Why are UK train fares so irrational? The Man In Seat 61 explains
2 years, 1 month ago

Why are UK train fares so irrational? The Man In Seat 61 explains

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The transport secretary, Mark Harper, will reportedly unveil plans this week to replace return fares with “single-leg pricing”, in which the price of two single tickets will be equal to a return. “Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away,” he writes, “only a hefty standard one-way fare and a hefty standard return fare existed. “So British Rail in their wisdom decided to introduce a cheaper return fare only valid outside peak periods to stimulate optional days out & weekends away. “So in the off-peak any decent booking clerk would also sell Saver Returns to passengers only going one-way,” says Mr Smith.

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History of this topic

Split ticket savings: How exploiting Britain’s barmy train fares could cut the cost of your travel
Trending News
3 weeks ago

Split ticket savings: How exploiting Britain’s barmy train fares could cut the cost of your travel

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. On 2 March 2025 ticket prices went up by an average of 4.6 per cent in England and Wales; from …

Simon Calder reveals his tricks to finding cheap train tickets
3 weeks, 5 days ago

Simon Calder reveals his tricks to finding cheap train tickets

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Rail retailers – as opposed to train operators – can add a fee on top of the 5 per cent …

Simon Calder reveals how to find the cheapest train tickets
1 month ago

Simon Calder reveals how to find the cheapest train tickets

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Rail retailers – as opposed to train operators – can add a fee on top of the 5 per cent …

Why Labour’s plan to revive British Rail won’t bring down ticket prices
10 months, 3 weeks ago

Why Labour’s plan to revive British Rail won’t bring down ticket prices

The Telegraph  

Slashing ticket prices, conversely, would require an increase in subsidy, something Labour is reluctant to fund given the numerous other calls on the public purse and its determination to stick to fiscal rules. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch praised Labour’s commitment to nationalising rail franchises as they expire as “in the best interests of railway workers”. He said the move …

Train passengers hit out at delays and cancellations on first day of ticket price increase
1 year ago

Train passengers hit out at delays and cancellations on first day of ticket price increase

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Rail passengers have hit out at the “irony” of mass …

Rail passengers in England face ‘brutal’ hike as fares to rise by 4.9%
1 year, 3 months ago

Rail passengers in England face ‘brutal’ hike as fares to rise by 4.9%

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Rishi Sunak’s government …

Return train fares expected to be scrapped in shake-up of British rail system
2 years, 1 month ago

Return train fares expected to be scrapped in shake-up of British rail system

The Independent  

Return train fares are to be scrapped in a planned shake-up of Britain’s rail system, expected to be announced by Rishi Sunak’s transport secretary within days. Mark Harper will reportedly unveil plans this week to replace return fares with “single-leg pricing”, in which the price of two single tickets will be equal to a return. It was first proposed by …

Rail fares: What does decision to ditch return train tickets mean for travellers?
2 years, 1 month ago

Rail fares: What does decision to ditch return train tickets mean for travellers?

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. According to a briefing provided by the Department for Transport to the Telegraph, return train fares are to be scrapped …

UK commuters face further rail fare rise
5 years, 2 months ago

UK commuters face further rail fare rise

Al Jazeera  

Rail passengers in the United Kingdom face “another decade of misery”, with some long-distance commuters seeing the annual cost of getting to work increase by more than 100 pounds. “How on earth is the government going to meet its climate commitments by pricing people off environmentally friendly trains and on to our polluted and congested roads?” Network Rail data shows …

UK train passengers could save millions using 'ticket split' app, claims French firm
5 years, 8 months ago

UK train passengers could save millions using 'ticket split' app, claims French firm

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Rail passengers could save hundreds of millions of pounds effortlessly by exploiting anomalies in train fares, …

How UK train companies could make rail fares cheaper and better
6 years, 7 months ago

How UK train companies could make rail fares cheaper and better

Wired  

Getty Images / Jeff J Mitchell / Staff Rail fares are going up, on schedule. It's not been a good year for the rail industry in the UK, and the carnage caused by the mismanaged timetable shakeup has dominated coverage, meaning any fare rise – expected or not – feels like a "slap in the face" to commuters, as one …

Millennial railcards are good, but rational train fares would be better
7 years, 4 months ago

Millennial railcards are good, but rational train fares would be better

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Mark Smith, the rail guru known as The Man in Seat Sixty-one, also questions the commercial sense of a “National …

Rail industry announces radical overhaul of train fares in Britain
8 years, 1 month ago

Rail industry announces radical overhaul of train fares in Britain

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. At the time far fewer people travelled by train, there was no competition from budget airlines and the main discount …

Britain's rail fare system is so absurd, a season ticket is cheaper than a return
8 years, 1 month ago

Britain's rail fare system is so absurd, a season ticket is cheaper than a return

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The Independent can reveal that for more flexibility and a bigger saving, there is another, cheaper option: buy a seven-day …

Cheap train tickets: Here's how you can beat the illogical pricing system
8 years, 3 months ago

Cheap train tickets: Here's how you can beat the illogical pricing system

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Slade were singing “Merry Xmas Everybody” on the radio, Britain’s role in Europe was being fiercely debated and industrial strife …

Rail fares increase: Split tickets offer easy and legal way of making huge savings on train tickets
9 years, 2 months ago

Rail fares increase: Split tickets offer easy and legal way of making huge savings on train tickets

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Rail fares are rising across the UK today but there are several easy ways of cutting …

Rail fares 'increasingly divorced from reality' as prices go up 1.1% for new year
9 years, 2 months ago

Rail fares 'increasingly divorced from reality' as prices go up 1.1% for new year

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Rail passengers face a fresh round of fare increases today, …

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