Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 13:55 28 Mar 2024
* Man held over stabbing in front of train passengers
- How do I renew my UK passport and what is the 10-year rule?
* Jet2 launches first flight from Liverpool airport
- Easter travel warning as millions set to hit roads
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
28th Mar (1988)
Woman found murdered on Orpington to London train (*)

Train RunningCancelled
12:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
13:00 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington
13:15 Swindon to Westbury
13:26 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
13:28 Weymouth to Gloucester
13:30 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
14:13 Par to Newquay
14:19 Westbury to Swindon
15:10 Newquay to Par
15:14 Swindon to Westbury
Short Run
08:03 London Paddington to Penzance
10:55 Paignton to London Paddington
11:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central
11:29 Weymouth to Gloucester
11:48 London Paddington to Carmarthen
12:03 London Paddington to Penzance
12:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
12:42 Bristol Temple Meads to Salisbury
12:46 Avonmouth to Weston-Super-Mare
13:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
13:07 Salisbury to Bristol Temple Meads
13:10 Gloucester to Weymouth
13:26 Okehampton to Exeter Central
14:05 Salisbury to Bristol Temple Meads
16:19 Carmarthen to London Paddington
Delayed
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
10:23 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff Central
11:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour
12:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour
14:30 Cardiff Central to Portsmouth Harbour
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 28, 2024, 14:01:12 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[142] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[80] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[56] Return of the BRUTE?
[46] If not HS2 to Manchester, how will traffic be carried?
[43] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[34] Reversing Beeching - bring heritage and freight lines into the...
 
News: the Great Western Coffee Shop ... keeping you up to date with travel around the South West
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1] 2 3
  Print  
Author Topic: Return rail tickets to be scrapped  (Read 4619 times)
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12334


View Profile Email
« on: February 05, 2023, 13:40:14 »

From The Telegraph, via MSN

Return tickets are set to be scrapped as Rishi Sunak gives the green light to long-awaited sweeping reforms of Britain’s railways.

Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, will next week announce plans for new ticketing arrangements as he outlines how the Government will address a crisis on the railways.

The rollout of "single-leg pricing" will be unveiled, The Sunday Telegraph has been told.

It means that two singles will equal a return – making return tickets redundant – having proved a success during trials with passengers. 

Mr Harper will also commit to Great British Railways (GBR (Great British Railways)), a new public body that will bring the operation of track and trains under the same place for the first time. GBR was first unveiled by Boris Johnson and Grant Shapps in May 2021, but progress has stalled amid criticism that the body was tantamount to “nationalisation through the back door”.

During the hiatus, fears have grown that GBR would be scrapped. Mr Harper will show that “the idea that GBR is dead, is dead”, according to one person who has seen a draft of his speech announcing the reforms next week.

A Government source said that the speech was still being finalised this weekend. The new public body is expected to take on responsibility for timetabling and ticketing, which are currently controlled by the Department for Transport.

Ticket pricing reform ranks among the most complicated issues that remain unsolved, since privatisation by successive governments. There are 55 million different fares, according to trade body the Rail Delivery Group.

Mr Harper is expected to hint at the greater use of  ticketing technology – a signal that paper tickets could soon be scrapped in favour of QR (QR Code - Quick Response code) codes and smartcards similar to the Oyster (Smartcard system used by passengers on Transport for London services) Card in use across public transport in London.

Single-leg pricing was trialled in 2020 by east coast train operator LNER» (London North Eastern Railway - about). Return tickets were dropped in favour of two single tickets at the same price.

At the time, LNER said: “Rail tickets can be confusing. We want to make choosing and buying rail tickets simpler and more transparent. We hope this new structure is more straightforward: there are no more return tickets – one journey requires just one ticket.”

