# National Rail > Comprehensive app for British train travel planning, ticketing, and live updates. (iPhone/iPad app by National Rail.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/national-rail/id519094154 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [National Rail](https://appshunter.io/developer/512167281) - Category: Travel, Navigation - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.60/5 from 74 App Store ratings · 478 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 15.0 · 5 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2012-05-01 - Data updated: 2026-08-26 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/national-rail/id519094154/reviews.md ## What is National Rail? Your journey, simplified. Get live train times, plan routes, buy tickets, and receive real-time updates—all in one app. Travel smarter with National Rail. Travel with confidence across the British rail network. The National Rail app is your essential companion for stress-free train travel. Plan your journey with our intelligent route planner. Find the fastest connections, compare train times, and get live departure boards for any station. Buy tickets, access Railcard discounts and find the best value Season Tickets all in one place. Stay informed with real-time updates on delays, platform changes, and disruptions. Receive email, SMS, or WhatsApp notifications so you're always in the know during your commute. My Travel. Save our favourite stations and journeys in Live Trains and Journey Planner for quicker results and less clicking. Status and Disruptions. Find out about anything that might impact your journey. ## Key features - Live train times - Route planning - Ticket purchasing - Real-time updates - Delay notifications - Save favorite stations ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Ad-free version | $4.99 | one-time | ## What do users think of National Rail? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 👍 Helpful for planning journeys - 🚀 Provides live train status updates - 🚀 Useful for commuters and frequent travelers **Cons** - 🐛 Unreliable and buggy - 🔍 Difficult to use and navigate - 🔍 Lacks key functionality compared to previous version - 🔍 Cluttered and visually unappealing interface - 💰 Paid version required to remove ads **Commonly reported bugs** - App frequently crashes or freezes - Inaccurate train times and journey information - Ticket booking functionality not working properly - Compatibility issues with newer iPhone models **Most requested features** - Ability to save favorite stations and journeys - Option to view earlier/past train departures - More granular search options (e.g. search by minute, not just 15-minute intervals) - Improved live train tracking and disruption notifications ## Recent user reviews (10 of 478) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/national-rail/id519094154/reviews.md ### 1/5 — Ruined by updates *2026-08-13* Been using the app for 12 years and it's always been great, easy to use and reliable. With the latest update it's now more difficult to use, can't seem to search for services more than an hour or so passed which was handy for work! The interface is much less user friendly than before. And you now cannot see "passing points / stations" like you were previously able to. Again, which was very useful for my work! ### 1/5 — Bad *2026-07-24, version 10.4.0* Never loads when u need it to ### 1/5 — Difficult to travel via *2026-07-17* I tried to plan a journey from Kemble to York via Paddington so I could be joined by a friend in London. I clicked on buy tickets and was sent to GWR but all they gave me was a ticket from Kemble to Paddington. I changed the TOC to LNER and all they gave me was Kings Cross to York. I changed my journey in the LNER planner and they gave me tickets via Cheltenham Spa. I requested via Paddington and it stated no tickets available. I used RTT tickets instead which gave me more options and split tickets. If they can do it why can’t National Rail? I won’t bother with National Rail again. ### 1/5 — How to ruin an app *2026-07-17* I’ve had this app for years and it’s always been great. With the latest update you’ve managed to completely ruin it. Takes ages to open and run any searches. More interested in selling tickets and runnings ads than providing the useful train running info it’s provided for many, many years. Thanks!! Update: well done on managing to make it even worse by adding adverts that pop up when you’re searching for trains. I didn’t think it was possible to make the app worse but you managed it. ### 1/5 — A survey at every search *2026-07-15, version 10.4.0* Why have your developers implemented a questionnaire that will pop up EVERY time that I run a search? ### 1/5 — Very poor *2026-07-14, version 10.4.0* It takes an age to load and when it does is glitchy. The layout seems to change at random. Have missed trains because it’s so bad. Also when you ‘select’ a train you can’t unselect but have to start from the beginning. So poor. ### 1/5 — Please go back to old version *2026-07-13, version 10.4.0* Old national rail app was great. It was revised a year ish back and now sucks ### 1/5 — Painful *2026-07-13, version 10.4.0* The app is really painful to use if you are in a rush. While I’m travelling I’ll find a route and if I close the app while I’m walking and reopen it again, I have to search all over again. Would be great if it worked