'Easier fares' trial sees passengers on one of Britain's busiest train lines with tickets costing £100 more
A NEW trial of 'simpler fares' has left passengers on one of Britain's busiest train lines with tickets costing more than £100 more than before.
The two-year experiment was conducted by the government London North Eastern Railway (LNER), promises easier ticketing but has instead hit travelers' wallets hard.
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Campaign group Railfuture called the plan 'terrible', while rail travel website Seat61.com claimed it was designed to 'enable large price increases'.
The price increase was revealed by PA news agency analysis of tickets sold by LNER for travel on the East Coast Main Line.
During the trial, the cheapest travel day tickets are for routes such as London King's Cross Unpleasant Edinburgh jumped from £87 to £193.90 due to the abolition of Super Off-Peak rates.
Similar increases were found for journeys between London King's Cross and both Newcastle and Berwick-upon-Tweed.
An LNER spokesperson said: “Since the launch of the pilot, the majority of customers who purchased Advance tickets have paid less than the old Super Off-Peak fare.
“There will be traditionally classified 'off-peak' trains from time to time, with Advance tickets selling out and a more expensive Anytime ticket being the only option on popular services.”
The operator also said it will continue to monitor and make adjustments so that “as many people as possible can access the right ticket at the right price for them.”
a Ministry of Transport The spokesperson stressed that the trial is part of a long-standing commitment to “simplify complicated ticketing”, adding: “As a result, the majority of passengers on these routes will find fares the same or cheaper than the old Super Off- Peak rate.”