How to get cheap train tickets even if rail fares rise
6 years, 7 months ago

How to get cheap train tickets even if rail fares rise

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. Between Rugby and London Euston, for example, Virgin Trains passengers pay around £1 per mile: £70 for a one-way “walk-up” Anytime ticket. The arcane way in which fares are calculated, which was “baked in” at the time of privatisation in the mid-1990s, means that for all sorts of journeys from Origin to Destination, two tickets – one from Origin to Midpoint, the second from Midpoint to Destination – are cheaper than one. On the Rugby-London run, for example, buying one ticket from Rugby to Milton Keynes Central and a second from there to London halves the price.

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History of this topic

Want lower rail fares to lure people out of their cars? We need a rail revolution
3 weeks, 4 days ago

Want lower rail fares to lure people out of their cars? We need a rail revolution

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. Ms Hockley’s sensible question usually gets a stock answer: the railways cost a fixed amount to run, roughly £25bn a …

Split ticket savings: How exploiting Britain’s barmy train fares could cut the cost of your travel
Trending News
3 weeks, 5 days 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
1 month 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, 1 week 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 …

‘You won’t find cheaper tickets anywhere else’: Why Trainline’s promise doesn’t stack up
1 month, 1 week ago

‘You won’t find cheaper tickets anywhere else’: Why Trainline’s promise doesn’t stack up

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 “You won’t find cheaper tickets anywhere else”: that is the bizarre pledge from rail retailer Trainline, …

Simon Calder reveals how to get train tickets for £4 or less in the Rail Sale
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Simon Calder reveals how to get train tickets for £4 or less in the Rail Sale

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 “More discounted tickets than ever before”: that is the government’s promise as the 2025 Rail Sale …

Rail sale: When you can access cheap train tickets and the operators taking part
2 months, 2 weeks ago

Rail sale: When you can access cheap train tickets and the operators taking part

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. Train ticket offers Examples of price reductions on typical Advance fares include: Examples of price reductions on typical Advance fares …

How to deter prospective rail passengers: Pretend fares are much higher than they are
3 months, 2 weeks ago

How to deter prospective rail passengers: Pretend fares are much higher than they are

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 “The three most expensive rail operators in Europe are the ones operating totally or partially in …

Study ranks UK train fares highest in Europe – but praises passengers’ rights
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Study ranks UK train fares highest in Europe – but praises passengers’ rights

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 analysis of 27 European operators found that “travelling by rail in the UK is particularly costly”, adding that high …

Europe wants you to travel by train. But why is it so complex and expensive?
4 months, 4 weeks ago

Europe wants you to travel by train. But why is it so complex and expensive?

BBC  

Europe wants you to travel by train. Getty Images Booking train tickets can be expensive and complicated compared to flying "I recently booked a trip to Hamburg from Amsterdam," Geneen said. Eurail, which runs Interrail, one of the continent's best-known train travel brands, says it has seen the demand for European train travel and flight-free itineraries grow by 25% between …

Train fares and railcard price increase: What you need to know
4 months, 4 weeks ago

Train fares and railcard price increase: What you need to know

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 The cost of regulated train fares in England will increase by up to 4.6% next year …

Government hikes train fares by 4.6% and increases cost of railcards in blow to commuters as part of Rachel Reeves' £40bn tax bomb Budget
4 months, 4 weeks ago

Government hikes train fares by 4.6% and increases cost of railcards in blow to commuters as part of Rachel Reeves' £40bn tax bomb Budget

Daily Mail  

Rail fares in England will be hiked by an inflation-busting 4.6 per cent next year. The rise will send the cost of many commuter season tickets soaring by hundreds of pounds In the run-up to the election, now Transport Secretary Louise Haigh insisted the party had ‘no plans’ to hike fares while claiming that its re-nationalisation plans would not cost …

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 …

Train fares increase again – find out how much your ticket will cost now
1 year ago

Train fares increase again – find out how much your ticket will cost now

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines 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 }} Train fares are …

Train fares: everyone knows they’re wrong, but no government is brave enough to fix them
1 year ago

Train fares: everyone knows they’re wrong, but no government is brave enough to fix them

