Cheap train tickets are being scrapped just months ahead of inflation-busting price increases, a leaked memo has revealed.
One of Britain’s largest operators has stopped selling its lowest-priced fares for Friday afternoons and Sundays to prevent overcrowding.
This is despite the fact that cheap advance tickets are used by rail companies to justify large price increases for their more flexible fare options.
The move comes after passengers were told they would face price rises of up to 13 per cent in the New Year, and nearly 30 per cent by 2015, leading to the £10,000 season ticket. The cheap fares cull at CrossCountry Trains was uncovered by ticketing expert Barry Doe of Rail magazine.
CrossCountry carries more than 31million passengers each year, with more than 60,000 of its journeys each week made using pre-booked tickets.
However, a memo to staff stated that there would be ‘no cheap advance fares anywhere on our network’ before 9.30am on Monday to Thursday, after 12pm on Friday or all day on Sunday, following feedback from conductors.
A spokesman said only the ‘cheapest’ advance tickets had been scrapped, but would not confirm how many had been withdrawn from sale.
‘We know these trains will be very busy,’ he said. ‘Why sell very cheap tickets on a train which is already full?’
The move means further misery for those seeking more affordable fares.
Mr Doe said: ‘People spend hours trawling the internet looking for the best deal. As a passenger, you never know how many of the cheap tickets are available, or even if it’s zero.’
Following on from my previous post concerning the World’s largest model railway, I recently received an email that contained a video showing off the latest edition to the exhibition – A fully functioning AIRPORT!!!!
This model is simply breathtaking and I certainly look forward to visiting the exhibition in the very near future.
The largest model railway in the world and one of the most successful permanent exhibitions in Northern Germany.
The Miniatur Wunderland has been constantly growing since the year 2001. Having started with two layout areas, Harz and Southern Germany, the Wunderland has openend the seventh area, Switzerland, in November 2007. More layout areas have already been planned until the year 2014.
The Model itself covers 6,400m², has 12,000 metres of track, 890 Trains with the longest measuring in at 14.51 metres. Couple this with 3,500 bridges and buildings, 200,000 figures, 215,000 trees and 300,000 lights and you can see why it is a World Record holder. Current estimates show that the model thus far has taken 500,000 manhours to construct and costs so far have reached 10,000,000 Euro’s.
This blog has been designed to allow me to post news & stories from the Railways, both real and model. I also intend to share a few stories from my work as a Revenue Protection Officer along the way.
The opinions expressed on this blog are exclusively mine and in no way, shape or form reflect the opinions of my employer.