The great rail sale: Train ticket prices will be slashed by up to HALF in April and May in desperate bid to ease cost of living burden for cash-strapped families
- Grant Shapps is expected to slash rail fares across the UK during the spring
- The ‘Great British Rail Sale’ intends to help hard-hit families boost UK tourism
- Some seats could be cut by as much as half with London to Edinburgh to be cut
Train ticket prices are set to be slashed by as much as half as the Government looks to address cost of living pressures with cheaper travel in April and May, ministers revealed last night.
In what is being dubbed the Great British Rail Sale, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said more than one million train tickets would be reduced this spring.
He hopes the move will help hard-pressed households – currently contending with rising bills and soaring inflation – to afford trips across the UK and boost tourism. The sale, said to be the first of its kind due to all rail operators taking part, is expected to bring some Manchester to Newcastle journeys down to a little over £10.
Passengers will be eligible to travel for less on off-peak fares between April 25 and May 27. Discounted tickets will go on sale from today
Meanwhile seats on some London to Edinburgh services will be slashed from £44 to £22. Hailing the end of pandemic travel restrictions, Mr Shapps said: ‘We’ve had two years of living life virtually. It is time to get real and visit our beautiful country.’
He added: ‘There’s no better time to visit friends, family or just explore our great country, so book your tickets today.’
Passengers will be eligible to travel for less on off-peak fares between April 25 and May 27. Discounted tickets will go on sale from today.
Officials said offering half-price rail tickets was ‘one of the ways’ the Government was helping to support struggling families.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said more than one million train tickets would be reduced this spring
UK ECONOMY IN ‘STAGFLATION’ WARNING
Britain faces a long period of ‘stagflation’ with soaring prices and slow growth, economists will warn today.
The International Monetary Fund is expected to slash its output forecasts for the UK and other countries at its spring meeting.
Managing director Kristalina Georgieva said ahead of the gathering in Washington DC that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was sending ‘shockwaves’ round the world.
And she described the war as a ‘crisis on top of a crisis’, saying the pandemic was not over and could still produce more lethal variants.
The move comes as Boris Johnson returns from the Easter break promising a renewed focus on combating the cost of living crisis. Inflation has reached 7 per cent – a 30-year high – while ministers have been warned that average energy bills could rise to as much as £5,000 a year if the war in Ukraine continues to disrupt gas supplies.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has already announced measures to defer energy costs and offer some council tax discounts, but critics say more help is needed.
Yesterday it emerged that more than one million parents fear they will have to visit a food bank in the next three months as supermarket prices soar.
Jacqueline Starr, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, said: ‘We want everyone to be able to benefit from travelling by train because it’s more than just a journey; it’s a way to connect everyone to the people, places and things they love.
‘As part of the Great British Rail Sale customers will enjoy over one million discounted tickets, so they can explore some of the fantastic locations that are accessible by rail.’
Other savings expected include a single from York to Leeds 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.
Labour said the discounts were ‘small comfort’ after years of ‘soaring fares’. Transport spokesman Louise Haigh added: ‘A decade of brutal Tory fare hikes have priced people off our railways.’ The Department for Transport said its rail reforms will make network-wide ticket sales easier in the future.
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