Between the 25th of April and the 27th of May train ticket prices are set to be slashed by up 50%.
Secretary of state for transport Grant Shapps announced the news two days ago with a peculiar promotional video, coining the scheme ‘The Great British Rail Sale’. It offers over 1 million tickets to passengers with up to a 50% discount.
The discounted fares are set to help ease the cost of living crisis for those who cannot afford the steep train ticket prices. The news comes after the regulated rail fares rose by 3.8% last month in accordance with rising inflation. This is the biggest rise seen in nine years. To make travelling more affordable in times where prices are steadily increasing, the scheme, lasting 5 weeks, is set to allow passengers to buy tickets at a discounted rate. Discounts include £22 tickets from London to Edinburgh, and £5.25 tickets from Wolverhampton to Liverpool.
During lockdown the amount of people travelling on trains decreased dramatically, and still passenger rates are yet to reach pre pandemic levels. Although passenger numbers have been significantly impacted by covid, they have also been impacted by rising rail fares. The Department For Transport is not only hoping the sale will help low income families travel, but is also hoping it will encourage passenger rates to go back to pre pandemic levels, while also promoting domestic tourism in the UK.
Although the scheme has been welcomed by supporters, it has also been met with criticism from the Labour Party, the general public and the unions, union secretaries branding the scheme a ‘gimmick’. They state that the public needs affordable, reliable travel all year round, not just a month of reduced rates. Many rail passengers have complained that the Great British Rail Sale is simply not enough, and although heavily discounted train tickets initially sound appealing, it is not as good as it looks. Many routes are not covered by the scheme, and many of the deals do not apply on weekends, the time when typically most people travel. The scheme also ends before the start of half term, one of the most popular travel periods, meaning thousands will miss out on deals. This has led to many believing that the scheme is misleading.
