A government-backed “Great British Rail sale” will begin next month in an effort to tempt travellers back to trains after all Covid restrictions eased.
The Department for Transport said the offer was “further supporting families with the cost of living” at a time of high inflation.
Around a million tickets will be reduced, some to less than £3, but overall that amounts to just 1% of all rail journeys available.
But it will target intercity travel at off-peak times, meaning commuters at busy periods are unlikely to benefit.
The fares include a single journey from London to Edinburgh for £22, Manchester to Newcastle for £10.30, and Birmingham to Bristol Temple Meads for £12.60.
The cut-price tickets will only be available for a five-week period before the next half-term holiday, from April 25 to May 27, and are not expected to be available over the first May bank holiday weekend.
The Campaign for Better Transport said the sale was a useful first step in getting people back on to trains as the pandemic eases.
About 285million rail passenger journeys were made in Britain in the last three months of 2021 - just 62% of the levels seen before coronavirus struck, according to the Office of Rail and Road.
Former transport minister Norman Baker said: “It can show the Treasury that the way to increase income is to cut fares, not keep ratcheting them up and driving people off the railway.”
However, unions and Labour dismissed the scheme. The TUC general secretary, Frances O’Grady, said: “This headline grabbing gimmick won’t help commuters at all … Working people need affordable rail travel every day.”
The RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch, said: “The railway system and the travelling public do not need short-term gimmicks. We need a properly funded railway that provides permanently good value and reliability.”
The shadow transport secretary, Louise Haigh, said: “This temporary respite will be small comfort to passengers who had thousands taken out of their pockets from soaring fares since 2010.”
Advice to avoid travel during the pandemic and the subsequent shift to working from home has seen a swathe of regular passengers desert the railway. Passenger levels have only returned to about 75% of pre-Covid levels, according to the latest provisional DfT figures.
It comes after the highest train fare rises for nine years came into force for rail travellers in England and Wales last month.
Regulated rail fares, set by the government, rose last month by 3.8%, in line with RPI inflation, after increasing by 1% above RPI inflation in 2021.
Meanwhile while train operators and Network Rail have been told by the DfT to find cost savings of 10% to 15%, after the Treasury spent an extra £15bn subsidising rail for lost revenue over the past two years.
How many tickets are on sale?
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said more than one million train tickets would be reduced this spring.
The Department for Transport (DfT) is hoping the move will help struggling households to afford trips across the UK and boost the domestic tourism industry.
What journeys are included?
The sale is expected to bring some Manchester to Newcastle journeys down to a little over £10, while seats on some London to Edinburgh services will be slashed from £44 to £22.
Other journey savings expected include a single from York to Leeds being reduced to £2.80 from £5.60, London to Cardiff being cut from £47 to £25 and Portsmouth Harbour to Penzance going down to £22 from £45.70.
Most tickets will be half price.
Almost all of the available tickets are likely to be Advance fares. These require committing in advance to a specific train.
But just like airline tickets, the price varies depending on demand. The following discounted prices have been quoted by the DfT:
- Edinburgh-London (LNER): £22
- Cardiff-London (GWR): £25
- Manchester-Newcastle (TransPennine Express): £10.30
- Birmingham New Street-Bristol Temple Meads (CrossCountry): £12.60
- Wolverhampton-Liverpool (West Midlands Trains): £5.25
When does the sale start?
Discounted tickets will go on sale from Tuesday, with passengers eligible to travel for less on off-peak fares between April 25 and May 27.
Will it include the long Bank Holiday weekend?
It will not cover journeys made during half-term or the four-day UK bank holiday weekend from June 2 to 5, which will mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
As soon as you can. One million tickets may sound like a large number, but compared with the usual numbers of rail journeys in a 33-day spell (more than 160 million) it is tiny. Many trains will sell out of cheap tickets very quickly.
Is the discount available for any journey?
No. The DfT says: “Great British Rail Sale tickets are not available on all routes, are limited and subject to availability and exclusions.”
Most tickets do not qualify, including Anytime, Off-peak (except in a few cases), Seasons and Flexi-Seasons.
Do railcard discounts apply too?
Yes, which will reduce these fares by a further 34 per cent. Between Cardiff and London, for example, the £25 ticket will be cut to £16.50.
Can I book in first class?
No, but individual train operators may have upgrade offers that can be used in connection with a discounted ticket.
How do I book?
The DfT says: “Customers should visit nationalrail.co.uk/railsale to see what discounts are available for the location they wish to visit.”
