Finally you can buy cheap train tickets on the day and won't be stung if you forget your railcard as train companies pledge to make fares simpler
- Automated ticket machines will tell passengers if they can get a cheaper ticket
- The Department for Transport confirmed a host of changes to the rail network
- The new plans will be adopted by five major train lines throughout 2017
- Confusing ticket jargon such as 'any permitted route' will be scrapped
Cheap advanced train fares will soon be available to buy online 15 minutes before travel, the Department for Transport has announced.
Railcard holders who forget their travel card will also be able to claim back any extra money they have to pay out the first time they do it, as part of a host of changes to make train fares cheaper and easier to understand.
The changes, which were announced in a joint forum with industry bodies and the consumer group Which?, will initially be available on five of the major train operators from April 2017.
Ticket machines will soon tell you if you can save money by travelling at a different time
Under the new plans, passengers will be given more information about the ticket they're buying to make sure the best value ticket possible.
These include; an end to train jargon such as the phrase 'any permitted route' and London terminals' and a new online tool that explains the travel restrictions on each ticket.
Passengers will also be alerted when the best-value advance tickets are running low and if changing their ticket time or route could save them money.
In April the following four train networks will start implementing the changes: Transpennine Express, Northern, Virgin Trains East Coast and Virgin Trains West Coast with East Midland Trains following in September.
Rail firms have been widely criticised for making tickets confusing to buy leading to customers often paying more than they need to.
Self-serve ticket machines are to become easier to use to make train fares cheaper and simpler
An investigation in July by The Times showed that some travellers were paying up to £85 more than necessary because train operators were not showing the cheapest tickets on two-thirds of cross-country routes.
On top of this in a number of cases it was cheaper to buy singles tickets to and from destinations along particular routes rather than buying one ticket for the complete journey.
The Rail Minister Paul Maynard, said: 'The ticket buying experience is all too often complicated and hard to navigate and I am committed to working with industry to make it simpler.
'We want a more modern and passenger-focused fares and ticketing system which takes advantage of all the benefits of new technology. Rail passengers must be able to trust that they are getting the best possible deal every time they travel.'
Vickie Sheriff, director of campaigns and communications at Which?, said: 'Rail passengers often struggle to find the cheapest fare as the current ticket system is too complex. Buying a ticket must be made much simpler and it must be easier for people to find the best fare.
'We expressed our concern to the Secretary of State for Transport in the summer and have worked with the Rail Minister and industry since to secure improvements through the joint action plan on rail fares and ticketing presented at today's forum.'
Season ticket holders will be able to claim back expenses they make if they forget their card
But Lianna Etkind, public transport campaigner at Campaign for Better Transport, said more needs to be done to lower fare prices.
She said: 'The Action Plan announced contains lots of small but important steps towards making the rail ticket system a bit simpler and more usable and this is welcome.
'What's missing, however, is the fundamental reform the fares system needs, such as introduction of equal season ticket discounts for part-time commuters and an end to split ticketing. Without these larger reforms, we will still be left with an insanely complex and unfair fares system.'
A working group has been set up to monitor how the measures are implemented and an interim report will be published in July 2017 with a final report in December 2017 to show how they have been achieved.
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