Imagine living in a world where a train journey from London to Manchester costs you just £20. Sound too good to be true? Well, that unlikely state of affairs has just become a reality – provided you’re not bothered about what time you travel.
Avanti West Coast is now trialling ‘superfare’ tickets aimed at filling seats on certain journeys on the West Coast main line to and from London Euston.
There are a few awkward conditions involved. First, you can’t actually choose your specific time of travel. Passengers hoping to secure a cheaper seat can only choose between morning, afternoon and evening on their intended day of travel. Second, you have to book between one and three weeks in advance and won’t find out your exact departure time until the day before.
The morning slot begins from 7am and the afternoon runs from 12pm to 4.59pm. The evening is classed as 5pm to 11pm, which could put you at risk of arriving rather late at night.
There are also certain ‘blackout dates’, on which superfare seats won’t be available, including the Easter weekend and days when there is no extra capacity.
Another snag is that you can only purchase one-way tickets and no other discounts can be applied, so you can’t use your Railcard to get even more money off.
Superfares are also available on routes to Preston (for £22), Birmingham (£12) and Liverpool (£15). The scheme is part of Avanti’s effort to tempt travellers who normally opt for long-distance coaches – offering them faster journeys at just as affordable prices.
You can find out more about the deals here.
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