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 general secretary of the biggest rail union, Mick Lynch, called the rise a “slap in the face” for travellers, …

This is Britain’s cheapest train ticket – costing just 70p (or 45p with a railcard)
1 year, 2 months ago

This is Britain’s cheapest train ticket – costing just 70p (or 45p with a railcard)

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 Britain’s cheapest rail ticket can be revealed: just 70p buys a nine-minute, six-mile journey on a …

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 …

Train pain for Christmas travellers as it is revealed rail fares are up to EIGHT times more expensive than flying to Europe over the festive period - check to see how much YOUR travel will cost
1 year, 3 months ago

Train pain for Christmas travellers as it is revealed rail fares are up to EIGHT times more expensive than flying to Europe over the festive period - check to see how much YOUR travel will cost

Daily Mail  

Taking the train between Britain and the Europe is up to eight times more expensive than flying, a study revealed today as travellers flock to the continent for Christmas. Prices for the cheapest possible ticket available across the six trips analysed by rail and plane On average across all the trips analysed the train cost 3.4 times as much as …

Birmingham-London rail fares war sees train tickets slashed to under £10
1 year, 5 months ago

Birmingham-London rail fares war sees train tickets slashed to under £10

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 Competition between rail and coach firms for passengers between Birmingham and London has intensified, with Avanti …

Train ticket prices could fall by 56 per cent if rest of UK follows Scotland in scrapping peak-time rail fares
1 year, 6 months ago

Train ticket prices could fall by 56 per cent if rest of UK follows Scotland in scrapping peak-time rail fares

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. Train operator ScotRail and the Scottish government are facing a 30 per cent slump in rail commuting due to changes …

Couple flies abroad for day trip after they find flights are cheaper than train to London
1 year, 7 months ago

Couple flies abroad for day trip after they find flights are cheaper than train to London

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. Jill and Keith McCormack headed to Ireland’s capital, Dublin, after realising a return ticket from their home in Liverpool to …

Brits ‘virtually forced’ to take flights instead of trains due to ‘overpriced’ rail fares, says Greenpeace
1 year, 8 months ago

Brits ‘virtually forced’ to take flights instead of trains due to ‘overpriced’ rail fares, says Greenpeace

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 British travellers will only choose to go on holiday by train if major steps are taken …

Sky-high rail fares: the UK’s most expensive train journeys revealed
2 years ago

Sky-high rail fares: the UK’s most expensive train journeys revealed

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 On the day that Luton airport’s long-awaited shuttle connection begins full service, The Independent can reveal …

Why you should buy your train tickets before 5 March
2 years, 1 month ago

Why you should buy your train tickets before 5 March

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 set to go up on 5 March and current train tikcet prices will …

Eurostar: too expensive for comfort?
2 years, 6 months ago

Eurostar: too expensive for comfort?

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. And that is because Eurostar, like any other sensible transport provider, employs dynamic pricing: the dark art of trying to …

Rail use rises by almost half in Germany after introduction of €9 unlimited train tickets
2 years, 7 months ago

Rail use rises by almost half in Germany after introduction of €9 unlimited 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 Short-distance train travel in Germany has increased by almost half after the country introduced a new …

UK train prices are astronomical – we should follow Spain and Germany’s lead by cutting them
2 years, 7 months ago

UK train prices are astronomical – we should follow Spain and Germany’s lead by cutting them

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. This would reduce overall energy consumption …

Nationalise the railway and slash fares: Andy Burnham’s plan for transport
2 years, 11 months ago

Nationalise the railway and slash fares: Andy Burnham’s plan for transport

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. Mr Burnham sets out the policy that, as a senior Labour politician, he is promoting: “We won’t get the railway …

The Great British Rail Sale sounds splendid – but there’s a catch
2 years, 11 months ago

The Great British Rail Sale sounds splendid – but there’s a catch

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. But here we are, with the …

Great British rail sale: London to Edinburgh for £22 as train ticket prices slashed
2 years, 11 months ago

Great British rail sale: London to Edinburgh for £22 as train ticket prices slashed

The Telegraph  

First step to cut cost Transport campaigners welcomed the move but warned that it should be a first step to cutting the cost of rail travel. It can show the Treasury that the way to increase income is to cut fares, not to keep ratcheting them up and driving people off the railway.” While rail travel is heavily subsidised by …

