Frequently asked questions

Railway Travel is an independent rail travel information service operated by AGENCY 54, LLC. We publish route guides, station guides, operator profiles and practical travel information for the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and we run a telephone information line for people who would rather ask a question than search for the answer.

No. We are not Amtrak, VIA Rail Canada, Eurostar, National Rail, Network Rail, Brightline or any train operating company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or acting as an agent of any railway operator or government agency. Carrier names and trademarks appear on this website only to identify the services our guides describe, and remain the property of their owners.

No. We do not sell tickets, issue reservations, produce travel documents or accept travel payments. We have no access to carrier booking systems and no ability to create, change, cancel or refund a reservation. If you want to buy a ticket, you can do so directly with the carrier, or ask us to connect you to an independent travel provider.

Through referral and advertising arrangements. If you ask to be connected by telephone to an independent third-party travel provider, or you use certain links on this site, we may receive a referral fee, affiliate commission or advertising revenue. There is no additional cost to you. This is set out in full in our Affiliate Disclosure.

It should not, and we have written our editorial approach so that it does not. Which routes we cover, which stations we profile and what our guides say about them are editorial decisions. A commercial arrangement is not an endorsement, a recommendation or a guarantee of any third party.

AGENCY 54, LLC is located at 927 Tan Tara TRL, Jacksonville, FL 32221, United States. That is a correspondence address; we do not operate a walk-in office.

Route and timetable questions, which services connect two cities, what a class of travel includes, station facilities and layout, accessibility and assistance schemes, luggage rules, travelling with bicycles or pets, and what a long-distance journey is actually like. In short, the things our guides cover — talked through rather than read.

The call is free from anywhere in the United States, and we do not charge you anything for speaking to us. There is no fee, no account and no obligation of any kind.

We cannot take a booking ourselves. We can either point you to the carrier so you can book directly, or — if you would like — connect your call to an independent third-party travel provider who handles reservations. That company is not Railway Travel, we take no part in the conversation once transferred, and any reservation is made directly with them under their own terms and pricing.

That is entirely a matter between you and that provider. They set their own prices, fees and terms, and they are required to disclose them to you. We have no visibility of, or control over, what they charge. Ask them to confirm any fee before you give payment details to anyone.

Calls to our information line may be recorded or monitored for training and quality purposes. Where recording takes place you will be notified at the start of the call, and you may ask that the call not be recorded. Once a call is transferred to a third-party provider, their recording practices and privacy policy apply, not ours.

The information line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays.

No. We have no access to carrier or third-party booking records and cannot amend, cancel or refund any reservation. Contact whoever issued your ticket — the carrier, or the travel provider you booked through — and they will be able to help.

The company that took the payment. Your reservation and your payment are with them, not with us. Their confirmation email or your card statement will identify them. If you cannot work out who it was, call us and we will do our best to help you identify the provider.

We do not take payments from you, so there is nothing for us to refund. Refunds on travel are determined by the fare rules of the ticket purchased and are handled by the carrier or the provider who sold it.

We do not publish fares. Prices change constantly and vary by date, class, availability and discount eligibility. Anything our guides say about relative cost is general background, not a quotation. Always confirm the current price with the carrier or provider before committing.

Many discounted rail fares are non-refundable regardless of the reason for cancellation, so if there is a realistic chance your plans may change, insurance is worth considering. We do not sell insurance and receive nothing from any insurer — this is offered purely as general information.

A Roomette sleeps two in facing seats that convert to upper and lower berths, with a door and a window but shared corridor bathrooms and showers. A Bedroom is roughly twice the size, sleeps two more comfortably, and includes a private toilet and shower inside the room. On Amtrak long-distance routes both typically include meals in the dining car — confirm current inclusions with the carrier.

On Amtrak, two personal items plus two carry-on bags up to 50 lbs each are generally carried free, with checked baggage available at staffed stations on many routes. UK operators generally allow around three items per passenger with no weight check. There are no liquid restrictions and no security screening on domestic services in either country.

Power outlets are standard on virtually all intercity trains in both countries. Wi-Fi is available on the Northeast Corridor, most state-supported corridors and every UK intercity operator. On western US long-distance routes coverage is patchy, because much of the route has no mobile signal at all.

Bicycles are carried on many corridor services, sometimes with a small reservation fee and often with no need to box the bike. Small cats and dogs are permitted on many Amtrak routes for journeys up to seven hours, subject to weight limits and a strict cap on the number of animals per train. UK operators are considerably more relaxed about dogs. Policies change, so confirm before you travel.

Amtrak asks for at least 24 hours notice for station assistance. In the United Kingdom, the Passenger Assist scheme formally accepts requests with as little as two hours notice, though arranging it earlier is wise. Assistance is arranged with the carrier, not with us.

We collect only what is needed to answer your enquiry. We do not sell personal information. If you ask to be connected to a third-party provider, information necessary to progress your enquiry may be passed to them, and their own privacy policy then applies. Full detail is in our Privacy Policy.

No, and we say so plainly. Carriers change schedules, equipment, catering, station facilities and policies frequently and without notice to us. Everything here is general information published in good faith, and it is not a substitute for confirming current details with the carrier before you travel.

Email info@railwaytravel.net and tell us what is wrong. We would genuinely rather know.