Grand Central Rail Reviews 603

TrustScore 3.5 out of 5

3.4

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Review summary

Based on reviews, created with AI

Most reviewers were somewhat happy with their experience overall. Customers frequently praise the staff for being helpful, polite, and professional, often going out of their way to assist passengers. Many also appreciate the punctuality of the trains and the comfortable seating, with some noting the availability of power outlets. However, some people were dissatisfied with the facilities, specifically mentioning that the trains often appear old and shabby, with issues like non-functioning air conditioning and dirty, poorly maintained toilets. Reviewers also frequently point out the limited and inadequate luggage space, particularly the shallow overhead racks. The service itself receives mixed feedback, with some experiencing significant delays and a lack of support when problems arise.

What people talk about most

Service

Reviewers highlight ambiguous aspects of service, with many praising the reliability, punctuality, and... See more

Staff

Clients share positive opinions on staff, frequently highlighting their helpfulness, friendliness, and... See more

Facilities

Reviewers express widespread dissatisfaction with the facilities. Many customers report outdated carriages... See more

Price

People report ambiguous experiences with price. Many customers found the prices to be great and reasonable,... See more

Location

Customers had ambiguous experiences with location. While some reviewers appreciated direct trains to London... See more

Based on these reviews

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

On 13 December took 10:48 Grand Central Train outward from Kings Cross to Bradford: smooth journey, arrived on time. Different experience for the return leg on Monday 15 December - 10:39 departure can... See more

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

The first class cabin was nice and the at seat service of a hot drink and snacks was great. The service was also on time. The only drawbacks was the expense of the ticket compared to travelling by LNE... See more

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

We generally use Grand Central though our loyalty is waning unfortunately the train developed a fault this is the third time in 8 journeys not a good statistic. The carriages are more comfy than the... See more

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Overall we had a good experience although the train was a few minutes late, this didn't impact us, this could have been a problem if we had to make a connection. Trains are comfortable and clean but... See more


Company details

  1. Railroad Company
  2. Train Ticket Agency

Information provided by various external sources

Buy cheap train tickets online on Grand Central Rail with no booking fee. Get live travel updates, train times & UK train station information


Contact info

3.4

Average

TrustScore 3.5 out of 5

603 reviews

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Hasn’t replied to negative reviews

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Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Poor all round

Paid for a service that wasn't fulfilled - 1st class upgrade - no staff helping/food/toilets out of order / seats not reserved.
Staff did appear eventually but sat down.
Applied for a refund - was told I would get this via paypal roughly a month ago. Refund hasnt been paid and now emails are being ignored.

Avoid unless you need to use them and dont pay for upgrades.

March 8, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 1 out of 5 stars

Shocking experience

The worst train journey I've ever had, the air con was not working on our carriage so it was like travelling in a sauna for 3 hours. Would of been nice if would've offered free cold water to us.
Also not all the toilets were in operation. I'll stick to LNER with there modern trains in the future.

April 6, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Just giving five stars to Joey (think…

Just giving five stars to Joey (think that’s he’s name) on the 8am train to London to York today. As despite an obvious lack of staff, he was running the refreshments, doing announcements and looking after everyone. Wish everyone was as awesome as this guy!!!

March 27, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

My selected train was cancelled due to…

My selected train was cancelled due to no fault of GCR.
The GCR/Hull Trains rep at Kings Cross gave accurate information about LNER ticket acceptance, and I boarded the next available service to York, and had a swift transfer to TPE to Thirsk. Helped by being greeted by a train manager on the LNER service who was an ex GCR employee.

March 17, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

GC London to York

The train ran non-stop from my departure station to my destination. It ran to time throughout. My only gripe was that we were not allowed to board until 10-15min before departure, which was a bit of a rush.

March 6, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Very busy train but smooth journey

Very busy train but smooth journey, great service in first class and train manager kept us informed of reason for very slight delay at Newark due to signalling problem. Apologies given for delay to destination even though it was only 10 minutes. Would definitely recommend as all staff we encountered were extremely helpful and friendly.

March 8, 2026
Unprompted review
Rated 2 out of 5 stars

i took the halifax to london grand…

i took the halifax to london grand central train first class and it was pretty terrible. first no catering staff on the train for the first 45minutes. then when we could finally order we had to use the QR code. i ordered and 25 minutes later i had received nothing and all i asked for was a coffee. the complimentary items available were just snacks and coffee. the train manager was visibly annoyed when multiple people raised this to her. the caterer staff no where to be seen. really don’t waste your money on first class on this train

March 8, 2026
Unprompted review

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