Cheap rail travel 'may not be what it seems'
Research has discovered that First Great Western's deal for cheap rail travel does not apply to many of its journeys.
Consumers preparing to visit loved ones by train over the festive period may find that deals advertised for cheap rail travel are not as good value as they seem.An investigation into the true costs of travelling by train over Christmas, conducted by the Mirror, found that fares for First Great Western trips between London, Cornwall and Wales were limited to a small number of journeys.
The south-west route giant is currently promoting tickets for cheap rail travel at £15 for the Christmas period, but only two out of ten trains from the capital city to Penzance on December 23rd are included in the deal, according to the research.
Passengers would also have to either set off at 07:30 GMT or arrive past midnight if they wanted to take advantage of the discount.
Gerry Doherty from the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association, a union which represents 30,000 train workers, told the newspaper: "Train travel this Christmas is a rip-off. Passengers are held to ransom, as the nearer you get to Christmas, the dearer it is to travel.
"We want every company compelled to say how many cheap seats are available and when," he added.
Cheap rail travel for daily journeys may be coming to an end if the Mayor of London's plans to introduce price hikes on transport fares in the city go ahead.
Boris Johnson announced last week that journeys on the London Underground will cost 3.9 per cent more - meaning that a zone one pay-as-you-go fare with an Oyster card will rise from £1.60 to £1.80.
By Ted Maul
© Copyright
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