You can now get a train from London to a city 200 miles away for just £12

Commuters, students, day-trip enthusiasts – listen up. We all know that train travel in the UK can cost outrageous amounts, but what if we told you that you can now journey 200 miles out of London for less than £15? 

LNER has launched super low-cost tickets for journeys from London to Leeds. Now, you can get to the northern city for just £12 (£8 for certain railcard holders). Before you get too enthusiastic, there is a catch.

The ultra-cheap tickets are only valid for 5.40am services from London King’s Cross from Monday to Friday. That means that you would get into Leeds at 8am, so would have around two hours to kill before shops, museums and galleries start to open up for the day. We suggest using it to fill up on caffeine at somewhere like the Union Coffee House, Raw Coffee Roasters or Laynes Espresso, which all open nice and early on weekdays.   

Once you’ve fuelled up with coffee and breakfast, stroll over to the elegant Arcades, stop by the world-renowned Henry Moore Institute, shop for indie crafts at the Corn Exchange, check out the Thackray Museum of Medicine, amble down the canal or poke around Leeds Minster. See more of our favourite things to do in Leeds here.

Another thing to note: the £12 only covers one way. It’s an extra £30 to get back to London, or £12 again if you’re willing to wait until 9pm (and get back to the capital after 11.30pm). Still, the total is a heck of a lot more affordable than the average return fare of around £70. 

When will every major UK rail operator be nationalised? Full list of routes and dates for public ownership. 

Plus: One of the top new hotel restaurants in the world is onboard a British sleeper train. 

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