Bringing us some much-needed bargains this January is the British rail salewhich returns this week, offering heavily discounted train tickets to sweeten the deal.
From January 14-20, 2025selected advance and off-peak fares will go on sale at up to 50% off for travel between January 17 and March 31, 2025. As part of this year’s rail sale, thousands of popular routes across almost all UK train operators, including Transport for Wales and ScotRailwill be offering discounted tickets with journeys spreading the length and breadth of Great Britain.
Passengers in Liverpool could visit London for as little as £7a journey from Preston to Edinburgh could be as cheap as £8.40 and a ticket from Nottingham to Manchester could cost less than a tenner. You’ll also be able to purchase tickets from London to Edinburgh for just £26.15.
These offers will not last long and there are only a limited number of tickets, so passengers are being encouraged to snap up these deals quickly if they want to save more on their train fares.
Following the success of last year’s sale – which saved passengers around £5.8 million in total – the government tasked the rail industry to deliver an even bigger sale to offer cheaper tickets for passengers and encourage more people to travel by train.
Whether it’s connecting with family, friends and loved ones or getting out to explore more of Great Britain, passengers can find thousands of journeys at up to half price. This year’s rail sale returns after more than 600,000 tickets were sold in last year’s sale, worth £5.1 million in ticket sales for the industry and resulted in an extra 440,000 journeys taken by train.
This comes on the 200th anniversary of the first steam-powered passenger train with celebrations expected throughout the year as part of Railway 200. This will honour Britain’s heritage as the birthplace of the modern railway and recognise the role rail continues to play in forming critical infrastructure and boosting local economies throughout the country.
Jacqueline StarrChief Executive of Rail Delivery Group, said: “This year, as we celebrate 200 years of railways in the UK, we’re reminded that rail travel is about much more than simply getting from A to B – it’s about bringing people, communities and opportunities together.
“Over 2 centuries, rail has become a vital part of the UK, shaping the economy and lives of millions. The year’s rail sale will offer over 2 million discounted advance fares starting on 14 January 2025, which is a great way to save on your travel and celebrate 200 years of railway connections.”
Some discounted fares that’ll be in the British rail sale include:
- London to Edinburgh £26.15, down from £62.50
- Liverpool to London Euston £7.00, down from £14.00
- London to Newcastle £23.50, down from £52.10
To benefit from the British rail sale, customers should head to their usual train operator or ticketing site and pick an applicable journey.
