Rail Rover: East Midlands Rover

In this book, the author takes full advantage of the diversity on offer as a regular user of this rail ticket. It offers the choice of three of the country’s main lines stretching north to south across the ticket’s boundaries (West Coast, Midland and East Coast) and a wide variety of other railway lines in between. With Milton Keynes at its southern edge and north to Sheffield and Doncaster, from Staffordshire on the West Coast Main Line eastwards to Lincolnshire and South Humberside, it is an area rich in contrasts.

The rover user is spoilt for choice of passenger train operators. Express services are provided by Virgin’s Pendolinos and LNER’s Class 91s and, soon, state-of-the-art Azumas, among others. These are complemented by a wide variety of both diesel and electric local services ensuring every day’s journey is different.

The area is also one of the busiest for observing the country’s freight train movements, with many of the country’s acknowledged freight hotspots falling in this rover ticket’s area.