If you’re planning on booking a UK train trip, you may want to hold off until January 6.
That’s because the Department for Transport has announced a huge flash sale starting next week, with more than four million discounted tickets available.
Almost all UK train operators are taking part, with slashed fares ranging from 50% to 70% off.
Tickets will go live on January 6 and last for seven days – applying exclusively to travel by rail between January 13 and March 25.
The upcoming sale comes shortly after it was announced that the government would freeze rail fares for the first time in 30 years to help with the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Designed to encourage Brits to travel by rail, 2024’s sale saved passengers around £5.8million in total and encouraged approximately 70,000 adults who had not travelled by train since the pandemic to book a rail journey.
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This time around however, there’s set to be even more discounts on thousands of popular routes.
Fancy a trip to the coast for some winter sun? A ticket from St Pancras to Whitstable, which would typically cost £15.10, will now only set you back only £7.50.
Or maybe you fancy leaving the rolling hills of Devon behind and going to see the new Paddington The Musical in London? Well, move swiftly, because for a limited time a fare from Exeter to Waterloo will cost you only £10, compared to the usual price of £41.70 – that’s a 76% discount.
Speaking on the sale, Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, stated: ‘We all want to see cheaper rail travel, so whether you’re planning a half-term getaway, or visiting friends or family, this sale offers huge reductions.
‘It’s all part of our plans to build a railway owned by the public, that works for the public.’
These plans also include major reform to Britain’s rail services, with the government establishing the Great British Railways (GBR) – a new, nationalised organisation to run the railway.
According to recent government reports: ‘GBR will bring together 17 different organisations under a single directing mind, cutting through bureaucracy to deliver a rail network that passengers can rely on and be proud of.’
Example fares
St Pancras to Whitstable
- Full price: £15.10
- Sale price: £7.50
Exeter to Waterloo
- Full price: £41.70
- Sale price: £10.00
Manchester Piccadilly to Manchester Airport
- Full price: £2.90
- Sale price: £1.20
Blackpool North to Manchester Piccadilly
- Full price: £7.90
- Sale price: £3.50
Newcastle to Middlesbrough
- Full price: £5.20
- Sale price: £2.00
Portsmouth to London Waterloo
- Full price: £24.60
- Sale price: £10.00
Nottingham to London Terminals
- Full price: £46.00
- Sale price: £23.00
Sheffield to London Terminals
- Full price: £51.00
- Sale price: £25.50
Charring Cross to Tunbridge Wells
- Full price: £8.10
- Sale price: £4.00
Ashford International to Ramsgate
- Full price: £5.40
- Sale price: £2.70
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