Keith Williams, the former deputy chair of John Lewis and ex-chief executive of British Airways, is expected to attend Mr Harper’s speech, which will be delivered in Westminster on Tuesday evening. Mr Williams conducted a two-a-half-year “root and branch” review of the railways on behalf of the Government and was the first to propose the idea of a “guiding mind” public body to prevent state meddling in day-to-day train operations.

But critics argue that Mr Johnson’s interpretation of Mr Williams's concept would have meant greater rather than less state intervention. Mr Williams previously envisaged the public body to be akin to the “Fat Controller” after the cantankerous character from Thomas the Tank Engine. Sources say that under Mr Sunak, the Fat Controller “will be put on a diet”.

Fears persist, however, that GBR will throttle the role of the private sector on the railways.

Former minister John Penrose, Conservative MP (Member of Parliament) for Weston-super-Mare, said: "Rather than bureaucrats or politicians pretending they know how much each passenger's journey should cost, why not get lots of different rail firms competing to beat each others' prices so tickets are always as cheap as possible?"

MP for Blackpool North Paul Maynard, rail minister under Boris Johnson added: “Mr Harper's speech is long awaited. We are all keen to understand the shape and scope of GBR, and how the balance will be struck between the guiding mind and fat controller.

“As always, I'll be looking to see the passenger's interest placed firmly at the centre of policy making – and a recognition we need to get the passengers back if the railway is to avoid more painful times ahead.
Logged
eightonedee
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 1532



View Profile
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2023, 20:10:45 »

I have just posted a wider-ranging contribution on the "Wider Picture" board you might want to view next!

Edit to add - it's at http://www.passenger.chat/27163 - grahame
« Last Edit: February 06, 2023, 02:55:44 by grahame » Logged
Ralph Ayres
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 336


View Profile
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2023, 20:41:21 »

Broadly a good thing as it means you can mix and match peak and off-peak journeys, as well as possibly different routes or train company, and don't have to commit to buying a return ticket if you're not sure of your plans. It's partly been brought to a head by the push for pay as you go Oyster (Smartcard system used by passengers on Transport for London services)-type payment, which doesn't lend itself to return pricing. See http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=27153 for an illustration of the difference.

Slight possible downsides:
1. If you're not already clutching the return ticket in your hand and the service goes belly-up, there may be less obligation on the operator to make alternative arrangements or to compensate you unless the DfT» (Department for Transport - about) or GBR (Great British Railways) specifically build it into the arrangements for single-leg pricing. The operator may be able to say that you were warned of delays when you bought the ticket.
2. Many singles currently cost more than half the price of a return. That should mean price reductions on singles, but that's less income for the railway from anyone who only goes one way or already buys singles. In practice most people do come back which reduces the impact but still it could mean less money to run the railway or all fares being put up a teeny bit to compensate.

...and as for John Penrose's wish for lots of different rail firms competing to beat each others' prices, I despair. Perhaps he didn't catch many buses in the early days of bus deregulation when on busy routes you had far more buses running than before but if you wanted the cheapest one you had to let 3 others go past first, and funnily enough no operator at all ran on the less popular routes.

Edit to clarify link - grahame
« Last Edit: February 06, 2023, 18:04:40 by grahame » Logged
eXPassenger
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 547


View Profile
« Reply #3 on: February 05, 2023, 21:40:10 »

...and as for John Penrose's wish for lots of different rail firms competing to beat each others' prices, I despair. Perhaps he didn't catch many buses in the early days of bus deregulation when on busy routes you had far more buses running than before but if you wanted the cheapest one you had to let 3 others go past first, and funnily enough no operator at all ran on the less popular routes.

Unfortunately he is my MP (Member of Parliament).  It reminds me of the comments about cheap trains interleaved with high value trains as an idea at the start of privatisation.
Logged
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12334


View Profile Email
« Reply #4 on: February 06, 2023, 11:45:28 »

Broadly a good thing as it means you can mix and match peak and off-peak journeys, as well as possibly different routes or train company, and don't have to commit to buying a return ticket if you're not sure of your plans. It's partly been brought to a head by the push for pay as you go Oyster (Smartcard system used by passengers on Transport for London services)-type payment, which doesn't lend itself to return pricing. See http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=27153 for an illustration of the difference.

