National Routeing Guide

The National Routeing Guide is a document, the definitive resource on the validity (and invalidity) of rail tickets for the purpose of rail travel in England, Wales, and Scotland (that is, the United Kingdom except Northern Ireland). As stated by the Rail Regulator, "[it] sets out passengers' rights to use the network flexibly". It is a book produced by the ATOC, which should always be carried by any rail ticket inspector. It is also always on hand to staff at manned stations.

It is one of a number of technical railway manuals which exist as part of the operating of the rail network of Great Britain, many of which are now in the public domain.

Customers generally encounter the document in specific circumstances, when they wish to prove (or check) the validity of their ticket on a route which might at first not appear obvious. Since most rail travellers make 'simple' journeys, many will never encounter it. However, when making more complex journeys, it is important to stay "on route". The guide defines what this means. Individual tickets may restrict holders to a subset of the acceptable routes, usually by requiring them to travel through a particular station.

"Ticketing arrangements on the UK's railways are notoriously arcane, but you can use the rules to get cheaper fares."

The routeing guide makes possible some of the recently publicised ticketing anomalies in the UK rail network such as saving money by purchasing tickets for long journeys as several discrete journeys instead, for example As such it is a powerful tool in the arsenal of the knowing consumer, given the current complexity of ticket choice on the UK rail network. It is also important for travellers who contemplate a different route when faced with disruption; under these circumstances staff may stamp or sign a ticket as valid via a different route.

When it was introduced, its primary aim was to "provide passengers with certainty about what travel their ticket buys them ", after many years of ambiguity over 'reasonable' journeys, therefore passengers are now quite within their rights to use it as a point of reference, since it has been written and approved by the transport companies.

The primary concern of those travelling is staying on a route acceptable for the ticket they have purchased. The customer is always on-route if they can answer yes to at least one of the below, according to section A of the guide:

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