In Britain a single is a one-way ticket and a return is a round trip, a coach is either a long-distance bus or one carriage of a train, to alight means to get off, and a subway is a walkway that takes you beneath a busy road, not the Underground. Most other transport words you hear in London are ordinary English, but used in a fixed, slightly formal way in signs and announcements.
This page is a working glossary for visitors who learned their English somewhere other than Britain. It is grouped by where you meet the words: buying the ticket, on the platform, on the train, on the Tube, on the bus and in the street. Each entry says what the word means, what to do when you hear it, and where on this site the subject is covered properly.
Our page on British words that confuse visitors covers everyday vocabulary, from pavements to floors. This page goes further into transport only, including the announcements, which are the part nobody explains.
The ten words that change what you do
- Single
- One-way ticket
- Return
- Out and back on the same ticket
- Coach
- A long-distance bus, or one carriage of a train
- Platform
- Where you board; what Americans call a track
- Alight
- Get off
- Terminates
- This is the last stop; everyone gets off
- Calling at
- The list of stations where the train stops
- Interchange
- A station where you change lines
- Subway
- An underpass for people on foot
- Way out
- The exit sign on the Underground
Buying the ticket: single, return and the words in between
- Single
- A ticket for one journey in one direction. "A single to Brighton" is a one-way ticket. On the Tube and buses, a pay as you go fare is always a single.
- Return
- A ticket that covers the journey there and back. On many National Rail routes an Off-Peak Return costs little more than a single, so always compare the two.
- Day return
- A return valid only on the date shown. An ordinary Off-Peak Return is valid for a month, which is useful if you are not coming back the same day.
- Advance, Off-Peak, Anytime
- The three main ticket types. Advance is tied to one train; Off-Peak has time restrictions; Anytime has none. These are formal names, not descriptions. Our guide to buying UK train tickets explains each one.
- Railcard
- A discount card, bought in advance, that takes about a third off most fares. Not a ticket in itself.
- London Terminals
- A destination printed on many tickets, meaning any of the main London stations the route serves. You choose which one.
- Any Permitted
- Printed in the route box: you may take any reasonable route. A ticket that names a route, or says "not via", restricts you. Our page on reading a British train ticket goes through every field.
- Reservation
- A seat booking, often printed as a separate coupon or shown in the app. It is not a ticket, and a ticket is not a reservation.
One more word causes trouble at the ticket machine: zone. London's fare zones run in rings from Zone 1 in the centre outwards. A ticket or Travelcard "Zones 1-2" is valid only inside those rings. Pay as you go works out the zones for you.
On the platform: boards, coaches and short trains
A British station departure board uses a small, fixed vocabulary. Learn it once and you can read any board in the country.
- Platform
- The raised area beside the track where you wait and board. Platforms are numbered, and at big London stations the number is often announced only a few minutes before departure.
- On time / Exp 10:42 / Delayed / Cancelled
- "Exp" means expected: the train is late and is now expected at that time. "Delayed" with no time means the railway does not yet know.
- Starts here
- The train begins its journey at this station, so it may be sitting at the platform early.
- Coach
- On a train, one carriage. Each coach carries a letter, starting from A, and a seat reservation gives a coach letter and a seat number. Look for the letter on the door or the window.
- Front coaches / rear coaches
- Some trains split during the journey. An announcement such as "the front four coaches go to X, the rear four to Y" means you must be in the right part of the train before it leaves.
- Short platform
- "Only the front five coaches will open at..." means the platform at that station is shorter than the train. If you are in a rear coach, move forward through the train before your stop.
- Fast / stopping / semi-fast
- A fast train skips smaller stations; a stopping train calls at all of them. Two trains to the same place can differ by half an hour.
- Platform alteration
- The train has moved to a different platform. Check the board again rather than relying on the number you saw earlier.
"Coach" on a train ticket is never a bus. If your Advance ticket or reservation says "Coach C, Seat 42", that is carriage C of the train. The word only means a bus when you are at a coach station or on a coach company's ticket.
On the train: what the announcements actually mean
British railway announcements use a formal style that sounds old-fashioned but is very regular. These are the phrases you will hear on almost every journey.
- "This train is for Cambridge, calling at..."
- The destination comes first, then the list of stations where it stops. If your station is not in the list, this is the wrong train.
- "The next station is..."
- Announced shortly before arrival, so you have time to collect your bags.
- "Alight here for..."
- Get off here if you are going to the place named. "Alight" is simply the formal word for getting off, and you will also see it on signs ("Please alight here").
- "This train terminates here. All change, please."
- The train goes no further. Everyone must get off, even if your ticket is for somewhere further on. "All change" means everyone changes trains.
- "Please take all your belongings with you"
- Said at the end of the journey. Unattended bags may be treated as a security risk.
- "We are being held at a red signal"
- The train has stopped because the track ahead is not clear. Usually short; not a breakdown.
- "Stand clear of the doors, please"
- The doors are about to close. Do not try to board.
- Guard, conductor, train manager
- Different companies' names for the on-board crew member who checks tickets and looks after passengers. Ask them, not the driver.
