Trial of scrapping train return tickets extended

A trial in which return tickets have been scrapped to make fares simpler will be extended as part of a shake-up of the country's railways.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper confirmed that LNER, which operates trains along the East Coast mainline, will extend its trial of selling single tickets only on its routes from Spring.

If it continues to be successful it will be extended to other operators.

Mr Harper made the announcement in a speech setting out railway reforms.

The government said single leg pricing could provide "better value" for passengers.

There are 55 million fares available in Britain, which makes it difficult for travellers to decide which is best for them.

Currently, many single tickets are just £1 less than a return, but under the trial, a single is always half the cost of a return.

London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is one of few train operators that is publicly-owned. It runs trains between London and the East Midlands, Yorkshire, the North East, and Scotland.

In 2020 it trialled scrapping return tickets on journeys from London to Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh, which saw the cost of a super off-peak single ticket from London to Edinburgh cut to £73.70 rather than £146.40, or £147.40 for a super off-peak return.

This trial has been viewed as successful and will be rolled out across the rest of the LNER network. Mr Harper told rail industry leaders in speech on Tuesday that the government would then "carefully consider the results of those trials" before extending more widely to other parts of the country.

"This is not about increasing fares," he said. "I just want passengers to benefit from simpler ticketing that meets their needs."

Mark Smith runs website Seat61.com which helps people book rail travel around the world. He was a station manager in the 1990s and worked at the Department for Transport in fares and ticketing until 2007.

He told the BBC that many return tickets cost only slightly more than a single because about 30 years ago British Rail introduced saver return tickets to encourage people to travel further for longer.

Mr Smith said the reforms created a "simple all-one-way fares structure designed for easy sale through today's channels: internet, ticket machines and contactless".

Later his speech, the transport secretary announced plans to roll out pay-as-you-go ticketing across the South East, which will enable travellers to pay for journeys by tapping in and out with contactless cards or phones - similar to London's Oyster system.

He also confirmed the government was continuing to go ahead with its plans to create a new organisation, Great British Railways (GBR).

In 2021, the idea of GBR was announced as a body to replace an "overcomplicated and fragmented" system, as well as set timetables and prices, sell tickets in England and manage rail infrastructure.

Mr Harper said the country's rail network was "not fit for purpose" and was "financially unsustainable".

He added the industry had only survived since the pandemic due to the "public purse", with taxpayers funding more than 70% of the sector's income over the past two years and at a cost of £1,000 per household.

"It isn't fair to continue asking taxpayers to foot the bill," he said. "Many of whom don't regularly use the railways."

Mr Harper insisted the creation of GBR did not amount to nationalisation, or a return to British Rail - instead pledging to "enhance" the role of the private sector in running the country's railways.

Mr Harper said he wanted private companies to be involved "not just in running services but in maximising competition, innovation and revenue growth right across the industry".

But Louise Haigh, Labour's shadow transport secretary, has said passengers are "paying more for less under the Conservatives' broken rail system".

"Thirteen years of failure has seen fares soar, more services than ever cancelled, while failing operators continue to be handed millions in taxpayers' cash," she added.

Much of Mark Harper's speech covered familiar ground - talking about the need for major changes to how the railway operates, to fix a broken system.

He was clear the government wants to spend less public money on the railway.

Mr Harper committed to introducing the delayed over-arching body Great British Railways, although provided no timescale.

But he firmly distanced himself from the idea that this meant returning to British Rail, or Labour's re-nationalisation plans, insisting the private sector would have a greater role.

There wasn't much in the speech by way of changes that passengers will notice in the short term.

Although, as well as the extension to LNER's single ticket trial, he said the government-run operator will trial demand based pricing - meaning prices could go up and down depending on demand.

Ministers insist this is about simplifying tickets, not raising more money - but questions remain about how exactly it will work, and how consumers will be protected.

The transport secretary's reforms come at a time when Britain's railways are being disrupted by strike action.

Rail workers and train drivers have staged a series of walkouts in recent months over disputes involving pay and working practices.

Union bosses are calling for pay increases in line with the rising cost of living, but train companies have said any pay rises need to go alongside reforms, with the Covid pandemic leaving a hole in the industry's finances.

Regulated rail fares in England are set to rise by up to 5.9% from March.