Edit to clarify link - grahame

Think you broke it, Graham - it doesn't work for me?
« Last Edit: February 06, 2023, 18:05:04 by grahame » Logged
PhilWakely
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 2007



View Profile
« Reply #5 on: February 06, 2023, 12:59:54 »

From The Telegraph, via MSN

Return tickets are set to be scrapped as Rishi Sunak gives the green light to long-awaited sweeping reforms of Britain’s railways.

Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, will next week announce plans for new ticketing arrangements as he outlines how the Government will address a crisis on the railways.

The rollout of "single-leg pricing" will be unveiled, The Sunday Telegraph has been told.

It means that two singles will equal a return – making return tickets redundant – having proved a success during trials with passengers. 

<snip>

So, taking a couple of current examples......

Off-Peak, Newton Abbot to Exeter Central:         £7.30 SGL      £7.40 RTN
Off-Peak, Newton Abbot to Sheffield               £156.90 SGL  £158.10 RTN
Off-Peak, Newton Abbot to London Paddington  £85.50 SGL  £141.40 RTN

Either the cost of a SGL will need to reduce to be 50% of the RTN or the cost of two SGLs will be significantly more than the current RTN. I wouldn't bet on this becoming another hike in the cost of rail travel.

Fares are currently set by the main TOC (Train Operating Company) servicing the route with wildly differing structures, so I guess that future fares will be set by a single entity (GBR (Great British Railways) ? )
« Last Edit: February 06, 2023, 13:12:49 by PhilWakely » Logged
TonyK
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 6435


The artist formerly known as Four Track, Now!


View Profile
« Reply #6 on: February 06, 2023, 14:13:03 »

From The Telegraph, via MSN

Former minister John Penrose, Conservative MP (Member of Parliament) for Weston-super-Mare, said: "Rather than bureaucrats or politicians pretending they know how much each passenger's journey should cost, why not get lots of different rail firms competing to beat each others' prices so tickets are always as cheap as possible?"


Either John Penrose has no idea of how railways work, or I haven't. There are two possible ways to achieve his aim, so far as I can see. One would be to have lots of extra trains in different colours along the same routes. That fails because of the blood sweat and tears that goes into any timetable change, where adding an extra service in Bristol can have potential knock-on effects in Scotland. You may find room for a Go-op sort of service between two places that can be reached on a backstreets route, or a Lumo/Hull Trains intercity service on the few places where either there is room or the government is happy to stand aside, but it is hard to see much actual enhancement. The other option is more bizarre, and would involve having different companies selling tickets for the same service. That happens in a very limited way as part of travel packages offered by third parties, but I can't see a layer of ticket touts between customer and rail company doing anything to help.

Mr Penrose seems to be thinking that trains work like coaches, where National Express and Megabus can ply the same routes at the same time, but even they don't do that apart from along the most lucrative routes.
« Last Edit: February 06, 2023, 18:43:43 by TonyK » Logged

Now, please!
Marlburian
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 689


View Profile
« Reply #7 on: February 06, 2023, 16:10:56 »

... and as for John Penrose's wish for lots of different rail firms competing to beat each others' prices, I despair.

I recall a junior Transport manager, long forgotten by  name, enthusing at the start of privatisation that one company was offering a fare from London to Gatwick that was 10p less than a competitor's.
Logged
TonyK
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 6435


The artist formerly known as Four Track, Now!


View Profile
« Reply #8 on: February 06, 2023, 16:23:31 »


I recall a junior Transport manager, long forgotten by  name, enthusing at the start of privatisation that one company was offering a fare from London to Gatwick that was 10p less than a competitor's.

