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Trip planner

  • February 25, 2026
  • 4 replies
  • 35 views
D
Full steam ahead

I am a first-time Interrailer; started by planning my journey via Trainline and similar non-Interrail sites, calculated the point-to-point prices and concluded that an Interrail pass would be worthwhile. I then bought some reservations and only later tried to use the planner to produce a nice tidy itinerary for my journey. I am confused on two fronts:

  1. The first stage of my journey is from home in Derbyshire to London and it tried to send me via the continent - a journey of over 24 hours! Doesn’t matter how many moons I choose (I assume these are nights away for the whole trip?), it won’t take me straight to London.
  2. When I tried to delete the journey and start again it told me to delete the travellers too. But I’ve already paid for reservations for them and don’t want to do anything that might compromise these vital documents. Can I safely delete existing travellers, given that the reservations don’t seem to be explicitly linked to any rail passes at this stage?

 

Best answer by rvdborgt

  1. The Trip planner, the Rail Planner app and the reservations module on the Interrail website are not reliable sources for timetables. For the UK, check timetables on e.g. www.nationalrail.co.uk. If you just want to add a journey to your trip in the Rail Planner app, then choose "London” (without specifying the station). If that still doesn't work for you, then please mention route, date and departure time. Please note that UK timetables are often not available more than 12 weeks in advance. Also there's no need to add any journeys to your trip a long time in advance.
  2. Reservations are completely separate from your passes or any planner, including the Trip planner on the Interrail website. You can't loose or change any reservations because of what you do in any planner.
    Planning ist best done with reliable planners, such as the various national planners, or with e.g. bahn.com for international journeys.

    4 replies

    R
    Railmaster
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    • rvdborgt
    • Railmaster
    • Answer
    • February 25, 2026
    1. The Trip planner, the Rail Planner app and the reservations module on the Interrail website are not reliable sources for timetables. For the UK, check timetables on e.g. www.nationalrail.co.uk. If you just want to add a journey to your trip in the Rail Planner app, then choose "London” (without specifying the station). If that still doesn't work for you, then please mention route, date and departure time. Please note that UK timetables are often not available more than 12 weeks in advance. Also there's no need to add any journeys to your trip a long time in advance.
    2. Reservations are completely separate from your passes or any planner, including the Trip planner on the Interrail website. You can't loose or change any reservations because of what you do in any planner.
      Planning ist best done with reliable planners, such as the various national planners, or with e.g. bahn.com for international journeys.
    Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
    D
    Full steam ahead
    • Duracell Bunny
    • Author
    • Full steam ahead
    • February 25, 2026

    Thanks rvdborgt, choosing ‘London’ as a destination made it work perfectly. I have previously been told to specify ‘London St Pancras International’ whenever travelling by Eurostar, so that if there are any delays to the national part of the journey, Eurostar will endeavour to rebook you free of charge. I now realise that it confused the trip planner big-time.

    ralderton
    Railmaster
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    • ralderton
    • Railmaster
    • February 25, 2026

    That’s good advice when buying cash tickets (although getting it right is quite complex. Read here if you dare), but as you see it just confuses Rail Planner.

    Incidentally, when searching on bahn.com, which is an excellent planner, just choose the name of the city in capital letters, and it will usually route you to the correct station. 

    R
    Railmaster
    Forum|alt.badge.img+10
    • rvdborgt
    • Railmaster
    • February 25, 2026

    Thanks rvdborgt, choosing ‘London’ as a destination made it work perfectly. I have previously been told to specify ‘London St Pancras International’ whenever travelling by Eurostar, so that if there are any delays to the national part of the journey, Eurostar will endeavour to rebook you free of charge.

    That is only useful if you book regular tickets to/from London when connecting with Eurostar. In that case, you get tickets to London St Pancras International, instead of to the London terminal where your domestic train terminates. For Interrail, this doesn’t make a difference. The planner should know that St Pancras and St Pancras International are a short walk apart, but apparently it doesn't, so it routes you via Harwich - Hoek van Holland - Rotterdam - Brussels.

    Please ask questions in the community and not via a private message. That's the quickest way to get a response. I don't work for Eurail/Interrail.
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