Journeys on many intercity trains running from London to Edinburgh are more than twice as expensive since the launch of a “simpler fares” initiative designed to make rail ticketing less complex, it has emerged.
The train operator LNER started the pilot scheme this month after pledging to make ticketing easier and better value for money with more advance fares for specific trains.
However, rail experts and campaigners warned that the move also meant scrapping basic “super off-peak” fares, which guaranteed that tickets on the route between the English and Scottish capitals would be available on many weekday trains and through the weekends for no more than £87.
While LNER said cheaper advance tickets would be available up to five minutes before departure, its booking site showed a large number of services could be booked only on “anytime” fares that cost £193 each way.
A separate analysis by the Press Association news agency found that many services previously open to holders of super off-peak tickets were now selling only on the day with fully flexible anytime tickets, more than £100 more expensive.
Even where cheaper options were available – either fixed advance tickets or new semi-flexible “70min flex” tickets, which allow passengers to take the following train from the one booked – fares were sometimes more expensive than the previous super off-peak price.
The change, which applies only on journeys between London and Newcastle, Berwick and Edinburgh, is a two-year trial but similar pilots – such as single-leg pricing – that have been trialled on the state-owned LNER have since been made permanent and extended to other operators.
Campaigners urged the firm to rethink, describing the prices as “beyond tolerable”.
Mark Smith, the expert behind the Man in Seat 61 website, told the Guardian last month the move could mean the end of affordable, walk-up travel on the route.
He told PA: “It’s now pretty clear to everyone that the LNER fares ‘simplification’ was a smokescreen for removing the off-peak fare to allow big price increases. As a trial simplification for passengers it has already failed and should not be extended.”
Smith said passengers from London could bypass the trial and still buy an £87 super off-peak ticket to Haymarket, one station beyond Edinburgh, if necessary.
Neil Middleton, a director at the campaign group Railfuture, said the removal of the super off-peak ticket was “an awful move”.
“If you need to travel unexpectedly or travel plans change, these are eye-watering prices to pay. I think they are well beyond tolerable for most people’s wallets and indeed most companies’ expense claims,” he added.
An LNER spokesperson said: “Since the pilot launched, the majority of customers who have bought advance tickets have paid less than the old super off-peak fare. We’ll continue to monitor and will make adjustments so that as many people as possible can access the right ticket at the right price for them.”
The operator believes the new fares will more closely reflect demand and lead to fewer instances of overcrowding on trains.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “LNER’s trial is part of a longstanding commitment to simplify complicated ticketing, which can often put people off taking the train. “Through this, the majority of passengers on these routes will find fares to be the same or cheaper than the old super off-peak fare.”