That's good if the other guy is charging 25p, less so when it's £18.50.
Logged

Now, please!
Electric train
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4355


The future is 25000 Volts AC 750V DC has its place


View Profile
« Reply #9 on: February 06, 2023, 16:25:35 »

From The Telegraph, via MSN

Former minister John Penrose, Conservative MP (Member of Parliament) for Weston-super-Mare, said: "Rather than bureaucrats or politicians pretending they know how much each passenger's journey should cost, why not get lots of different rail firms competing to beat each others' prices so tickets are always as cheap as possible?"

How about allowing the Railways to manage the fares it charges and at what time, the Railways know their competition is not an internal one but with road, bus and air .................. BR (British Rail(ways)) knew this 50 plus years ago and the current Railway CEO (Chief Executive Officer)'s know it, lets hope the Government do not force GBR (Great British Railways) into a format where it is handcuffed by Politicians and (not very) Civil Servants  
Logged

Starship just experienced what we call a rapid unscheduled disassembly, or a RUD, during ascent,”
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12334


View Profile Email
« Reply #10 on: February 06, 2023, 16:36:38 »

So, taking a couple of current examples......

Off-Peak, Newton Abbot to Exeter Central:         £7.30 SGL      £7.40 RTN
Off-Peak, Newton Abbot to Sheffield               £156.90 SGL  £158.10 RTN
Off-Peak, Newton Abbot to London Paddington  £85.50 SGL  £141.40 RTN

Either the cost of a SGL will need to reduce to be 50% of the RTN or the cost of two SGLs will be significantly more than the current RTN. I wouldn't bet on this becoming another hike in the cost of rail travel.

Fares are currently set by the main TOC (Train Operating Company) servicing the route with wildly differing structures, so I guess that future fares will be set by a single entity (GBR (Great British Railways) ? )

The cost of a single will be half the price of the current return. So new single fares will be cheaper or the same. The query is over which 'return' fare they will use, many routes have more than one. THe main problem is whewre there is a CDR (Off Peak Day Return [ticket type] (formerly 'Cheap Day')) as well as a monthly return. I understand the CDR will disappear.
Logged
TonyK
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 6435


The artist formerly known as Four Track, Now!


View Profile
« Reply #11 on: February 06, 2023, 16:56:29 »

I have often found two singles cheaper than a return in the past year or two, even on my occasional forays from Devon to Lincolnshire. It makes for more choice too.
Logged

Now, please!
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40690



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #12 on: February 06, 2023, 18:06:15 »

Think you broke it, Graham - it doesn't work for me?

Actually it looks like I half-fixed an issue.   The other half fixed now so the link should work.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12334


View Profile Email
« Reply #13 on: February 07, 2023, 14:29:09 »

Yep, now working....moving on to today's press - now including announcement about how GBR (Great British Railways) is going to work -

From the i paper, via MSN

Quote
Return train tickets: What scrapping fares will mean for prices and how the UK (United Kingdom) compares to other countries

Return train tickets will be scrapped in a Government shakeup to the UK’s rail system expected to be announced by Transport Secretary Mark Harper on Tuesday.

Under the reforms likely to be unveiled, the price of two singles will be adjusted to come to the same as the current return fare.

Mr Harper’s speech will detail plans from the Government’s new “Great British Railways” transport body, intended to “transform” the nation’s rail network. Here’s what we know about how the new ticketing system could work – and how fares in the UK compare with prices in other European countries.

Why are return tickets being withdrawn?
Some commuters have expressed fears that the price of single tickets will not be reduced in line with the cost of a return so they could end up spending more on their rail journeys than under the current system.

But a source close to the team working on rail reforms said it “makes sense” that passengers are offered the “flexibility” to purchase single tickets for less, and the plan is “very much not about hurting consumers”.

The Department for Transport (DfT» (Department for Transport - about)) is yet to officially confirm this development, but is has not denied it either. A spokesman said the department would not be able to comment until after Mr Harper has delivered his speech.