"Terminus" is the related noun: a station where trains start and end, such as King's Cross or Waterloo. Most of London's big stations are termini, which is why you cannot ride straight through most of them. Our overview of London's main railway stations explains which goes where, and the first and last trains from each terminus are on a page of their own.
The Tube, the Underground, and why nobody says subway
The London Underground is the official name; Londoners almost always call it the Tube. Both mean the same network of 11 lines. Our visitor's guide to the Underground explains how it works.
- Mind the gap
- A warning to step over the opening between the platform edge and the train floor, which is wide at some curved platforms. You hear it as the doors open.
- Way out
- The exit sign. On the Underground you follow "Way out", not "Exit", although both appear at some stations.
- Interchange
- A station where two or more lines meet and you can change. Some interchanges involve long walks or a short walk outside the station; our page on changing trains without paying twice explains the out-of-station ones.
- Touch in, touch out
- Hold your card or phone on the yellow reader at the start and end of every journey. Forgetting to touch out costs you the maximum fare.
- Good service / Minor delays / Severe delays / Part suspended
- TfL's status words. "Part suspended" means no trains on part of the line; "Part closure" usually means planned engineering work.
- Stand on the right
- On escalators, keep to the right-hand side and leave the other side clear for anyone climbing or descending on foot. Our page on Tube etiquette covers the rest of the unwritten rules.
- Step-free
- A route from street to platform without stairs or escalators. Not the same as "has lifts": a station can have lifts and still need steps somewhere.
Buses and coaches: two different vehicles
In British English a bus is a local service with frequent stops, and a coach is a long-distance or tour vehicle with fewer stops, more comfortable seats and space for luggage underneath. National Express and the airport services are coaches; the red London double-deckers are buses. London's long-distance coaches leave from Victoria Coach Station.
- Request stop
- A stop where the vehicle halts only if someone asks. On London buses, behave as if every stop is one: hold out your arm as the bus approaches, and press the bell before your stop. On some country railway lines outside London, small stations are request stops, and you tell the guard where you want to get off.
- Stop letter
- Busy London bus stops carry a letter, such as Stop K, on a sign at the top of the pole. Journey planners use the letter, so it is how you find the right side of the road.
- Bus stopping
- The sign that lights up when someone has pressed the bell.
- Hopper
- The Hopper fare: TfL's rule that gives you unlimited bus and tram journeys within one hour of touching in, for the price of one fare, as long as you use the same card or phone.
Our guide to London buses and night buses covers fares, the front seats upstairs and the night routes.
In the street: subways, crossings and look right
The word that confuses most American and Asian visitors is subway. In Britain the word means an underpass for people on foot, beneath a busy road or a roundabout. If you ask a Londoner for "the subway" you may be sent underground to cross the street, not to a train. Ask for "the Tube" or "the Underground station" instead.
Two other street words matter for safety. Look right and Look left are painted on the road at many central London crossings, because traffic drives on the left and visitors look the wrong way. A junction is any place where roads meet, and a roundabout is a circular junction where traffic moves clockwise.
Words for when things go wrong
- Rail replacement bus
- A bus or coach that runs instead of the train when the line is closed, usually for engineering work at weekends. Your train ticket is valid on it. Our page on what happens when the line is shut shows where the buses leave from.
- Engineering works
- Planned repairs to the track. Announced weeks ahead and shown on journey planners.
- Signal failure
- A fault in the system that controls train movements. It often causes delays across a whole line, not just at one station.
- Delay Repay
- The scheme under which most train companies pay compensation when you arrive late. The threshold and amounts depend on the company.
- Penalty fare
- An on-the-spot charge for travelling without a valid ticket. It is not a fine you can negotiate. Our page on penalty fares and ticket inspectors explains when one can be issued.
Frequently asked questions
Does a single ticket mean one-way in Britain?
Yes. A single is good for one journey in one direction, and a return covers the trip out and the trip back. Outside London an Off-Peak Return is often priced only slightly above the single, so check both prices before you pay.
What does "alight" mean on a British train?
Alight means to get off. Announcements such as "alight here for the British Museum" tell you which station to leave the train at for a particular place. You will also see it on signs and in timetables.
Is the London Underground called the subway?
No. Londoners call it the Tube or the Underground. In British English the word means an underpass for people on foot, so asking for the subway may send you to an underpass rather than a station.
What does "this train terminates here" mean?
It means the train has reached the end of its journey and will go no further. Everyone must get off, and if you are travelling further you need to change to another train. The announcement often ends "all change, please".
Why is a train carriage called a coach in Britain?
British railways have used "coach" for a passenger carriage since the early days of rail, and the word is still used on tickets and seat reservations. The letter on the side of each carriage matches the letter on your reservation. On the road, the same word means a long-distance bus.
Sources
- National Rail - Ticket types (checked November 2026)
- National Rail - Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak tickets (checked November 2026)
- Transport for London - Tube and rail fares (checked November 2026)
- Transport for London - Bus and tram fares (checked November 2026)
- Transport for London - Status updates (checked November 2026)