Help

How do I arrange assistance with boarding and alighting from the train?

Assisted Travel

• If you require assistance boarding or alighting from the train or assistance with your luggage, please complete the online booking process. When you come to the ‘seating preferences’ screen you will be offered the option of ‘Boarding Assistance’. Please tick this box and complete the form that appears. You can then proceed to the payment screen.

  Your details will be forwarded to our Assisted Travel team who will deal with your request and contact you directly to confirm that these arrangements have been made.

  If you have any further questions or specific needs please contact our Assisted Travel:

  Telephone: 08457 225 225 (select option 1 then option 6)Text Phone: 08451 202 067Email: assistedtravel@nationalexpress.com

  Opening times 08.00-20.00 daily
  Closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day

  Please note: All assistance must be booked by 18.00hrs the day before travel.

How do I make a booking for a wheelchair user?

Wheelchair bookings

• To make a booking for a wheelchair user, please go through the normal on-line booking process. When you come to the "seating preference"screen you will be offered the option of wheelchair space. Please tick this box and complete the form that appears, before proceeding to the payment screen.

  Your details will then be forwarded to our Assisted Travel team, who will deal with your request for a wheelchair space and contact you directly to confirm that these arrangements have been made. If a wheelchair space is not available on the train you have requested, you will be contacted and asked to select another time to travel.

  If you have any further questions or specific needs, please contact our Assisted Travel:

  Telephone: 08457 225225 (select option 1 then option 6)
  Textphone: 08451 202067Email: assistedtravel@nationalexpress.com

  Opening times 0800-2000 daily
  Closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day

  Please note that all assistance must be booked by 1800hrs the day before travel.

When can I claim compensation for delays to National Express East Coast services?

Compensation for delays

• If you travel on a National Express East Coast train that is delayed by more than 30 minutes due to things for which we are responsible, we will give you compensation in the form of Rail Travel Vouchers.

  We are not obliged to pay compensation for journeys delayed by circumstances outside of our control, such as adverse weather conditions.

  For more information please refer to our Passenger’s Charter.

Is the information I provide when I register passed on to other companies?

Computer

• No. We consider as private any personal information supplied by you when using our website. We hold information in accordance with Data Protection legislation.

  Your personal information will be used to provide you with services for example issuing tickets, processing payments, maintaining your registration, monitoring the use of the website and for research purposes.

Do you use cookies?

Computer

• We may collect and process anonymous information about your visit to our website, such as some of the pages you visit and some of the searches you perform. Such anonymous information is used by us to help improve the content of the site and to compile, for internal market-research purposes, aggregate statistics about individuals using it. In doing this, we may install cookies that collect the first-level domain name of the user (eg.,“bigmail.com” from an e-mail address john@bigmail.com) and the date and time of access.

What should I do if I experience difficulties using your website?

Computer

• If you are experiencing difficulties using nationalexpresseastcoast.com please consider the following:

  • Are you experiencing similar problems on other sites?
  • Have you installed a new firewall system?
  • Are there any problems with your Internet Service Provider (ISP)?
  • Are you using the lastest browser web suppoort (e.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera and Mozilla)?
  • Can you access our site through a search engine e.g. www.google.co.uk?
  • Have you changed the security or cookie settings on you internet browser?

  If you have checked all of the above and you are still having difficulties, please contact Web Support on 08457 225111 and give as much of the following information as possible:

  • Error message
  • Time of fault
  • Internet browser used
  • Web page where the fault occurred
  • Your journey details

  Once they have all of this information they will investigate and get back to you as quickly as possible.

How do I contact National Express East Coast Telesales?

Contact Us

• The telephone number for National Express East Coast Telesales is 08457 225 225
  Opening times: 08.00 – 20.00 daily
  Closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
  International Telephone Number +44 191 2275959

How do I contact the National Express East Coast Business Travel Service?

Contact Us

• National Express East Coast Business Travel Service can take care of all your UK rail travel.

  Please call 08457 225 225 (select option 1 then option 2) between 08.00 and 18.00 hrs Monday to Friday; email BusinessTravel@nationalexpress.com or fax 08457 225 222.

  You can collect your tickets from any National Rail station or from a National Express East Coast Fastticket machine. Alternatively your tickets can be sent to you by First Class post or by guaranteed delivery for an extra charge.

  Payment for the tickets can be made by credit card or invoiced to your company on a monthly basis.

