Benefits of travelling with South Western Railway for business

Whether you’re an employee or a business owner, sometimes your job will call for you to travel to destinations further than your usual office. Work functions, meetings and training events could see you being invited to places that are more than a short drive away, and if that’s the case, you want to make sure that you arrive with plenty of time to spare.

Remote meetings aren’t the only cause for business travel. Thousands of people across the UK travel to and from work every day, and with the average commute reported to take a staggering 59 minutes, people are now spending more time than ever on their journey to work.

Luckily, thanks to the large selection of public transport available, travelling to work couldn’t be easier. Whether you’re day-to-day commuting, attending regular client meetings or journeying to a one-off business meeting, you’ll want to make sure that you’re getting the most out of your business travel.

If you’re travelling by train, then it’s important to make yourself fully aware of the offerings and services available. South Western Railway provides a dedicated Business Direct service to help you on your travels across the UK, no matter what network or ticket type you’re using. Here are just some of the ways you can benefit from using South Western Railway’s Business Direct service:

Plan ahead and save money

If you’re thinking about making a business trip, it’s always best to plan ahead before you make your journey. Planning your route beforehand allows you to make sure everything is in order long before you have to leave, saving you the stress of rushing to get prepared at the last minute.

Before your journey, make a list of all your meetings and their locations, as well as the times you’ll need to be there for. You can use your Business Direct travel account to find and book trains that will help you get to and from each location, as well as scouting for the best available deals.

Not only will you save time and money with our lowest fare finder, but you can also pay by credit card or invoice. With your Business Direct account, you’re able to book online at any time, and you won’t have to worry about additional booking fees. To get help with your booking, you can access our dedicated business team by giving us a call Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 17:30.

Travelling with the team?

Team meetings can make business travel a whole lot more enjoyable—and as a bonus, if the whole team is travelling together, you can all make the most of discounted tickets with GroupSave.

Your group can benefit from 34% off adult tickets when three to nine people are travelling together. Book your tickets online to enjoy this fantastic saving and remember to select GroupSave in the drop-down “Railcards and other discounts” box.

Since GroupSave tickets are only valid for certain times of the day, be sure to use the journey planner to check that the times you want to travel fall within this.

If there are 10 or more of you travelling together, you can still enjoy some amazing discounts for the whole group. A Group Travel ticket can save you up to 26% when travelling during Off-Peak or Super Off-Peak times and will ensure that you get the best deal possible for your group. The cheapest tickets will always be offered for your journey and you may be quoted GroupSave if this offers a better saving. To book, call our Group Travel team on 0203 879 4088, email grouptravel@swrailway.com, or use our online form to receive a written quote.

Explore our onboard services

Commutes for business purposes can often be long, so many people choose to make the most of their journey by completing some work on the move. For optimal comfort, during your booking process you have the option to select a seat with a table so you’ll be able to comfortably use your laptop whilst you’re on the train.

To help you be as productive and focused as possible, take advantage of our onboard facilities and services such as quiet zones, where passengers are asked to refrain from using mobile phones, and our free Wi-Fi. Currently all stations across the South Western Railway network offer free Wi-Fi, as well as all of our trains.

If your business meeting takes place over a weekend, you can also make the most of First Class weekend upgrades at a special discounted price, as well as the option to bring your bike to help you with the last leg of your commute.

Learn more about the destinations

South Western Railway covers a large number of destinations across the south western region, making it easy for you to get from A to B. If your meeting takes place in London, make the most of regular trains to the capital, and while you’re in the big city, why not take some time out of your working hours to explore and sightsee? From London’s famous skyline to the spectacular museums and galleries, you won’t be stuck for things to do.

Those with meetings elsewhere can benefit from trains to Bournemouth, Southampton, Weymouth, Exeter, Dorchester, Salisbury, Reading, Portsmouth and many more locations in the south west. From beautiful coastlines and quaint countryside towns to bustling cities and tourist hotspots, you can make the most of wherever your business trip takes you.

Discover a seamless online booking platform

Ease the end-to-end management of business meetings and the stress of leaving things to the last minute by creating your very own Business Direct travel account. From our seamless booking process and wide variety of ticket options to unique special offers and the opportunity for discounted travel, there are so many perks to travelling for work with South Western Railway.

Take the stress out of travelling for work with a Business Direct travel account. You can book business train tickets across Great Britain 24 hours a day, seven days a week with absolutely no booking fee—while having total control of your online account, making it easy to analyse travel expenditure and customise features to best suit your requirements.