York Station may be one of the oldest operating train stations in the UK, but it’s definitely not behind the times. Managed by the London North Eastern Railway Company, York Station is bang up to date and has all of the facilities to make train travel a real pleasure rather than a total pain.
No matter how modern York Station is, being there for the first time can leave you feeling a bit daunted. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of folks hurrying to catch their trains when you haven’t got a clue where to get a ticket from or don’t know which platform you need to be on. Take a deep breath and stop stressing. It’s nowhere near as complicated as you might think. And, to keep things simple, head for the nearest York Station luggage storage first so that you can have one less worry while you navigate the station and the city.
Get A Ticket To Ride
York Station has a travel center on the main concourse that’s open from early in the morning until late afternoon. If you don’t want to use the automatic ticket machines or are unsure what ticket you need, you can head there and ask the friendly, efficient staff and then purchase your ticket from them.
The only setback to using the travel center is there are often queues which is not great if you’re in a rush because the train you want to get on is due to depart. The best way to get train tickets is to purchase them online in advance with a debit or credit card. When you do that, you’ll be given a code which, along with the debit or credit card you used to pay for the ticket online, you will need to collect your ticket from the self-service ticket machines. It’s simple, effective, and quicker than queueing.
Tip: Don’t think that because you’ve paid for your journey online, you can jump on the train without a physical ticket. You’ll need the ticket to access the security barrier onto the platform and onboard the train to show the conductor when they make their inspection.
Departures and Arrivals
While York Station’s historic clock is attractive and a good timekeeper, it’s not what you need to keep an eye on if you’re catching a train. There are banks of digital display boards on the main concourse at York Station, which show arrivals, departures, the platform number the service is expected at or will be leaving from, and the arriving or leaving times of the trains. York Station has 11 different platforms, so always give yourself at least ten minutes to get to the one your train will be departing from, especially if you have baggage with you.
Getting Assistance
If you’re weighed down with bags or have mobility difficulties, you’ll find there is lift access to platforms 5 to 11 from the main concourse.
If you think you’ll need help getting through the station, you can book assistance before you arrive via the LNER website. You can get assistance without booking in advance if you go to the Customer Information Point on the main concourse and ask to use LNER’s turn-up-and-go service, which is available all the time there are trains running.
Can You Get Food At York Station?
You won’t need to go out of York Station to find something to eat and drink. There are plenty of options on the main concourse as well as a few, although less exciting, on most of the platforms too. Food and drink outlets at York Station vary between cafes, sandwich bars, well-known burger chains, and a couple of pubs where you can scoff a pie and wash it down with a pint of ale.
These are the places you can eat and drink at York Station:
- Burger King
- Pret A Manger
- Starbucks
- Costa Coffee
- The Duke of York
- The York Tap
There are also a couple of supermarkets and a newsagent-book store. If none of those cafes or pubs grabs your attention, you’ll find plenty of places to eat a decent meal a few minutes from the station on Micklegate.
Luggage Storage At York Station
Sadly you won’t find any luggage lockers at York Station. It’s the one facility that the station lacks, but there is a convenient baggage storage solution close by. If you need to store your bags for a period of time, you’ll find luggage lockers on Micklegate, which is just three minutes on foot from the station.
York Station Lost Property
It’s not nice losing something, but it’s something that happens to us all at one time or another. If you’ve left something on a train or think you may have lost something at the station, this is what to do:
LNER operates a lost and found service called MissingX. You can access the service via the link on their webpage or by doing a Google search. If your lost item has been found, it will be registered on the system, and you’ll be informed of which lost property office it’s being stored in. If it hasn’t been found, then you can register the item, and it will be kept in the search for three months.
NB: Most mislaid items found at York Station are kept at the Newark North Gate Lost Property Hub.
Transport Options From York Station
When you’ve just arrived at York Station, the last thing you want to do is go in search of a cab or a bus to get you your accommodation. Thankfully, you won’t have to. There’s a cab rank right outside the station’s main entrance, where you can pick up a cab any time of the day or night. There are also eight bus stops right outside the station on Station Road, from where you can catch services that cover most parts of the city.
Citations
https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/yrk.aspx
https://www.lner.co.uk/the-east-coast-experience/our-stations/york-station/