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Christmas rail journeys could be cheaper for passengers if they book through a third-party retailer rather than directly with train operators: that’s the finding from research conducted by and Independent,
“There are savings.”ticket distribution” – Taking advantage of Britain’s many anomalies train fare Using more than one ticket for one journey.
An “anytime” ticket from London Paddington to Bristol costs £137.50. But buying a ticket from the capital to Didcot Parkway in Oxfordshire and another from there cuts the cost by a third to £91. The only condition is that the train stops at Didcot; There is no need to change trains.
Train operators do not advertise such savings, but independent ticket sellers often do.
The organization Independent Rail Retailers (IRR) has investigated a series of mid-morning journeys on Monday 22 December 2025, one of the busiest days for journeys in the run-up to Christmas.
- LNER 10.03am London King’s Cross-Edinburgh: £142.50 on the rail firm’s website, but £110.90 via the RailSmart website – a saving of 22 per cent. Savings are achieved by splitting tickets in Berwick-upon-Tweed.
- East Midlands Railway 10.32am departure from Derby to Manchester via Sheffield; £21.80, but £13.59 on East Midlands Railway trainlineSavings of 38 percent. Tickets have been split in Sheffield.
- cross country 10.33am Bristol Temple Meads-Sheffield: £106.20 on the rail firm’s website but £65.49 via TrainSplit – a saving of 38 per cent. Tickets are split at Worcester Parkway and Birmingham New Street. An additional £7.40 can be saved by leaving the train at Derby, waiting 22 minutes and catching the next train.
The IRR is the membership body for UK third-party ticket retailers, representing the vast trainline as well as Acertis (and its RailSmart subsidiary), Atomised, Evolvee, Fast Rail Ticketing, My Train Ticket, Omio, Ontrack, RailEasy and Trip.com.
An IRR spokesperson said: “These options may involve longer journey times or more changes, but they generally offer lower fares. This approach puts more choice in passengers’ hands, allowing them to decide on the balance between cost and convenience that best suits their needs.”
A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, said: “The rail industry is actively working to simplify fares, improve accessibility and provide flexible, cost-effective ticketing options. We are committed to modernizing ticketing and ensuring that all passengers – no matter where they book their tickets from – can access the best value fares.”
Immediate departure tickets may also be cheaper through a third party, according to research from IndependentSunday 16th November at 11,30am LNER The train from Newcastle to London was being sold by the rail firm for £200.80 – but was being sold for just £95.90 at third-party retailers. booking through uberWhich offers a permanent 3 per cent saving on train tickets, reducing the cost to £93.02 – a saving of 54 per cent.
One LNER The spokesperson said: “Through our website and app, we offer the best available fares to our customers and often have great value advance fares available up to five minutes before trains depart.
“When trains are very busy, particularly on weekends, our Best Value fares can sell out and sometimes there are no seats available for the entire duration of the journey. The Anytime fare is always available and offers customers the most flexibility, including the option to break up their journey.”
Passengers using split tickets may face problems with seat reservations, or if they inadvertently take a train that does not actually stop at the station where the tickets are split.
All fares researched for 14 November 2025, except Newcastle-London ticket – checked for immediate departure Sunday 16 November.
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