After reading a recent New York Times account of problems with rail travel in Britain, I have a question. My husband & I will be in Britain in early March; one of his long-time wishes is to visit the National Railway Museum in York. We had counted on taking the train from London to York and back again, but now I wonder whether there are alternatives. Are there flights from London to York? Other suggestions? I would appreciate your suggestions!

Hello Debra, <BR> <BR>If you're planning York as a day-trip from London, rail is the best option. <BR>Although there have been delays in recent weeks, I think most will have been resolved by March. On that particular line I don't think you'll have problems as it's one of the main lines in Britain. <BR> <BR>Flying is inconvenient as the nearest airport is Leeds/Bradford. <BR> <BR>

What's about fly into New Castle upon Tyne? Is it easier than Leeds?

I'm presuming you're flying from London (sorry if you're not!): <BR>Newcastle airport is quite near the city - but it can be expensive (£200-ish, although Gill airways advertise fares of £59) Check out www.gill-airways.com and British Airways - I think they're the only companies that do the route. But, when you take into account the length of time to get to the London airports, then the journey by air takes almost the same time as the train.

I don't know if things are still awful, but I highly recommend that you check out the Virgin Trains Web site. In September, I managed to snag a one-way train fare from Glasgow to London for a mere 12 pounds. If you go at an off-peak time, you can catch these deals. The train was clean, comfortable and on time. All I had to do was charge it online then pick up the ticket at the Glasgow train station. Happy trails! York is indeed worth the visit. Make sure you walk the city walls.

We here in Brit Land are now being told that we can expect to have the trains back to normal by Easter ! Hmm ! <BR> <BR>Keep checking the railtrack site (www.railtrack.co.uk) for the official position, and perhaps the BBC (www.bbc.co.uk/news) for the real one. <BR> <BR>Consider a long-distance bus to York. "National Express" have a website with an online searchable timetable. They are not fantastic, but they are at least fairly reliable. <BR> <BR>Thanbks for considering coming to Yorkshire, most people don't get out of London. !!! <BR> <BR>Chris (Sheffield).

Virgin Trains announced today that all their rail fares would be cut by 50% from 1st Feb to 4th March. Don't know if that is too early in March for your trip but it might be worth checking out their web site at virgintrains.co.uk