This Cookie Policy forms part of the Privacy Policy.
About our Cookies
Cookie Policy for SE Trains Limited
SE Trains Limited (“SET”/ “we” / “us”/“our”) Cookie Policy
What are Cookies?
Cookies are little data files that are placed onto the hardware device which you use to browse the internet. Cookies collect and store information about the way a websites or app is used, and can help integrate with other third-party websites or apps. We use the term 'cookies' in this policy to describe cookies and other technologies that operate in a similar way (e.g. pixels and tags).
Cookies fall into two main types: strictly necessary (or essential), and non-essential (or optional).
Cookies can be set by the owner of the websites or app (first party cookies) or by other organisations that the owner of the websites or app allows to deliver content, enable functionality, or help them understand how their websites or app is being used (third party cookies).
There are session cookies, which expire after a user's browsing session ends (normally when the user exits their browser or shortly thereafter), and persistent cookies, which remain on a user's device for a longer period of time and continue to function across multiple browsing sessions.
How do we use Cookies?
This policy sets out how you can control the use of cookies when using our websites or app. It details which cookies are used and why, as well as other information that may be useful to you.
Cookies perform many different functions, including remembering that you are logged in during visits and the user preferences you may have selected. They also help us to identify which of our web pages are the most popular and what type of journey a visitor has through our site.
We use both strictly necessary (or essential) cookies, as well as non-essential (or optional) cookies.
Strictly necessary or essential cookies
These cookies are set automatically and do not require your consent because they are essential to ensure that our websites and app work properly. For example, when you plan to purchase a ticket, an essential cookie is used to ensure that the ticket you wish to purchase stays in the basket when you move from the booking page onto another webpage such as the payment page. You can switch off these essential cookies in your browser settings, but you may then not be able to access all or parts of our websites or app (or they may not function properly, or as intended). For more information on how to do this, read the “How can I opt out of cookies?” section below.
Non-essential (or optional) cookies
We need your consent to use non-essential (or optional) cookies, and you may provide your consent via the cookie banner that you see when you first visit our websites.
When you consent to it, our websites and app also use the following non-essential (or optional) cookies to improve the way the websites and app work, measure how it is used, and provide advertising relevant to you.
Functional cookies: these cookies enable us to understand how our websites and app are used and how we can improve them, such as by helping us plan the content and layout of our site and recognising returning visitors. You can choose to reject all, or some, of these functional cookies.
Marketing cookies: these cookies help us show you ads that are relevant to you, and measure how well our marketing works. You can choose to reject all, or some, of these marketing cookies.
Analytical & Performance cookies: these cookies help us measure and analyse how you use our websites and app, such as which pages you visit and any errors you encounter. This information allows us to monitor performance, understand user behaviour, and improve the quality of your experience. You can choose to reject all, or some, of these analytical and performance cookies.
Non-essential (or optional) cookies therefore play an important role in helping us to enhance the usability and performance of our websites and app to improve your experience when you visit them. We use cookies and other online tracking devices such as pixel trackers (web beacons), HTML Local Storage and Local Stored Objects (Flash Cookies) on our websites and app to:
- keep track of the items stored in your shopping basket and take you through the checkout process;
- recognise you whenever you visit our websites or app (this speeds up your access to the websites and app as you do not have to log in each time);
- obtain information about your preferences, online movements and use of the Internet;
- carry out research and statistical analysis to help improve our content, products and services and to help us better understand our visitor and customer requirements and interests;
- target our marketing and advertising campaigns more effectively by providing interest-based advertisements that are personalised to your interests (we use third party tracking cookies to do this); and
- make your online experience more efficient and enjoyable.
If you have consented to the use of any non-essential (or optional) cookies, you can reject these at any time by managing your cookie preferences. For more information on how to do this, read the “How can I opt out of cookies?” section below.
Further information about the cookies that we use, and the purposes for which we use them, is set out below.
What Cookies are used by this Site?
We use necessary (or essential), and non-essential (or optional) cookies when you visit to our websites or app, such as:
- Session cookies (i.e. cookies that are deleted shortly after you leave our websites, for example, cookies used to place a ticket in your basket);
- Persistent cookies (i.e. cookies that remain on your device and continue to function across multiple browsing sessions, for example, where you have consented to have your account details saved so you do not have to log onto our websites every time you access it);
- First party cookies (i.e. session or persistent cookies that we, SE Trains Limited, have installed); and
- Third party cookies (i.e. session or persistent cookies that our contractors, such as Google, have installed)
- Please note that the named third parties may use additional cookies over which we have no control. These third party cookies are likely to be analytical, performance or target cookies.
Details of the cookies we use are as follows:
Website
Your consent applies to cookies that may be installed when you visit the following websites: newsroom.southeasternrailway.co.uk, beta.southeasternrailway.co.uk, delayrepay.southeasternrailway.co.uk, tickets.southeasternrailway.co.uk, ticket.southeasternrailway.co.uk, widgets.southeasternrailway.co.uk, livemap.southeasternrailway.co.uk , timetables.southeasternrailway.co.uk , railcards.southeasternrailway.co.uk, fasttrack-southeastern.otrl.io, and tab-southeastern.otrl.io
As cookies can potentially identify users, our use of any personal data collected by the use of cookies is processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Web beacons
Web beacons are usually 1 pixel size transparent images that help websites owners track the activity of users on certain websites pages. They can also send the tracking server (i.e. us, or our technology partners) information in cookies – such as whether an HTML email with a web beacon in it has been opened. We use web beacons together with cookies to help us understand how you interact with our websites and app and the emails we send you, to help us improve your experience, to ensure that content is relevant to you, and to better manage our websites, app and email content.
Further details on web beacons, and how to manage them, can be found on the following website: https://allaboutcookies.org/what-is-a-web-beacon.
How can I opt out of cookies?
You can use the settings provided in the cookie banner when you first use the websites or app to set your cookie preferences.
You can accept all cookies by clicking "Allow All" or reject all cookies (except essential cookies – see below) by clicking "Essential Only". You can personalise your choices by selecting “Choose Preferences” and selecting which cookies you are willing to grant consent by scrolling down the list of one of the tabs: “Categories” or “Technologies” (both tabs contain the same information presently slightly differently so you only need to select from one list), and then clicking “Save my choices".
You can change your cookie settings at any time by clicking on “Cookie & Privacy Settings” in the footer of our websites, or in the app by clicking on the “Cookie & Privacy Settings” in the Settings and Support section of the Menu, which will bring up the cookie preferences again.
Our websites and app will only use essential cookies without your permission – we need your permission to set non-essential (or optional) cookies.
The consent you provide using the cookie banner does not affect the way that essential cookies are used. As we set out above, if you would prefer essential cookies not to be set, you can change your browser settings, but this may affect the functionality or performance of the websites and app, or prevent you from using certain services provided through our websites and app.
For more information on how to manage cookies on popular browsers, please see the links below:
If you use an alternative browser, you may be able to find further information by visiting the browser developer's websites.
You can find more detailed information about cookies (including how to manage their use via your browser) on the Information Commissioner’s website and at www.allaboutcookies.org.
Contact Us
If you have any questions in relation to this policy, or our approach to cookies, please do not hesitate to contact our Data Protection Officer, at information-rights@southeasternrailway.co.uk.
This policy was last updated on 1 October 2025.
