Large discounts on train tickets are being offered by train operators operating under the banner of Great British Railways.

The discounts are part of the government’s Great British Summer Savings campaign, which offers free bus travel for children and reduced children’s train fares of £1, which are available from some train operators. The offers also come ahead of the government’s introduction of maximum bus fares of £2.

Among publicly-owned train operators with special offers are:

• Southeastern, with off-peak tickets for £1 for children under 16.
• c2c and GTR, which operates Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern, and Gatwick Express services, where children can travel on off-peak services for £2 return at weekends and during school holidays.
• Greater Anglia, where selected tickets for children are also on offer for £2.
• LNER and Northern have discounts on family tickets, where average savings of 77% are available for up to two adults and four children travelling together.
• WM Trains also has a family ticket offering fares from Birmingham to London for as little as £22.
• TransPennine Express has a free ‘All Aboard’ educational activity book, packed with puzzles, games, colouring activities and rail-themed learning content for younger passengers, and discounts on entrance to attractions across its network, such as 2-4-1 tickets to Scarborough Castle, and 1/3-off entry to Edinburgh Dungeon and Legoland (Manchester).
• c2c has introduced a maximum fare of £15 for adult off-peak return tickets for travel from any c2c station in the London Travelcard area to Southend until Monday 31 August.

The Government has introduced Great British Summer Savings as a way of reducing costs for families of children’s meals in restaurants, children’s tickets for theatres and cinemas, as well as tickets for everyone for theme parks and adventure centres; a full list of offers is available here.

Heritage railways are also offering summer savings, including the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway with a ‘Kids go for £1’ offer, and the Great Central Railway in Leicestershire with children’s tickets for £1 throughout the summer holidays.

“It is great to see these rail savings as the summer holidays get underway, supporting families to get out and explore the outstanding attractions and destinations across England. Travelling by rail opens up iconic locations as well as less explored destinations, with stunning scenery along the way. The ease and convenience of rail travel also broadens travel itineraries, encouraging visitors to travel further and stay longer and in a stress-free and environmentally friendly way.”

VisitEngland CEO, Patricia Yate