The price of more than a million train tickets are to be cut by up to 50% in April and May in efforts to ease the cost of living crisis.
But the move has drawn plenty of criticism from transport campaigners and commuters.
In what the UK government and the rail industry has dubbed the ‘Great British Rail Sale’ – which is a first-of-its-kind offer, and has been described as “unprecedented” – Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced that from today, selected train tickets will now become half price and many others having “very substantial reductions”.
With this being the first time that multiple rail operators have come together to offer nationwide savings, the government says it hopes the move will help connect friends and families, boost UK tourism, and encourage green travel across the country.
Cutting the cost of rail travel will help “ease some of the pressure” on finances at a time when inflation is rising, the Department for Transport said.
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The discounted tickets have now gone on sale, with passengers eligible to travel for cut prices on certain off-peak and advanced fares between 25 April and 27 May.
They are being sold on a first come, first serve basis.
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To help with the cost of living, we're selling over 1 million rail tickets at up to ½ price for trips from 25 Apr to 27 May 🎫
After 2 yrs of living life virtually, the Great British Rail Sale🚆 starts today.
Some of the selected journeys where travellers can now make savings across the North include Manchester to Newcastle, which was £20.60 and is now £10.30, and York to Leeds, which was £5.60 and is now £2.80.
It will now only cost £22 to get from London to Edinburgh, £25 to get from London to Cardiff, and £5.25 to get from Wolverhampton to Liverpool.
Speaking ahead of the launch of the ticket sale, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “For the first time ever, operators across the rail industry are coming together to help passengers facing rising costs of living by offering up to 50% off more than a million tickets on journeys across Britain.
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“There’s no better time to visit friends, family, or just explore our great country.”
Tickets can be purchased online from participating retailers.
The Great British Rail Sale is offering over a million train tickets for up to half price / Credit: Network Rail
While government officials said that the offering of half-price rail tickets was just “one of the ways” it was helping to support those affected by the growing cost of living crisis, after having said to be “listening to people’s concerns” and already previously announcing measures to defer energy costs and offer Council Tax discounts for some households – but the move has still drawn a fair bit of criticism this morning.
The Great British Rail Sale has been critiqued on a number of factors, but primarily, for not helping commuters who are facing increasing travel costs.
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Labour’s shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh was among those critiquing the scheme, taking to Twitter this morning to say that while the discounts this spring will be “small comfort to passengers” after years of “soaring fares”, it’s not enough.
“A decade of brutal Tory fare hikes have priced people off our railways,” she continued.
“This temporary respite will be small comfort to passengers who had thousands taken out of their pockets from soaring fares since 2010, and the decision to end the sale just before half-term will mean many families face the same punishing costs over the holidays.”
“The Tories can’t solve the cost of living crisis, because they created it,” she concluded.
Cutting the cost of rail travel will help “ease some of the pressure” on finances at a time when inflation is rising, the DfT said / Credit: Flickr
The Campaign for Better Transport has also expressed criticism, adding that it had been pushing for action to improve passenger levels for months.
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Although the group welcomed the move by the government, Norman Baker, its chief executive’s adviser and former transport minister, said to the BBC: “It can show the Treasury that the way to increase income is to cut fares, not keep ratcheting them up and driving people off the railway.”
“This initiative, though very welcome, is but a first step,” he added.
He then called for an end to annual fare rises, and a review of tickets and travel patterns following the rise of hybrid working during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Acknowledging that the sale does not include peak fares and will therefore not be of much use to those commuting, Mr Shapps told Sky News that “it does cover quite a large number of tickets”.
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He said he believes the scheme will be “widely welcomed by a large number of people”.
Fundraiser set up for surviving taxi passengers involved in fatal Bolton crash last weekend
Emily Sergeant
A fundraiser has been set up for the surviving taxi passengers involved in a devastating and fatal head-on collision in Bolton last weekend.
At around 12:45am last weekend (Sunday 11 January), Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called out to reports of a collision on Wigan Road in Bolton, where a Seat Leon was travelling down the road and collided with a Citroen C4 Picasso – which was a taxi.
The driver of the Seat, and two passengers – who were all aged between 18 and 19 – have died following the collision.