I want to book for a group. Who do I contact and are there any discounts?

Contact Us

• If you are travelling in a group of 10 or more please contact National Express East Coast Group Travel on 08457 225 010 or email Group.Travel@nationalexpress.com; open 09.00 – 18.00 Monday to Friday.

  The benefits of booking through National Express East Coast Group Travel are:

  • Discounts are available for groups of ten people or more.
  • Luggage assistance can be arranged upon arrival and when changing to a connecting train or coach.
  • Advance bookings are available for connecting journeys on other train operators’ routes.
  • Discounts are available on Underground tickets for groups travelling to or from London.
  • Group seating is offered wherever possible in reserved seats.
  • Discounts are available on our Food catering range, in the Restaurant and at the Café Bar. With 3 weeks’ notice our team can also pre-order your food.
  • Special deals are sometimes available for schools.

How do I contact National Express East Coast Customer Relations?

Contact Us

• Please let us know what you think about National Express East Coast and the services we offer. We try to make it as easy as possible for you to contact us and you can phone, e-mail, fax or post:

  National Express East Coast Customer Relations
  2nd Floor, Baron House
  Neville Street
  Newcastle-upon-Tyne
  NE1 5DN

  Telephone: 08457 225225 (select option 2 then option 4)
  Fax: 0191 2275986
  E-mail: c.relations@nationalexpress.com

  Opening hours 0830-1700 Monday to Friday
  0900-1600 Bank Holidays

  National Express East Coast will always try to address your comments and concerns in a fair an reasonable way in accordance with both the National Rail Conditions of Carriage and our Passenger's Charter.

What debit/credit cards can be used to purchase tickets at nationalexpresseastcoast.com?

Credit / Debit Cards

• We accept Visa Credit, Visa Debit, MasterCard, American Express, Solo, Electron and Maestro Cards.

  If you are collecting tickets from a non-National Express East Coast Fastticket machine please note that only standard shaped cards are accepted. Non-standard cards such as Mint and American Express cannot be used in non-National Express East Coast Fastticket machines. In such cases please speak to a member of Travel Centre/Ticket Office staff who will be able to assist.

What and where is my card security code?

Credit / Debit Cards

• Your card security code is a unique number printed on your debit/credit card. This number is not embossed on the card and is therefore not printed on receipts. Different cards will record the security code in different places, however it is commonly found on the signature strip.

  American Express users should note that the security code is located on the front of the card.

How secure is your website with my credit card details?

Credit / Debit Cards

• When making payment on our website you can be assured that your debit/credit card details are secure and protected.

  Our systems use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology. This system encrypts your card details and stops anyone else accessing them as your transaction travels through the internet.

  Our system also uses 3D Secure verification in the form of "Verified by Visa" and "MasterCard SecureCode". These work in a similar way to “chip and pin” but for online purchases. If you are enrolled in the "Verified by Visa" or "MasterCard SecureCode" with your bank, then during the purchase you will be directed to your bank’s website and prompted for the private code known only by you and your bank. This enhances your protection against unauthorised use of your card when purchasing at nationalexpresseastcoast.com.

  Please note that enrolment in a 3D secure scheme may be compulsory for some banks/card providers.

Why has my debit/credit card not been accepted?

Declined credit/debit card

• There may be a number of reasons why your card has not been accepted.

  • You may have mistyped the card number, missed some of the digits, or not read from the correct number on the card.
  • You may have mistyped the details of your billing address and postcode, which should also be the same address at which your account is registered with the bank.
  • You may have chosen the wrong card type (e.g. MasterCard, Visa etc.).
  • Your bank may have declined to authorise payment for this amount.
  • Your card may be one where the cardholder must be present and it is therefore unsuitable for online bookings.
  • Your card may already be enrolled in Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode, in which case you should complete the details in the secure frame that have been requested by your card issuer before proceeding
  • Your card issuer may have stipulated that you must enrol your card in the either the Verified by Visa scheme or MasterCard SecureCode scheme before being allowed to proceed.

Part of my journey is by bus - where will it depart from?

Disruption

• Station staff will be on duty to direct you to the bus departure point.

How will I know if there is engineering work affecting my travel arrangements?

Engineering / Disruption

• Engineering work is planned well in advance and the information provided at the time of purchasing your train tickets should be up to date. Service disruption information is provided at www.nationalexpresseastc