Following a 4.6% average increase in national rail fares earlier this month, Northern Trains has announced that they will implement massive ticket price savings with the launch of new, cheaper fares.

Passengers in West Yorkshire who regularly travel into Bradford Forster Square from any of the intermediate stations between Bradford and Ilkley and Bradford and Skipton will benefit from ‘Advance Purchase’ fares.

The popularity of ‘Advance Purchase’ tickets is very much on the rise across the network of the UK’s second-biggest train operator, with a 10% rise in such tickets being bought between 2023 and 2024.

This announcement from Northern will benefit not just regular passengers who travel into the city but also those planning to visit Bradford as it hosts several events marking its status as ‘The City of Culture’ for 2025.

This event has led to both stations in the city receiving improvements to handle the expected increase in visitor numbers to the city this year.

Northern’s ‘Advance Purchase’ tickets will be available to buy up to 12 weeks before the intended travel date, with the fares still available up to within 15 minutes of planned departure time on the day of travel, though the further in advance passengers book their tickets, the more they save.

Using the standard daily single-price ticket as a guide, below are some examples of routes and savings between existing and the soon-to-be-introduced new ‘Advance Fare’ ticket prices:

• Shipley to Bradford: current fare £3.80, New ‘Advance Fare’ £1.80
• Burley-in-Wharfedale to Bradford: current fare £4.80, New ‘Advance Fare’ £1.80
• Ilkley to Bradford: current fare £5.80, New ‘Advance Fare’ £1.80
• Keighley to Bradford: current fare £4.40, New ‘Advance Fare’ £1.80
• Cononley to Bradford: current fare £8.70, New ‘Advance Fare’ £1.80
• Skipton to Bradford: current fare £10.10, New ‘Advance Fare’ £1.90

“Advance Purchase tickets are increasingly popular and there are more than ten million available on our services across the North of England every week.

We are particularly pleased to be able to introduce these new fares – all less than £2 each – during the City of Culture celebrations. As a proud supporter of Bradford 2025, all of us at Northern are really keen to encourage more and more people to visit the city by train and take part in the year-long programme of events.”

Alex Hornby, commercial and customer director at Northern