How to get cheaper train tickets
More people travel by train nowadays than during the heyday of the 1940s, with a record 1.65 billion people taking the train in the past year. However, before we start celebrating the age of the train, it's worth bearing in mind that we're paying more for it too.
%VIRTUAL-ArticleSidebar-Commuting%
At the beginning of this year, fares rose another 2.2% on average - so that they are now 20% higher than they were five years ago. Commuting costs now account for 8% of salary on average - and in some cases top 21%. So it's hardly surprising that Passenger Focus research showed that just four in ten people felt they got value for money from their ticket.
The government has realised how massively unpopular these price rises have been. Last January and the January before, they capped price rises at the rate of inflation (although it was RPI - which is a higher measure of inflation than the more commonly used CPI). They also removed the power that train operators had to increase individual fares by 2% more. And during the General Election they promised to cap rail fares at the rate of inflation for the next five years.
It will mean that fares shouldn't rise in real terms over that period. However, it doesn't do much to deal with the fact that we already pay a small fortune to travel by train.
If we want to make a dent in our travel expenses, we have to take our own steps in order to cut the cost of train travel. Fortunately there are a number of clever hacks that will do the job.
But what do you think? Are you prepared to jump through these hoops to make substantial savings, or are you tempted to ditch train travel altogether? Let us know in the comments.
Rail stories on AOL Money
Why your train is packed and uncomfortable
How ticket-splitting can save you a fortune
Are train staff told not to reveal best prices?
