At the Station

Every train station is different, even those owned by the same company. Depending on the carrier, passengers may be able to review the company’s website to obtain specific information about their station before they depart.

Plan to arrive at the station at least 45 minutes in advance; leave extra time if you are traveling for the first time or if you need to make arrangements regarding your tickets or baggage.

Most stations offer free baggage assistance. If someone offers to help you with your bags look for some sort of uniform or identification that verifies their affiliation with the station. If you have any doubts about the person offering to help, turn them down. Most stations also offer carts that you can use to help yourself.

For those who book tickets online, many stations have kiosks similar to those at the airport that allow passengers to print their ticket, change reservations, or make new ones.

Most major stations worldwide offer lockers for storing luggage or other items. This can be convenient for those traveling for the day because they can leave larger pieces of luggage at the station and bring only the necessities along with them. Most train stations have information desks, gift/book shops, ATMs and restaurants.

Major train stations have timetables posted on computers that provide the most updated information about arrivals and departures. These can be a bit difficult to read. If timetables aren’t computerized they are usually recognizable by their color: departure timetables are usually yellow and arrival timetables are white. Trains are generally listed in chronological order, and fast trains are written in red rather than black ink. The name and number of important stops are listed next to the name of each train as are the platforms at which the train departs and arrives.

When you are looking for your train see if there is a diagram at the platform that shows the location of your car on the train. This will allow you to board in an orderly manner.