Split ticket savings: How exploiting Britain’s barmy train fares could cut the cost of your travel
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 1 April 2025, ScotRail tickets will cost 3.8 per cent more. Fortunately, Britain’s absurd rail fare structure means there are plenty of pricing anomalies you can quite legally exploit by “splitting tickets”. GWR says: “You could be issued with an Unpaid Fare Notice, a Penalty Fare Notice or be interviewed under caution.” Many people who have tried to split tickets have encountered problems when they haven’t scrupulously obeyed the rules. And governments are aware that reform will see many rail fares fall and others remaining the same – but some tickets will cost more.
Discover Related
Staggering rise in cost to enter UK’s most popular tourist attractions revealed
State signs pact with UK agencies to raise metro revenues
Rail: ‘This is where we are, but it is definitely not where anybody wants to be’
Swiss Railways plummets in trains league table after The Independent’s investigation
Calls for yellow card system for train passengers after ticket prosecutions
Simon Calder reveals how to get train tickets for £4 or less in the Rail Sale
Simon Calder reveals how to get train tickets for £3 in the Great British Rail Sale
The secret hacks you need to know to save up to 54% on first-class train tickets
Tube and rail fares in London to rise by 4.6% in March ‘to fund key projects’
What’s the point of publicly owned railways if train fares don’t go down?
What will nationalisation mean for Britain’s rail network and passengers?
What proportion of rail services will be in public hands by the end of 2025?
Three rail firms to be brought into public ownership but fares will still rise
Trains can only get better, says the government – let’s see
South Western Railway to become first rail operator to return to public ownership
This little-known railcard deal could save you £167 on train travel
Railways set to come back into public ownership after Lords pass nationalisation bill
Five railway stocks hit a detour: Fundamentals strong amid sharp corrections
Ex-Eurostar boss tells government to stay out of running railways