Major train operator starts selling its own ‘split tickets’ to save money for passengers Business News

The UK’s main public rail operator, LNER, is taking on Trainline with its own version of ‘split ticketing’ – the increasingly popular technique for reducing the cost of train journeys.

Due to Britain’s extremely complex rail fare system, travelers can save money on many journeys by buying two or more tickets for a single journey. The practice is perfectly legal as long as the train stops at the intermediate station(s).

Several websites have sprung up to allow travelers to search online for the optimal combination.

Splitting tickets became common when independent retailer Trainline began systematically offering them to users of its app with the “SplitSave” badge.

LNER, which operates trains on the main line from the east coast of Scotland, northeast England and Yorkshire to London King’s Cross, is trialling a ticket category called “Smart Save”. Users of its application are sometimes offered a discount on the “point-to-point” price if a split ticket is cheaper.

Smart Save offers are available only to LNER app users and can be presented as e-tickets on smartphones or printed at home.

The train operator’s version is more sophisticated than the ‘SplitSave’ option offered by Trainline, as it allows the traveler to keep the same seat throughout the journey.

With Trainline and other split ticket providers, the passenger is often faced with having to change seats at the station where a split is taking place.

LNER says, “Smart Save gives you the same big savings (or better) but without the hassle. No confusing ticket handles or having to switch seats mid-trip (who wants to do that?).

“Relax knowing you have the same seat for your entire trip (you may not always have it if you buy elsewhere, crazy we know).

“A single ticket, so you don’t have to juggle a handful of tickets (and try to figure out which one to show the train conductor – which can happen if you buy from other websites).”

An example seen by The Independent offered a saving of £2 on a £24 ticket from York to Peterborough. But a series of test bookings indicate that Smart Save appears to be in a very limited trial.

On a Peterborough-London King’s Cross journey on Saturday afternoon, the advance ticket of £18.50 could be reduced to £13.60 by splitting tickets at Stevenage, saving over a quarter of the tariff. But it was not offered as a Smart Save option.

Trainline didn’t offer the economy either, and in effect the company increased the cost of the £18.50 ticket by 5% by adding a reservation charge.

The LNER innovation applies to both advance tickets and flexible tickets (off-peak or anytime). Passengers with a train pass get an additional discount.