Letter: Cheaper single rail tickets

Sir: The problem highlighted by the action of the Rail Regulator, John Swift ("Rail firms block creative journeys", September 20), is the fare structure used on Britain's railway system.

Cheap day returns and other railcard tickets are almost the same price as a single ticket, which is fine for a simple return trip on the same route. But should you want to return by a different route, or do a round trip by visiting somewhere else before returning home, you could find it very expensive or awkward, as you would be forced to buy either overpriced single tickets or unnecessary return tickets.

The solution would be to sell cheap day single tickets at a price much nearer that of half a return ticket, so that passengers could enjoy much greater flexibility, as they do in France. It must be remembered that the train operators' main competition is not from each other but from road and, to a lesser extent, air transport.

DAVID NOWELL

New Barnet,

Hertfordshire