stafford and Worcester. Bikes travel free; e-scooters are banned.
Official website