Train fares are a shambles – without fair pricing the railways are set for a painful decline
3 years ago

Train fares are a shambles – without fair pricing the railways are set for a painful decline

The Independent  

Yesterday, a one-way rush-hour ticket from Bristol to London would have cost £115. “Rail fare rise capped below current inflation rate” reads the headline of the DfT press release that heralded the 3.8 per cent increase in fares across England and Wales. Fortunately, as all regulars on Brunel’s magnificent line between London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads will know, the …

Commuters hit by biggest rise in rail fares in almost a decade
3 years ago

Commuters hit by biggest rise in rail fares in almost a decade

The Telegraph  

Commuters will be hit with the biggest increase in rail fares for nearly a decade despite a steep fall in the number of train services being run. National rail fares will rise by 3.8pc, the steepest increase since January 2013, in a fresh blow to families facing spiralling energy bills, soaring inflation and steepling mortgage costs. The increase will do …

Train passengers braced for largest spike in fares since 2013
3 years, 1 month ago

Train passengers braced for largest spike in fares since 2013

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “It is important that fares are set at a …

How much more expensive will my train ticket be next year?
3 years, 3 months ago

How much more expensive will my train ticket be next year?

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails 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. Read our privacy policy Thanks …

Rail passengers face potential 4.8% rise in fares
3 years, 7 months ago

Rail passengers face potential 4.8% rise in fares

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. That would lead to hikes in the cost of …

Rail fares to rise by 1.6% from January
4 years, 7 months ago

Rail fares to rise by 1.6% from January

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 Many train tickets will cost 1.6 per cent more from 2 January – unless the government …

Wales has found an answer to England's soaring train fares
5 years, 2 months ago

Wales has found an answer to England's soaring train fares

Wired  

Getty Images / WIRED Every January rail fares in the UK get more expensive. But this year Wales has done what the rest of the UK rail has found impossible: instead of hiking prices, it slashed the cost of train tickets by up to ten per cent. Wales has notoriously poor rail infrastructure – you can’t get from north to …

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 …

Start planning now to beat January travel price hikes
5 years, 4 months ago

Start planning now to beat January travel price hikes

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The price of train tickets is linked, bizarrely, to …

Rail fares set to rise by 2.8% in 2020
5 years, 7 months ago

Rail fares set to rise by 2.8% in 2020

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 Regulated train fares are set to rise by 2.8 per cent next year, in line with …

Rail fare increases: Everything you need to know
6 years, 2 months ago

Rail fare increases: Everything you need to know

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 have increased by an average of 3.1 per cent in England and Wales, and …

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 …

Fares fair? Rail industry opens public consultation on prices despite timetable turmoil across network
6 years, 9 months ago

Fares fair? Rail industry opens public consultation on prices despite timetable turmoil across network

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 On the morning when train commuters in northwest England adapt to an emergency timetable, the rail …

Rail fare rises: Season ticket prices have soared by up to 50% since Tories took power in 2010, Labour reveals
7 years, 2 months ago

Rail fare rises: Season ticket prices have soared by up to 50% since Tories took power in 2010, Labour reveals

The Independent  

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Andy McDonald, the Shadow Transport Secretary, said: “The Tories’ failure on our railways means passengers …

Protests planned across the country as biggest rail fare rise in five years comes into effect
7 years, 2 months ago

Protests planned across the country as biggest rail fare rise in five years comes into effect

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 Dozens of demonstrations will take place across the country on …

Train fares to rise by 3.4% in January, rail industry announces
7 years, 3 months ago

Train fares to rise by 3.4% in January, rail industry announces

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 Train fares in Britain will rise by an average of 3.4% in January, the rail industry …

Millennial railcards are good, but rational train fares would be better
7 years, 5 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 fares have increased 'twice as much as wages since 2010,' according to new research
7 years, 7 months ago

Rail fares have increased 'twice as much as wages since 2010,' according to new research

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 fares have increased twice as much as pay since …

Britain's rail fare system is so absurd, a season ticket is cheaper than a return
8 years, 2 months 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 …

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