Christmas Comes Early For Train Travellers

Press Office | 12 October 2011

Train travellers could save a fortune on festive travel over the next fortnight

As train tickets for travel in the week of Christmas start to go on sale, thetrainline.com reveals that its customers saved over a quarter of a million pounds1 on festive fares last year, by booking in the first fortnight of October alone.

The busiest days for travel this Christmas are predicted to be Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th December, based on thetrainline.com's booking data over the last five years2. Usually, around 85% of tickets for travel on those days are booked in November and December but by booking now, huge savings are up for grabs.

Iain Hildreth, Marketing Director at thetrainline.com comments: "The cheapest Advance train tickets for travel in the Christmas week have started to go on sale, so it really makes sense to book now if you can, to stand the best chance of making the greatest saving."

The following table shows the savings that can be made on Advance tickets on selected example routes across the UK departing from the biggest cities3.

Origin station Destination station Advance ticket price (£) Saving (%)* compared to buying from the ticket
office on the day of travel
London Norwich 8.00 86%
Birmingham New Street Cambridge 15.00 85%
Glasgow Central Newcastle 9.00 85%
Liverpool Lime Street Milton Keynes 10.00 89%
Manchester Piccadilly Oxford 16.00 76%
Edinburgh Waverley Durham 9.00 82%
Cardiff Central London Paddington 11.50 88%

Advance train tickets can be purchased online now at www.thetrainline.com. Check out the ticket alert page to see whether tickets are on sale for travel this Christmas for your train operating company.

For further information and images please contact thetrainline.com press office on 020 7492 0974 or e-mail: thetrainline@77pr.co.uk

NOTES TO THE EDITOR

Actual amount saved by customers booking train tickets for the week of Christmas in 2010 was £277,387.10 compared to buying on the day of travel.

Based on bookings made online in advance over the last five years on thetrainline.com

For example routes starting or concluding at other stations, please contact the press office. Prices checked on 4th October for travel on 23rd December.

About thetrainline.com

thetrainline.com is the leading UK rail ticket retailer and rail ticket information provider, offering fast and easy access to timetables, fares, reservations and tickets through its Internet site and contact centre operations in the UK train travel sector. In addition to its own website, www.thetrainline.com, it operates retail websites for many of the Train Operating Companies who sell rail tickets online, as well as providing a rail business travel service direct to a number of blue chip corporations and travel agents.

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