Advance ticket prices on Virgin Trains are to be cut as the rail operator moves to attract motorists suffering from high fuel prices.
The cheapest advance fare from Birmingham to London will be reduced from £10.50 to £5.
Lowest advance fares from Liverpool to the capital go down to £8 from £13; Manchester-London £8 from £13; Carlisle-London £11.50 from £17.50; Lancaster-London £10.50 from £16.50; and Glasgow-London £12 from £18.50.
The cheaper fares, which must be booked in advance, are available for travel from mid-December.
Virgin Trains offers 25,000 advance tickets on average across its network on weekdays.
Commercial director Graham Leech said: “Despite evidence that motorists are switching to cheaper public transport, delays on longer road journeys still exist. Motorists stuck in traffic jams just use up more fuel making their journey even more expensive, whilst also contributing to increased carbon emissions.
“We want to make rail the first choice for travel in the knowledge that it is environmentally friendly, whilst also making it cheap enough for people to continue to make leisure journeys, despite the recent increases in the cost of living.â€
by Phil Davies
