Christmas train tickets 'rip customers off', expert analysis warns

One route was found to have seven different 'cheapest' fares, as a survey reveals two thirds of passengers do not fully understand ticket types

It can be difficult to see which is the cheapest fare (PA)

Rail passengers are being ripped off by an “incomprehensible” range of ticket prices, according to a new analysis of fares over the Christmas period.

A £52 price difference existed between the highest and lowest “cheapest” fares available on a Virgin train service from London to Manchester, with seven single fares ranging from £73 to £20, an investigation by The Telegraph found.

Over two thirds of rail users said they did not understand or only partly understood “the range of different ticket types”, according to a Department for Transport (DfT) survey released last week.

Fare pricing is “completely incomprehensible” said Christian Wolmar, member of campaign group Railfuture. “Passengers are getting ripped off."

Train companies may be ordered by the DfT to simplify online prices in the coming weeks, The Telegraph reported.

“Up to 20 - and often even more - separate ticket prices exist for a single journey”, said leading independent consultant on rail fares Barry Doe. “The problem is you can’t always see what those fares are”.

Industry watchdog the Office of Rail and Road held a review of rail ticket sales earlier this year and is expected to issue recommendations in the spring.

While standard walk-on peak and off-peak fares are offered by rail operators, advance tickets are priced by a quota system which updates over time. As the journey date nears, or as more people buy tickets, the “fare changes to the next one up in the quota”, said Mr Doe.

“For example in standard class, the lowest fare is £15 single, but you’ll only get that on quiet trains and when it’s sold it goes up to the next – about £20”, he said. “These go on up to £135 for busy peak trains. The complication comes when an advance fare both ways can be dearer than the cheapest walk-on off-peak return and people might not notice.”

“It should be easier for passengers to find the cheapest tickets for their journey” said Which? executive director Richard Lloyd.

“It’s absurd that some train companies are still making passengers do all the hard work to find out how to get the cheapest fares.”