An LNER Azuma train crossing Lesbury viaduct in Alnmouth, Northumberland
(Picture: PA Archive)Rail fares will fluctuate based on demand under a trial expected to be announced by Transport Secretary Mark Harper on Tuesday.
The cost of travel on some London North Eastern Railway (LNER) services will be more or less expensive depending on how many seats have been filled, under the new scheme.
The Department for Transport (DfT) said it is an attempt to better manage capacity while also raising revenue.
Mr Harper is also expected to set out an extension of pay-as-you-go ticketing for train journeys across south-east England.
He will also confirm plans to expand single leg pricing across the entire LNER network, which runs between London King’s Cross and Scotland via the East Coast Main Line.
The scheme means a single fare will always be half the cost of a return.
Currently, an off-peak single between Durham and London, for example, costs just £1 less than a return. Meanwhile return tickets offer travellers a discounted price compared to when the arrival and departure journeys are bought separately.
But since 2020, publicly-owned LNER has trialled “single-leg pricing”, which sees the price of two singles match a return ticket price.
It is not yet known if the trial will be rolled out to any other British train operators.
Delivering the annual George Bradshaw address to rail industry leaders in central London on Tuesday night, Mr Harper will provide an update on the future of Great British Railways – a new public sector body to oversee Britain’s railways – and how it will work alongside the private sector as “a guiding mind to co-ordinate the entire network”.
He is expected to say: “Today I am setting out the Government’s long-term vision for the future of our railways.
“The industry’s road to recovery after Covid has been tough, with reform badly needed to win back that lost passenger revenue while putting customers first.
“Today’s announcement is the latest example of this Government taking bold decisions and getting on with the job.
“Growing the economy is rightly one of the Prime Minister’s top five priorities, and the measures I announce today will unleash more competition, innovation and growth in an important sector of our economy.”
Labour’s shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said: “Whichever ticket you buy, passengers are paying more for less under the Conservatives’ broken rail system.
“Thirteen years of failure has seen fares soar, more services than ever cancelled, while failing operators continue to be handed millions in taxpayers’ cash.
“The next Labour Government will put passengers back at the heart of our railways, and build the infrastructure fit for the century ahead, unlocking jobs and growth.”
Recently, it was announced that rail fares in England will increase by 5.9 per cent from March 5, after what the Government called “its biggest ever intervention” to keep the cost of travel below the soaring inflation rate.
This will be the first time in more than 25 years that regulated rail fares are increased by less than the inflation rate. However, the price rise is still the biggest in the past decade.
Talking about it back in December 2022, Mr Harper said: “This is the biggest-ever Government intervention in rail fares. It has been a difficult year and the impact of inflation is being felt across the UK economy. We do not want to add to the problem.
“This is a fair balance between the passengers who use our trains and the taxpayers who help pay for them.”
