London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has announced that it is to introduce “simpler and more flexible” ticketing options across its network as part of a major step in overhauling outdated ticketing.
The new system will begin on Sunday 14 May, when tickets are due to go on sale for travel from Sunday 11 June 2023.
Publicly-operated LNER ran a trial on three routes in 2020, between London King's Cross and Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh. The trial involved removing return fares, with all fares priced on the basis of a single journey. The operator claims that this will give passengers “far greater flexibility to mix and match their fares and find
better deals”.
During the trial, single tickets were priced at around half a return ticket price, removing instances where return fares are only £1 more than a single fare.
LNER believes that extending this approach across its routes will make it simpler for passengers to select the best ticket options for their journey, with the following now available:
- Anytime Single
- Off-Peak/Super Off-Peak Single
- Advance Single
Crucially, LNER is removing the outdated practice where a single ticket can cost almost as much as a return ticket.
Independent online consumer research commissioned by LNER (of LNER passengers and non-LNER passengers) found that 61 per cent of those surveyed favoured of single leg ticketing being extended, and close to 45 per cent of non-customers were more likely to travel for long-distance journeys with LNER in the future as a result of single leg ticketing. More than half (55 per cent) spassengers agreed that single leg ticketing simplifies the way tickets work.
LNER states that it is committed to transforming ticketing to make travel smarter, simpler and more seamless. Almost 9 in 10 customers currently purchase Advance tickets for journeys with LNER. The pandemic accelerated the move away from outdated paper tickets as people prefer contactless e-tickets which can be amended or refunded more easily. Advance tickets offer the best value fares and include a seat reservation free of charge.
LNER introduced new combinations of journeys where customers can buy Advance tickets from May 2021, allowing customers to make significant savings when travelling for leisure or business.
David Horne, Managing Director at LNER, said: “The expansion of Single Leg Pricing will mean almost all of our customers will benefit from simpler fares and have the power to mix and match to get the best value fares.
“We believe that making fares simpler, smarter and fairer will encourage more people to choose rail, making a green and sustainable travel choice. Alongside our successful innovations from our legendary customer service to our industry leading digital products, LNER remains at the forefront of transforming
rail.”
Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, claimed the credit for his government, saying that: “The expansion of single leg pricing on LNER is the latest example of this Government getting on and delivering tangible reforms that will benefit rail passengers, delivering simpler, more flexible tickets that are better value.
“Passengers will get the best value ticket for their journey safe in the knowledge a single ticket will be around half the price of a return.”
Following LNER's announcement that its trial of single leg ticket pricing will be expanded to cover its entire network. Andy Bagnall, Rail Partners' chief executive, said: “It is great news for customers that LNER's trial of single leg pricing is expanding as the industry has been calling for this important step in simplifying fares for many years.
“We'd like to see people travelling across the whole network benefit from fares and ticketing reform, so want other operators to be rapidly afforded similar opportunities to trial this type of change.
“Better value fares ultimately benefit the taxpayer too, through increased journeys and revenue, reducing government subsidy to the railway.””
It’s never been complicated if you know where you’re travelling from and where you’re travelling to, and what time you need to be there. It’s a money making tactic, nothing more, nothing less.
A same day return ticket in my experience has ALMOST NEVER been ‘the price of the outbound ticket x2’ outside of London/ the South East. Now with these changes, especially with the removal of open return tickets within one calendar month, people WILL pay double, as I am now having to do.
Whereas before I could commute to university from home on one day, book a hostel for however many days needed and then return home when my week’s lectures were done, all for basically a couple of quid more than a standard single ticket, I’m now essentially buying two singles a week. And what for? All for the crime of not being able to drive, afford a car, possibly not even being able to drive due to several disabilities, afford rent, and for not being able to balance full time work with my education. Oh, and for the crime of living in a semi-rural area.
This is yet another sad ploy to squeeze money out of those who cannot – or cannot afford to – have a car of their own. Shame on LNER for trying to repackage this as anything other than what it is – a cash grab.
As. final aside , I should be interested to see what happens, when there is a fairly serious interruption in LNER rail services and some passengers are in possession of these ” simplified” tickets and they find that they cannot claim a refund, whereas some of their fellow passengers will be able to do so!
I cannot leave this issue without saying that lots of people put around the mith that it is easy to reform the “complicated” fare system.It is only complicated by the necessity of having loads of destinations on the fares index ( as you might expect).As stated , what is difficult about understanding the concept of the three main ticket types (Anytime, Off-peak and Advance).It is really difficult to come up with anything that can really simplify it, except pricing per rail mile, which would make some ridiculously expensive fares.It is one of these silly (apparentl ) solutions that policians and other like to give lip service to, without really having answers or solution.I would really like to be a fly on the wall, when something goes wrong on rail, and passengers who bought these tickets cannot get fares back when other will be able to!
I never quite understand why some people claim rail ticketing is difficult.You have Anytime, Off Peak and Advanced.Or put another way, completely flexible, a bit flexible and non flexible.We can put up with lack of flexibility, on Advanced , because of reasonable price.Ofcourse there are different prices for different destinations.The LNER trial, in my opinion, is introducing more confusion.Another ticket, valid on only part of their route, at expense of partly flexible tickets on that part of route.No refunds for these new ” flexible” tickets ( that concept itself is a recipe for controversy, complaint and disaster).Any new ticket to part of network adds confusion.I have not yet understood to what extent “market price fixing” will work ( railways are not Premium Inns) and how their “wonderful” system will ” smooth out demand”.
You can always book a return via a different company. Compare prices first, of course!
I wonder if the LNER fares change will create a new set of “split ticket” pricing loopholes (or worse, overpricing traps), e.g. if purchasing a return ticket that needs LNER plus another operator and the other operator still operates “traditional” return pricing.
Yes conditions of carriage rules (break of journey) will probably apply which may make some of the potential opportunities contrary to conditions, but these aren’t always enforced or practically detectable/enforceable
I don’t see any mention of same day return tickets which across the network generally cost only a few pence more than a single ticket. This new measure seems to me to be yet another profiteering exercise, in effect doubling the cost of a day return journey. I only hope that my interpretation if not correct.
Well it does say the trial was based on return fares, and the single fare being derived from half the return fare. But that does imply that the railway companies were not making significant amounts of income from people buying single fares, which I suppose is possible, but if it were the case I’m curious to know why the article didn’t mention this fact…