How would the new system work?

A trial conducted by LNER» (London North Eastern Railway - about) shows how other operators would likely be encouraged to implement the changes.

In November 2019, the rail company, which runs services from London to Peterborough, the East Midlands, Leeds and York to Newcastle, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, began replacing return fares with single ticketing across some journeys scheduled from January 2020.

The trial set out to reduce the cost of travel for those who needed only to buy a single ticket for long distance journeys but ended up paying around what a return fare would cost.

Under the new system, which was backed by the DfT, return fares were replaced with single tickets costing around half the price of a round trip.

LNER said the change also benefits passengers who wish to make a round-trip as these customers do not need to decide in advance the precise date and time that they wish to travel, which allows for changes to their plans.

How much cheaper were the tickets?
Prior to the changes, passengers travelling between London and Edinburgh buying a ticket at the station had to pay £146.40 for a super off-peak single ticket or £147.40 for a super off-peak return ticket. Under the new system, the cost of a super off-peak single was priced at £73.70 – a 50 per cent saving.

What kind of ticket will I have to buy?
There are currently a host of options for rail passengers – a source of confusion and frustration to many travellers. Under the new system it is expected there will be three types of tickets to choose from:

– Anytime singles, which can be used on any route and are typically the most expensive option as a result

– Off-peak singles, whereby customers pay cheaper prices for travelling on trains that are less busy than the most popular services. Passengers usually have to travel during specific times and on certain days of the week on these tickets.

– Advance singles, which are for specific trains, and are cheaper than off-peak tickets and anytime singles as travellers have no flexibility to change their plans.

How does the cost of train tickets here compare to fares elsewhere in Europe?
The UK is the priciest country “by far” when it comes to the cost of rail tickets, according to recent research published by news organisation EuroNews. Passengers who purchase a single ticket to travel from London Paddington to Oxford the day of booking – outside of peak time – will pay just under £30 (about €34) for the 80km journey. A return comes to just under £60.

Norway is ranked the second most expensive country – the journey from the capital, Oslo, to the municipality of Kongsvinger, 75km away, costs about €25, with a return double that.

In third place is Austria, where the 77kmk trip from the capital, Vienna, to Melk, costs about €19 , while a round trip will comes to just short of €39.

Where are the cheapest countries for rail travel?
At the other end of the scale, a single ticket from Riga, in Latvia, to the municipality of Krustpils 120km away is just €4, and a return is about €8.

In Hungary, the hourly train from Budapest to Ujszasz costs about the same – €4 for a single and €8 for a return.

And in Poland, the 83km trip from Warsaw to the village of Malkinia will set passengers back just over €4.50, while a return costs about €9.

Looking at the most expensive country to travel by rail per kilometre on a return ticket, the UK came fourth, at €0.23, behind Norway (€0.33) Austria (€0.25) and France (€0.24).

The cost per km in Latvia, Poland and Hungary is under €0.05 per km, according to the calculations.

Interesting to note that the average price on French trains per kilometre is higher than the UK. France is always held up to have cheaper fares than us.

From BBC» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) News

Quote
Trial of scrapping train return tickets extended

A trial of scrapping return tickets in a bid to make fares simpler will be extended as part of a shake-up of the country's railways.

The transport secretary will confirm on Tuesday that LNER, which operates trains along the East Coast mainline, will extend its trial of selling single tickets only on its routes.

Under the trial, a single is always half the cost of a return.

The government said such reforms could provide "better value" for passengers.

Currently, many singles are £1 less than a return.

Publicly-owned LNER operates trains between London and Peterborough, the East Midlands, Leeds and York, through to Newcastle, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow.

It has not been revealed if there are plans to roll out the trial at LNER to the country's other train operators.

As an example, LNER said that when its trial began in 2020 the cost of a super off-peak single ticket from London to Edinburgh would be £73.70 rather than £146.40, or £147.40 for a super off-peak return.

