‘Simpler fare’ rail tickets went up £100

A PILOT scheme to simplify train fares is adding more than £100 to the cost of some journeys on one of Britain’s busiest railway lines.

Analysis of tickets sold by London North Eastern Railway (LNER) for travel on the East Coast Main Line has revealed a price hike since the two-year trial was introduced to offer ‘simpler fares’.

Under the scheme, the cheapest available tickets for some single journeys between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh have increased from £87 to £193.90 if purchased on the day of travel. Similar rises were found for journeys between London King’s Cross and both Newcastle and Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Implemented earlier this month, the pilot is limited to those three routes but could be rolled out across the network.

The fare increases have come from the removal of super off-peak tickets as part of the scheme. These were the cheapest tickets that could be used on several services during quieter periods, without needing to be bought in advance. For some services booked on the day of travel the lowest priced available tickets are now fully flexible anytime fares, costing between £192.80 and £193.90.

Most services have cheaper options – either fixed advance tickets or new semiflexible 70 minute flex tickets – but in some cases these fares are more expensive than super off-peak prices.

Mark Smith, of train travel website Seat61.com, said the scheme was a ‘smokescreen for removing off-peak fares to allow big price increases’. Campaign group Railfuture said the removal of the super off-peak ticket was ‘an awful move’.

An LNER spokesman said: ‘The majority of customers who have bought advance tickets have paid less than the old super off-peak fare. We’ll continue to monitor and will make adjustments so people can access the right prices.’