Rail operators to stop rip-off on-day fares

 Advance rail tickets will be made available to passengers up to 10 minutes before travel as train operators cede to growing pressure over rip-off fares.

The Rail Delivery Group has announced that seven rail firms, including Virgin Trains’ east and west coast franchises, have extended discount fares up to and including the day of travel. It means that thousands of passengers will no longer be penalised for making unscheduled journeys, following sustained lobbying by campaign groups.

It comes on the back of a successful trial by Crosscountry in 2015, which dropped punitive restrictions on sales that previously saw fares double on journeys when bought after midnight.

While campaign groups have welcomed the move, they warned that stations must employ more staff to prevent the “chaos” caused by lengthy queues at automated ticket machines.

The initiative is the latest action taken by the industry to mitigate growing hostility to the rail ticketing system, with consumers claiming that operators often deliberately hide the best deals for consumers.