Changes to LNER fares trial

In The Fare Dealer for RAIL 897 I explained that the LNER fares trial should have been in a much smaller, self-contained area, within which all point-to-point fares (not just some) should have changed to singles.

All the fares in the trial were “any permitted” interavailable walk-on fares. So, the new singles from London to Edinburgh were also valid from Euston to Edinburgh, or indeed via Banbury or Leicester.

As they can be used intermediately, it also meant that anyone wanting an OP single from Euston to Manchester, or even Luton to Sheffield, could ask for one from London to Edinburgh, because it was cheaper.

I ended: “What a can of worms is opening here!” Why is the industry so slow at understanding the implications of its own mistakes?

In late February, at short notice, the routes were changed: London-Edinburgh is now “via York” and London-Leeds/Newcastle “via Peterborough”. As a result Euston to Edinburgh fares had to be introduced but, in a disgraceful move that should never have been allowed, instead of being “via Preston” they are “route Avanti”.

Not being inter-available tickets, this bars the use of TransPennine Express or London Northwestern for part of the journey. So just because LNER didn’t think through its trial, all the relevant industry bodies caved in and allowed these changes that go totally against all the protections agreed at privatisation.

The Department for Transport, the Office of Rail & Road, the Rail Delivery Group, Transport Focus, LNER and Avanti were all complicit in this and should hang their heads in shame. There are now no “any permitted” fares from London to Edinburgh but if you do want to go out West Coast and return East, or use the Settle-Carlisle Line, you can still do it, but only by buying tickets to somewhere like Falkirk, where all fares remain “any permitted”.

How many users will know that? The industry simply doesn’t care.