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

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 the UK – Avanti West Coast, GWR and Eurostar.” So says T&E, a respected Brussels-based organisation campaigning for better, more affordable public transport. At the time of data gathering, we found prices ranged from £15 to £74.” An Avanti West Coast spokesperson told me: “The maximum you can pay for an Anytime single between Euston to Milton Keynes is £24.20. No issues were raised at that time or since, and there was no reason to believe the data was incorrect.” On this particular London-Milton Keynes journey, T&E says: “The average price for this route for all the tickets that we collected was £27.30.” Yet the highest possible standard fare is £24.20, and most people travel with cheaper tickets. Final word to Victor Thévenet, T&E’s rail policy manager, who wrote the report: “We are doing further checks to certify these prices and we are committed to looking into the data.