Railway expert Mark Smith said the reforms created a "simple all-one-way fares structure designed for easy sale through today's channels: internet, ticket machines and contactless".

He said the current ticket system "penalises" people making open-jaw or circular journeys rather than straightforward returns.

In a speech, Mr Harper will outline how a new organisation, Great British Railways (GBR), will work.

In 2021, the government announced plans for GBR to replace an "overcomplicated and fragmented" system as well as set timetables and prices, sell tickets in England and manage rail infrastructure.

There were fears the plans might not survive the recent changes in prime ministers, but Mr Harper is to explain how it will work with the private sector as "a guiding mind to co-ordinate the entire network".

He will also announce plans to roll out pay-as-you-go ticketing across the South East, which will enable travellers to pay for journeys by tapping in and out with contactless cards or phones - similar to London's Oyster (Smartcard system used by passengers on Transport for London services) system.

"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," Mr Harper said ahead of his speech.

The transport secretary's announcement comes at a time when Britain's railways are being disrupted by strike action.

Rail workers and train drivers have staged a series of walkouts in recent months over disputes involving pay and working practices.

Union bosses are calling for pay increases in line with the rising cost of living, but train companies have said any pay rises need to go alongside reforms, with the Covid pandemic leaving a hole in the industry's finances.

Louise Haigh, Labour's shadow transport secretary, said regardless of the ticket people 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," she added.

Regulated rail fares in England are set to rise by up to 5.9% from March.

Certainly looking like the end of CDRs (Off Peak Day Return [ticket type] (formerly 'Cheap Day'))
Logged
Sixty3Closure
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 501


View Profile
« Reply #14 on: February 07, 2023, 15:35:23 »

From The Times today (07/02/23). Not quite return fares but seems to be part of the new plans

Rail fares will fluctuate based on demand, in a similar way to airline tickets, under a trial to be announced by Mark Harper, the transport secretary.
Tickets on some London North Eastern Railway (LNER» (London North Eastern Railway - about)) services will be more or less expensive depending on how many seats have been filled.
The Department for Transport believes so-called demand-based pricing will help manage capacity while also raising revenue.
Harper 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.
That means a single fare will always be half the cost of a return. Currently, many return fares only cost marginally more than singles.
For example, an off-peak single between Durham and London costs just £1 less than a return. LNER, a government-owned operator, has been testing single-leg pricing on some of its routes since 2020.
LNER has been testing single-leg pricing on some routes since 2020
LNER has been testing single-leg pricing on some routes since 2020
Despite previous reports, single-leg pricing will only be rolled out across the LNER services, not the entire rail network. If successful, it will be extended to other operators.
Harper will deliver the annual George Bradshaw address to rail industry leaders in central London this evening. Named after George Bradshaw, the publisher and cartographer celebrated for his combined railway guides and timetables, the address has emerged in the past decade as the flagship rail event of year bringing together leaders from across the industry
It will provide an update on the future of Great British Railways — a new public sector body to oversee Britain’s railways — as well as setting out 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.”
The Department for Transport is expected to be spared any changes in today’s mini-reshuffle by Rishi Sunak.
The trial of demand-based pricing is likely to raise concern among passenger groups.
An LNER Azuma (Brand name for Class 80x trains on LNER) train at York station: currently an off-peak single between Durham and London costs just £1 less than a return
An LNER Azuma train at York station: currently an off-peak single between Durham and London costs just £1 less than a return
The practice, known as dynamic pricing, is widely used in the airline industry, with fares progressively increasing as more seats sell. Airlines have come under fire for massively inflating prices on school holiday dates and for major events, particularly overseas sporting finals.

Louise Haigh, the shadow transport secretary, 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.”

Most rail fares, including season tickets, will increase by up to 5.9 per cent from March 5.

Logged
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1] 2 3
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page