Millions of train tickets for journeys across the UK are now up for grabs with up to 50% off as a popular nationwide sale is back.
With the UK Government‘s ‘Great British Rail Sale’ having just made its highly-anticipated return this morning, this means that passengers will now have from today (23 January) up until 29 January to claim half-price discounts on a huge range of selected Advance and Off-Peak rail tickets.
Over a million discounted tickets are available in this week-long sale to destinations all across England and Wales, as well as on cross-border trips into Scotland too.
Tickets will be redeemable on journeys taking place between 30 January and 15 March 2024.
The price of a ticket from Manchester to Leeds, for example, would usually set you back roughly around £8.60, depending on destination stations, but with the 50% discounts on offer through the ‘Great British Rail Sale’, that very same ticket is now available for just £4.30.
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A ticket from Leicester to Sheffield is usually a standard price of £7.30, but this week, you can book your journey in advance for just £3.60.
The first Government-organised ‘Great British Rail Sale’ took place back in 2022, and apparently saw passengers save around £7 million on rail tickets, as well as having encouraged around 70,000 adults who had not travelled by train since the COVID-19 pandemic to hop on board, according to the Department for Transport.
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Get up to a huge 50% off train tickets in the Great British Rail Sale!*
The Government says it’s decided to bring back the ‘Great British Rail Sale’ to kick off this new year as it’s “committed” to helping families with the cost of living, working with the rail industry to boost tourism, encouraging sustainable travel, and also to connecting friends and families across the UK.
“The return of the Great British Rail Sale is good news for passengers,” Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said as the sale launches today.
“With discounts on more than a million tickets, there’ll be plenty of opportunity to connect with friends and family and explore great destinations across the country, and I hope passengers make the most of this sale and choose to travel by rail.”
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Discounts are part of the returning ‘Great British Rail Sale’ / Credit: National Rail
Sale tickets have now started to become available online.
If you want to get your hands on them, the Rail Delivery Group has a central webpage to help customers find the best deals here, but tickets can also be found on all ticket retailer websites for journeys taking place between 30 January and 15 March 2024.
Only a limited number of tickets are available, and no further sale tickets will go on offer once sold out, so you’ll need to act fast.
Featured Image – gov.uk
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Entire tram line suspended due to overhead line damage at Old Trafford
Daisy Jackson
Metrolink trams along the Altrincham line have been suspended due to damage to an overhead line near Old Trafford.
The damage, caused by a third party, has caused significant disruption for commuters across the Greater Manchester region this afternoon.
No Metrolink tram services are operating between Altrincham and Piccadilly, in either direction.
Large queues are already forming for buses at Piccadilly Gardens as people attempt to get home.
Engineers have arrived on site to try and fix the issue, but ‘significant disruption’ is expected to continue into the evening.
TfGM and Metrolink have also deployed staff to assist people with their journeys at all stops in the city centre as well as at Old Trafford, Trafford Bar, and Cornbrook.
Trams between Bury and Deansgate-Castlefield are unaffected.
Ticket acceptance is in place on the 245, 255, 256, 263, 281 and 285 bus services and on Northern Rail services between Altrincham and the city centre. Simply show the driver your Metrolink ticket or pass when boarding.
You can plan the rest of your journey online using the TfGM journey planner here.
Pubs can extend their opening hours if England make it to the Euro 2024 semi-finals
Emily Sergeant
Pubs are to be permitted to extend their opening hours if England make it through to the semi-finals of EURO 2024 this summer.
With the Premier League, and the English and Scottish football leagues, all drawing to a close over the next couple of weeks, our nations are already looking ahead to what is gearing up to be a massive summer of sport – with both the UEFA EURO 2024, and the 2024 Olympics coming up before August is out.
And now, it’s been revealed by Home Secretary James Cleverly that if either England or Scotland’s mens national football teams make it to the semi-final of European football’s flagship tournament, then pubs will be allowed to stay open for longer.
But, there’s a bit of a catch… because isn’t there always?
The Government has said that venues will be allowed to stay open for an extra two hours on match days if either or both teams reach the last four or the final of the competition, but this only applies to pubs that already have a license to open until 11pm anyway.
Pubs can extend their opening hours if England make it to the Euro 2024 semi-finals / Credit: Piqsels | Wikimedia Commons
The move to extend opening hours comes after a consultation at the end of last year, and is hoped to provide a boost to the hospitality industry – which has notably been hit hard during the ongoing cost of living crisis.
The Home Secretaries in England and Wales, under Section 172 of the Licensing Act 2003, can make an order relaxing licensing hours to mark occasions of “exceptional national significance”, but the Scottish and Northern Irish Governments have to set their own rules.
“We have listened to the public through our consultation,” explained Home Secretary James Cleverley, “and we will be extending pub licensing hours should England or Scotland reach the semi-finals or final of Euro 2024.”
The EURO 2024 semi-finals are to be held on Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 July / Credit: UEFA
Mr Cleverley said the move will “allow friends, families and communities to come together for longer to watch their nation hopefully bring it home”.
This legislation is set to be laid in Parliament today (Wednesday 8 May) to ensure there is enough time for it to be debated and passed before the tournament begins on Friday 14 June, the Government has confirmed.