, ,

Half-price sale on rail fares announced to help with cost-of-living pressures

by

โ€“

Train tickets are set to be slashed by as much as half as the Government looks to address cost-of-living pressures with cheaper travel in April and May.

In what is being dubbed the Great British Rail Sale, the Transport Secretary said more than one million train tickets would be reduced this spring.

The Department for Transport (DfT) is hoping the move will help hard-pressed households, facing rising bills and soaring inflation, to afford trips across the UK and boost domestic tourism.

Article continues below…
Advert

Enjoy more Railways Illustrated Magazine reading every month.
Click here to subscribe & save.

Also see

The sale, said to be the first of its kind, is expected to bring some Manchester to Newcastle journeys down to a little over ยฃ10, while seats on some London to Edinburgh services will be slashed from ยฃ44 to ยฃ22.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, referring to the end of coronavirus restrictions in a video to advertise the sale, said: โ€œWeโ€™ve had two years of living life virtually.

โ€œIt is time to get real and visit our beautiful country.โ€

Article continues below…
Advert

Discounted tickets will go on sale from Tuesday, April 19, with passengers eligible to travel for less on off-peak fares between April 25 and May 27.

Officials said offering half-price rail tickets was โ€œone of the waysโ€ the Government was helping to support families with the cost of living, having previously announced measures to defer energy costs and offer council tax discounts for some households.

Tickets were set to be available on selected advance fares from 10 am, with passengers able to purchase them from the National Rail website, the Rail Delivery Group said.

Article continues below…
Advert

In a statement, Mr Shapps said: โ€œFor the first time ever, operators across the rail industry are coming together to help passengers facing rising costs of living by offering up to 50% off more than a million tickets on journeys across Britain.

โ€œThereโ€™s no better time to visit friends, family or just explore our great country, so book your tickets today.โ€

Jacqueline Starr, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, said: โ€œWe want everyone to be able to benefit from travelling by train because itโ€™s more than just a journey, itโ€™s a way to connect everyone to the people, places and things they love.

Article continues below…
Advert

โ€œAs part of the Great British Rail Sale customers will enjoy over one million discounted tickets, so they can explore some of the fantastic locations that are accessible by rail.โ€

Other journey savings expected include a single from York to Leeds being reduced to ยฃ2.80 from ยฃ5.60, London to Cardiff being cut from ยฃ47 to ยฃ25 and Portsmouth Harbour to Penzance going down to ยฃ22 from ยฃ45.70.

The DfT said reforms to the rail sector through the so-called Williams-Shapps plan for rail will mean that network-wide sales of tickets should be able to take place more easily in the future.

Labourโ€™s shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said the discounts this spring will be โ€œsmall comfort to passengersโ€ after years of โ€œsoaring faresโ€.

โ€œA decade of brutal Tory fare hikes have priced people off our railways,โ€ she said.

โ€œThis temporary respite will be small comfort to passengers who had thousands taken out of their pockets from soaring fares since 2010.

โ€œAnd the decision to end the sale just before half-term will mean many families face the same punishing costs over the holidays.

โ€œWorking people are facing the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades, and the Conservatives have chosen to hike up taxes and reject a windfall tax on the soaring profits of oil and gas giants.

โ€œLabour would help working people โ€“ with a fully-funded plan to cut up to ยฃ600 off of household bills.โ€


Advert
Subscribe to Railways Illustrated Magazine
Enjoy more Railways Illustrated Magazine reading every month. Click here to subscribe.

Railway Reads

From the history of steam through to 21st century rail transport news, we have titles that cater for all rail enthusiasts. Covering diesels, modelling, steam and modern railways, check out our range of magazines and fantastic subscription offers.


Article Tags:

About the Author