The driver of the Citroen was also sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
The three teenagers have been named by GMP as Muhammad Danyaal Asghar Ali, Farhan Patel, and Mohammed Jibrael Mukhtar, all from Bolton, while the taxi driver was named as Masrob Ali from Blackburn.
Police are appealing after a serious crash between a car and a taxi in Bolton leaves four dead and five others injured.
Funerals have already taken place for each of the deceased and a number of fundrasiers have previously been set up in memory of Masrob – who was a father of four – for his grieving family, which you can donate to here.
Two of the victims have been named as Tom and George Daniels, aged 29 and 28, while the identities of the other two have been withheld in order to protect and respect their privacy, although it has been confirmed by GMP that they are a 29-year-old female and a 30-year-old male.
According to the GoFundMe page, set up for the four victims by close friends Lucie Wilson and Jake Regan, the injuries sustained by the four passengers vary in severity from serious internal injuries, injuries to the brain, and ‘unimaginable trauma’.
Tom and George Daniels, two of the survivors of a fatal crash in Bolton last weekend / Credit: GoFundMe
“The road ahead for all of them is long, uncertain, and deeply challenging, requiring extensive medical care, time, and support,” Lucie explained on the GoFundMe page.
The funds raised will be shared between all survivors in the taxi.
The description on the GoFundMe page reads: “The money raised is intended to support immediate expenses not covered by insurance. This is to help relieve some of the additional pressure on their families, allowing them to focus entirely on healing.”
Any contribution, no matter the size, is said to go towards making a ‘meaningful difference’ as the survivors begin to navigate their lives ahead.
The families of the survivors have also kindly asked that any ‘anger or frustration felt is directed not towards blame or hate, but towards hope, healing, and recover’.
More than £26,000 has already been raised (at the time of writing), with donations rising by the minute, and if you would like to contribute, you can do so here.
GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU) is still appealing for information and witnesses, and are urging anyone that may be able to help to come forward. This includes anyone who saw the vehicle driving before the collision, witnessed the incident itself, or has dashcam / CCTV footage.
Can you help? Anyone with any information is urged to contact the SCIU directly on 0161 856 4741, quoting log 111 of 11/01/2025.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
The 2027 World Climbing Series is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
In yet more huge sporting news for Greater Manchester, the 2027 World Climbing Series is coming to 0161 later this year.
We’ve had plenty of big peaks of late, but things seem to just keep going up and up.
Set to host the global event for the first time in our history, Manchester will welcome the World Climbing Series (WCS), which is set to include both Olympic and Paralympic disciplines ahead of the next Summer Games in 2028.
2027 will mark the 38th edition of the series, which will also be one of only a handful to be held in the North – it’s just down to our city to make it the best.
Officially announced on Friday, 16 January, the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) confirmed the return to the UK.
Founded back in 1989, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) is coming up on four decades since the competition first began – Leeds being chosen as the inaugural hosts – the event has come a long way since then.
The IFSC’s rebranding of the annual bouldering, lead and speed trials to the modern WSC, which began last year, was initially revealed back in 2023.
Welcoming continental talent right down to the youth level, the upcoming 2026 World Climbing Series is taking place in the summer and will be hosted by the city of Innsbruck in Austria.
As for the WSC’s Manchester debut, which is being organised in collaboration with the City Council, Manchester Accommodation BID, MCR Active and the National Lottery via UK Sport investment.
It’s not the only big sporting celebration that the Council will be supporting in 2027.
Paul Ratcliffe, CEO of the British Mountaineering Council, said in an official statement: “It’s exciting to be able to confirm that a World Series climbing event will return to the UK in 2027 as part of the BMC’s major event programme.
“Hosting a competition of this scale in Manchester is a strong statement about the UK’s place on the international climbing stage and a great opportunity for our athletes, fans, the climbing community and the wider public to experience the sport at the very highest level.
“Our ‘Route to Adventure’ strategy sets out how we will build on moments like this to support people into climbing and help them progress, whatever their starting point. Using major events to inspire participation, strengthen pathways and reinforce our commitment to inclusion is central to our long-term approach.”
Scheduled to take place in June, you can find out more information about the 2027 World Climbing Series in Manchester by signing up for the official event mailing list HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
19th April 2022 
