Back to blog It’s a well known fact that buying train tickets can be costly, but just how expensive are train ticket prices and how much have they been rising year on year? At Mapway we did some research and found out that train tickets have actually increased more than household bills and everyday items like bread! Since 2004, long distance train tickets have gone up by 71 per cent… 71 per cent! During that same period, petrol went up by 38 per cent, diesel went up by 40 per cent and house prices went up by 61 per cent – all significantly lower than the rise in train tickets. Train prices have also increased more than household essentials such as electricity, which rose by 63 per cent and every day items such as a loaf of white bread, up by 62 per cent. The cost of train tickets has been made worse by the fact that average weekly earnings have only increased by 30 per cent. So with train passenger numbers doubling in the last 20 years, from 800 million to over 1,600 million, the increased cost of rail fares is affecting millions of train users every day. So what can we do to avoid expense when buying train tickets?

Do your research

When booking holidays or paying for insurance, we’re used to shopping around. When buying train tickets you should do exactly the same, as looking around for the best deal is a sure way to save money. Doing your research on the type of ticket to buy is also good advice as going direct from one station to the other isn’t always the cheaper option. In some cases booking two singles is much cheaper than buying one return ticket, for exactly the same journey! The only difference is you carry more tickets.
According to an article by The Independent; “an off-peak single from Birmingham New Street to Inverness, for example, costs £156.10 as a standard fare. But when splitting the route by buying separate tickets from Birmingham to Kirkcaldy, and then onwards to Inverness, the same journey costs £60.40 – a saving of more than £95.”

Book WAY in advance

Booking your train tickets in advance isn’t always possible, but if you can it will save you a lot of money. Booking in advance can save you up to 80 per cent! By law train providers must show their timetables up to 12 weeks in advance, so booking in early, especially if your ticket is for a long distance journey, will work out much cheaper as the deals usually come out just after the timetables are released.

Don’t pay for unnecessary extras

Whether you are travelling by train for business or pleasure, quite often there are a number of other costs associated with buying train tickets. But does there have to be? If you’ve automatically bought a first class seat, did you have a look at the standard option? Do you plan to buy a coffee and a sandwich on the train or could you take your own snacks from home? Will you order the tickets with home delivery or could you pick them up at the station for free just before you board your train? Paying over the odds for unnecessary extras will add up the cost of your journey so cutting back can help you save money when travelling by train.

Avoid peak travel times

If you aren’t travelling to and from work then off-peak travel is a great way to save money on train tickets. As trains are much more quiet off-peak, ticket prices are less expensive, but you will be required to stick to certain times, days or routes to qualify. Look out for Super off-peak prices too which highlight the cheapest fare available but will usually include a number of travel restrictions.

Take advantage of discounts when buying train tickets

If you travel frequently then buying a discount Railcard could save you a lot of money on train tickets. Railcards take 1/3 off the price of a train ticket and can be purchased for £30 for the whole year. There are many types of Railcards available including 16-25 Railcards, Senior Railcards and Family & Friends Railcards. As well as Railcards look out for other discounts to take advance of such as seasonal promotions and offers, no booking fees and those train ticket providers who don’t charge a separate debit card fee (some do!). myTrains is the quick and easy way to plan train journeys and saving money when buying train tickets on the go. Download the app which is free on iOS and save money with our new no booking fees offer! Back to blog