The Great British Rail Sale 2026 launches this week: the 10 best ticket deals

The Boxing Day sales might be (mostly) over but, if you love travelling by train, something even better is about to begin: the Great British Rail Sale.

It’s no secret that train tickets in this country can be very pricey, but for one glorious week every year millions of them go on sale and you can book a trip for a fraction of the price you’d usually pay. In 2026, the Great British Rail Sale will boast discounts on more than three million tickets across almost every rail company in the country.

The sale follows the news last November that rail fares would be frozen until 2027. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said that ‘it’s all part of our plans to build a railway owned by the public, that works for the public’.

The sale begins this week, on Tuesday January 6. You’ll be able to discover the full range of cut-price trips on rail companies’ websites, or third-party booking services like Trainline, next week, but for now here’s everything you need to know ahead of the 2026 Great British Rail Sale.

When is the Great British Rail Sale 2026?

This year, the sale is starting on January 6 and running until January 12. The discounted tickets will be available for travel between January 13 and March 25.

What are the cheapest tickets

The exact amount of money off varies between routes and companies, with most journeys being around half price; but certain routes will be as much as 70 percent cheaper than normal. For example, tickets to London Waterloo from Exeter will be down to £10 from £41.70 – a 76 percent drop.

The cheapest ticket in the sale, however, is probably Manchester Piccadilly to Bolton, which is down to just £1.

Generally, peak fares will remain the same and sale prices will be available for off-peak or advance tickets. You cannot use your railcard with Great British Rail Sale offers.

Best ticket deals to buy

Here are some of the best deals available in the Great British Rail Sale, including busy commuter lines and routes between some of the nation’s biggest cities:

Inter-city journeys

• Newcastle to Middlesbrough: £2 (was £5.20)
• Nottingham to London: £23 (was £46)
• Sheffield to London: £25.50 (was £51)
• London Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street: £7 (was £14)
• Portsmouth to London Waterloo: £10 (was £24.60)
• Exeter to London Waterloo: £10 (was £41.70)

Commuter routes

• London Charing Cross to Tunbridge Wells: £4 (was £8.10)
• Manchester Piccadilly to Bolton: £1 (was £2.50)
• Manchester Picadilly to Manchester airport: £1.90 (was £2.90)
• Liverpool Lime Street to Wigan North Western: £1.60 (was £3.70)

Did you see that five abandoned train stations in England are being brought back to life?

Plus: Manchester’s Bee Network is getting its first trains in 2026