Train companies hide cheapest ticket prices, overcharging millions of unsuspecting passengers

Long-distance journeys can cost more than twice as much as the cumulative price of shorter 'split ticket' fares

Passengers are entitled to split their ticket at any station along their route at which the train stops and are not required to leave the train (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Millions of rail passengers are being overcharged because rail companies are hiding the cheapest tickets for two thirds of cross-country routes.

An analysis of 50 cross-country routes on nationalrail.co.uk, which sells tickets on behalf of train operators, found customers can save up to £85 by buying single tickets along the same route of their journey.

An investigation by The Times found long-distance journeys can cost more than twice as much as the cumulative price of shorter "split ticket" fares.

Passengers are entitled to split their ticket at any station along their route at which the train stops and are not required to leave the train.

Rail minister Paul Maynard said rail companies must offer an urgent plan to make the system more transparent.

Mr Maynard told The Times: “Rail passengers should always be able to get the best deal and the industry must work harder to make this a reality.

“Train operators have made some improvements and passengers are benefiting from better on-screen information at some stations. But there has got to be improvement right across the network.

"I will be raising this with the rail delivery group that represents all train operating companies as a priority. Passengers deserve better.”

Louise Ellman, chairwoman of the Commons transport select committee, told the paper: “It’s clear that passengers are being left confused and — at worst — are paying a lot more than they need to for their tickets.”

A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators and Network Rail, said: “We want customers to get the right ticket for their journeys at the best price.

"We recognise that different types of tickets and fares can be confusing and we want to make things as straightforward as possible for customers. We know that we have more to do.

“Train companies offer a range of good value fares, one of the reasons why passenger numbers have doubled in the last 20 years. We’re working hard to make buying train travel simpler and to give passengers better information.”