Over a million discounted train tickets will be available as the Great British Rail Sale returns.
The Department for Transport has announced that rail ticket prices will be slashed on many routes over six weeks in a week-long sale.
Passengers will have from January 23 to 29 to claim up to 50% off selected Advance and Off-Peak rail tickets, through the Great British Rail Sale.
“The return of the Great British Rail Sale is good news for passengers, following the success of the previous sale which saw passengers benefit from around £7m in savings on their travel costs," Transport Secretary Mark Harper said.
He added: “With discounts on more than a million tickets, there'll be plenty of opportunity to connect with friends and family and explore great destinations across the country – I hope passengers make the most of this sale and choose to travel by rail."
Journeys on thousands of popular routes in England and Wales will be included in the sale, the Department for Transport has confirmed.
There will also be discounted tickets for cross-border trips into Scotland, for journeys taking place between January 30 and March 15 too.
Jacqueline Starr, Chief Executive of the Rail Delivery Group said: “Train travel is the greenest way to explore our towns and cities as well as connect with your family and friends because nothing beats being there in person for those special moments.
She continued: “Following the success of the Great British Rail Sale in 2022, we are really excited that it’s coming back, and customers will be able to once again purchase over a million Advance ticket fares starting on 23rd January 2024 and enjoy what rail has to offer.”
Popular journeys passengers could claim savings on tickets for include:
- Portsmouth to Penzance – was £43 now* £21
- Birmingham to Bristol – was £30.60 now £15.30
- Manchester to Leeds – was £8.60 now £4.30
- Leicester to Sheffield – was £7.30 now £3.60
Sale tickets will start to become available from midnight on Tuesday, January 23.
The Rail Delivery Group will host a central webpage helping customers find the best deals, and tickets can also be found on all ticket retailer websites, for journeys taking place between January 30 and March 15.
It is important to note that there is only a limited number of tickets are available, and no further sale tickets will go on offer once they are sold out.
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Additionally, operators are not offering sale tickets on days where their services might be impacted by the strikes announced by ASLEF on 15 and 18 January 2024.
The first Great British Rail Sale in 2022 saw passengers save around £7m on rail tickets and encouraged around 70,000 adults who hadn’t travelled by train since the pandemic to take a trip, the Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT) estimated.
The Government and industry are therefore launching a second Great British Rail Sale to save passengers money and get more people using the UK's railways.
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