better offline, and didn’t need to refresh so often in the background. ### 3/5 — Stop asking for the same feedback for “before you go” several times a day!!!!!!!!!! *2026-07-10, version 10.4.0* New app is quicker and looks cleaner, but for goodness sake - stop asking for the feedback! ### 4/5 — Good improvements *2026-07-07, version 10.4.0* Following a difficult start this app has been developed and has improved as a result. It’s now my to go for rail information as it is the source for all the other apps. ## Frequently asked questions about National Rail ### What does the National Rail app do? The app simplifies train journeys across the British rail network. It allows users to get live train times, plan routes, buy tickets, and receive real-time updates on delays and disruptions. ### Can I buy tickets through the app? Yes, you can buy tickets directly within the app. It also allows you to access Railcard discounts and find the best value Season Tickets. ### How does the app help with journey planning? The intelligent route planner helps you find the fastest connections and compare train times. You can also view live departure boards for any station and save your favorite stations and journeys for quicker access. ### What kind of real-time updates does the app provide? The app provides real-time updates on delays, platform changes, and disruptions. You can receive notifications via email, SMS, or WhatsApp to stay informed about anything that might impact your journey. ### Is the National Rail app free to use? The app itself is free to download and use for planning and checking train times. However, it does offer in-app purchases for buying tickets and may display advertisements. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 10.4.1 — 2026-08-19 Bug fixes and enhancements ### 10.4.0 — 2026-04-28 Bug fixes and enhancements ### 10.3.9 — 2026-02-26 Bug fixes and enhancements ### 10.3.8 — 2025-06-19 Bug fixes to improve stability and better information ### 10.3.7 — 2025-06-10 Introducing a new feature to make providing feedback even easier. Performance enhancements and bug fixes ## Apps similar to National Rail | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Trainline: Cheap Train Tickets](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/trainline-cheap-train-tickets/id334235181) | 4.9 (9,793) | Free | Travel | | [Uber - Request a ride](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/uber-request-a-ride/id368677368) | 4.9 (16,693,165) | Free | Travel | | [Rail Ninja: Train Tickets](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rail-ninja-train-tickets/id6450311501) | 4.8 (5,762) | Free | Travel | | [ScotRail Train Times & Tickets](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scotrail-train-times-and-tickets/id464015282) | 4.9 (439) | Free | Travel | | [Northern Train Tickets & Times](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/northern-train-tickets-and-times/id576380036) | 4.6 (60) | Free | Travel | | [Great Western Railway](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/great-western-railway/id470544879) | 4.6 (2,320) | Free | Travel | ## More apps by National Rail - [NationalRailEnquiries for iPad](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nationalrailenquiries-for-ipad/id643596365) - [Railcard](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/railcard/id1246748048) - [NationalRail Smartcard Manager](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nationalrail-smartcard-manager/id1561115366) All apps by National Rail: https://appshunter.io/developer/512167281 ## Related topics [rail british](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/rail-british) · [avanti west coast](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/avanti-west-coast) · [england train](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/england-train) · [lner train](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/lner-train) · [national rail enquiries](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/national-rail-enquiries) · [uk trains](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/uk-trains) · [avanti west](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/avanti-west) · [avanti train](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/avanti-train) · [network rail](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/network-rail) · [national rail](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/national-rail) · [uk train](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/uk-train) · [uk train tickets](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/uk-train-tickets) · [national rail uk](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/national-rail-uk) · [national railway](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/national-railway) · [british national rail](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/british-national-rail) · [liner train](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/liner-train) · [lner](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/lner) · [train times uk journey planner](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/train-times-uk-journey-planner) · [railcard](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/railcard) · [london train rail](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/london-train-rail) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-26.*