Finding the best service for you

Socially distanced seating

To support social distancing and to ensure a safe number of customers can travel on each of our trains, we have implemented reservation-only travel across all Grand Central services. This means that you must have a seat reservation in order to board one of our trains. 

To make sure you enjoy a comfortable journey, we recommend travelling on quieter services - the graphics below show the latest booking information for each of our services over the next two weeks.

• Green services have plenty of space available.
• Yellow services are a little busier.
• Orange services don't have many seats left.
• Red services are sold out

We keep lots of seats free to accommodate social distancing.

Click here to view Grand Central's socially distanced seating plan

• Trains to/from Bradford, Low Moor, Halifax, Brighouse, Mirfield, Pontefract Monkhill, Wakefield Kirkgate and Doncaster

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• Trains to/from Sunderland, Hartlepool, Eaglescliffe, Northallerton, Thirsk and York

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Book your tickets on Grand Central

You need to reserve your seats before you go

All Grand Central trains operate on a reservation-only system, which means you won't be able to travel unless you have a confirmed seat on the train prior to making your journey.

• How can I reserve a seat?
  • If you have purchased an Advance train ticket, this will come with a seat reservation by default
  • Grand Central Anytime or Off-Peak tickets are currently only being sold with reservations, however these can be changed (subject to availability) by contacting our customer relations team on 0345 603 4852 (option 3, then 1).
• When can I reserve seats?
  • Seats are available to reserve up to 5 minutes before departure (subject to availability).
• I don't have a reservation
  • If you have purchased an "Any Permitted" ticket, you may not have a seat reservation as these can be valid for any train service. If you wish to travel on a Grand Central service using this ticket, please contact our customer relations team on 0345 603 4852 (option 3, then 1) to arrange a reservation (subject to availability).
• My reserved seat was on train which has been cancelled
  • If your train has been cancelled, either check our social media for more information at Twitter or Facebook, or contact our customer relations team on 0345 603 4852 (option 3, then 1). You should not board the next available train unless explicitly told this is possible. You can also change your journey to any other Grand Central service without a fee. If you no longer wish you travel, you can claim a refund for your unused ticket(s). More information is available to view here. 
• There are no tickets available for a service I want to travel on
  • If there are no tickets or seats showing for a service, this means it has sold out and you will need to select an alternative service. We publish daily seat availability charts to let you know which trains currently have seats available.
• Why has this policy been introduced?
  • Due to the dual impacts of both COVID-19 and engineering works at London King's Cross, we are anticipating high numbers of passengers travelling on some days - by offering a reservation-only service we are able to ensure that all passengers who purchase a ticket get a seat, and that seating is provided in a socially distanced manner for your safety.

Reserve your seat