Latest news with #trainfares
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Veterans railcards could extend to family in new ‘legal duty' for armed forces
Families of veterans could receive cut-price train fares of their own as part of proposals to strengthen the UK's military covenant being considered by ministers, it is understood. Eligibility for the special railcard, which provides a discount of one third on most tickets, could be extended under plans to offer more support to the armed forces community. Under existing rules, spouses of veterans can be offered concessions when travelling as a companion to the cardholder, but cannot use benefits independently. It comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed plans to place a 'legal duty' on all Government departments to consider the needs of military personnel and their families when making policy. Number 10 said more details of the measure would be set out in due course, but could include initiatives such as extending travel benefits to the families of veterans and the bereaved. It is understood that one proposal being considered is the extension of the veterans railcard to family members, though no decisions have been made. Sir Keir earlier met trainee pilots and their families as he visited RAF Valley on Anglesey in North Wales, to mark Armed Forces Day. He said: 'Across the country and around the world, our service personnel and their families make the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe and protect our freedom and our way of life. 'When I became Prime Minister, I made a promise to serve those who have served us. 'Through the new Armed Forces Covenant, we are delivering on that promise, ensuring our service personnel, veterans and their families are treated with the respect they deserve, that is our duty. 'Our Armed Forces Covenant will put our armed forces community at the very heart of government decision-making. 'Their courage, duty, and sacrifice are the foundation of our national values, and they deserve nothing less.' Labour pledged in its manifesto to fully implement the Armed Forces Covenant, which supports the military community through a range of initiatives and grants. Under the new legislation all areas of Government will for the first time have to have 'due regard' in decision-making for the unique circumstances and position of the armed forces community, Downing Street said. Currently this is only legally required in areas of housing, healthcare and education at local level, meaning it does not apply to central Government. The extension will cover policy areas including employment, immigration, welfare, transport, pensions, childcare and criminal justice. The Government aims to make the changes in the next Armed Forces Bill, one of which is required every five years. The last Bill was passed in 2021. It comes ahead more than 200 events expected to take place across the UK to mark Armed Forces Day. The town of Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire will host this year's annual national event, and is expected to welcome 200,000 visitors. It will feature a military parade with personnel from the Royal Navy, British Army and the RAF's Red Arrows, including music from the British Army Band Catterick and the Band of the Coldstream Guards. A flypast by Chinook helicopters and historic aircraft from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will take place above the town's beaches, as well as a fireworks display and a concert by military musicians. Defence Secretary John Healey, who will attend the celebrations, said: 'On Armed Forces Day the nation unites to thank our armed forces: our service personnel, our reservists, our veterans and our cadets. 'This is the day we celebrate all they do, in ordinary and extraordinary ways, to make Britain secure at home and strong abroad. 'We're matching our words with actions, committing an extra £1.5 billion to fix forces' family housing this parliament, the largest pay rise in over 20 years for personnel, and bringing the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law. 'Our government's plan for change is renewing the nation's contract with those who serve.' The Ministry of Defence has also announced that the bidding process for next year's Armed Forces Day national event will open next week on Tuesday. Local authorities can apply for up to £50,000 in funding to host the celebrations.
Auto Express
08-06-2025
- Business
- Auto Express
The car is still king! Ridiculous train fares make them look like absolute bargains
When I'm not happily driving cars, I'm a grudging train passenger who's regularly ripped off, let down or disillusioned by this much-hyped strike-prone public transport. The customer experience is so underwhelming that my confidence in, and respect for, Britain's heavily subsidised rail industry has rarely – if ever – been lower. Advertisement - Article continues below I'm not sure if it's me giving up on the train or the train giving up on me. Either way, the 'alternative to the car' is as implausible now as it was in the nineties, when notoriously hypocritical Transport Secretary John Prescott (a user of two Jaguars) told me to tell you, dear reader, that the train would soon take over as the preferred mode of transport for the average Brit. This was as blatantly untrue then as it is now, not least because the cost of rail travel is exorbitant. Travel from, say, Cardiff to Aberdeen and the standard single/one-way fare is from £285.50 – more than many flights from the UK to the Far East. People in central London doing short journeys can pay up to £15 per mile. In the Stratford quarter of the capital, passengers can pay up to £2.21 per minute on the fastest trains. A standard annual season ticket from Ebbsfleet, Kent, to St Pancras, 20 miles and minutes up the line, costs £6,000-plus. Add £1,815 for a yearly parking pass and an extra £2,000 for tube or taxi fares and we're talking £10,000 or more per annum. That's enough to buy a used car, refuel petrol tanks for several years, or charge an electric car at home for well over a decade. If tickets weren't so prohibitively expensive and responsible for preventing freedom of movement among low-paid workers, students, shoppers, holidaymakers and cash-strapped folk seeking jobs, social lives or both, they'd be comical. But current Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander can still deliver some rail-related hilarity – as she proved with her performance on 25 May, when her Government began renationalising rail services. 'Today marks a new dawn for our railways,' she enthused during her away-day on the first renationalised train from London's Waterloo station. Further promises included 'moving away from 30 years of failing passengers', who now get 'higher standards'. She has to be the funniest Transport Sec cum stand-up comedian since Two Jags Prescott. How so? Because her highly symbolic train ride couldn't be completed by, er, train. It took her four times longer than scheduled. And it was completed only after passengers were embarrassingly turfed off and ordered to complete their journeys in dreaded rail-replacement buses which, in my experience, are even more unpleasant (if that's possible) than iffy trains or railway lines. If Britain's highest-ranking transport politician believes that this latest fiasco and wallet-busting fares represent 'higher standards', she's more out of her depth than I feared. Trains too expensive in your area? We can help you find a great deal on a new car instead ...
Arab News
03-06-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan Railways offers major discount in train fares on Eid Al-Adha
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways has announced a major discount in train fares during three days of Eid Al-Adha besides running five special trains ahead of the festival, Pakistani state media reported on Monday, citing the railways minister. Eid Al-Adha is one of the two most important festivals of the Islamic calendar. Muslims mark the festival by slaughtering animals such as sheep and goats, and sharing their meat among family, friends and the poor. The Pakistani government has announced a four-day holiday on Eid Al-Adha from June 6 till June 9, and hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis will be traveling to their hometowns to celebrate the occasion among their loved ones. 'Pakistan Railways will… offer a 20 percent discount on fares during the three days of Eid-ul-Azha,' the Pakistan Television (PTV) reported on Monday, citing Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi. The announcement came hours after the first Eid special train left the southern port city of Karachi for Lahore on Monday. The second train will leave Quetta for Peshawar at 10am today, Tuesday, while the third will leave from Lahore to Karachi via Multan at 5pm. The fourth train will depart from Karachi to Rawalpindi at 8pm on Tuesday, while the last special train will leave Karachi for Lahore at 8pm on June 4. Abbasi shared that the department's revenue had reached Rs83 billion ($294 million) due to improved operations over the last four months, according to the broadcaster. He said a new passenger train will operate between Punjab's Lahore and Narowal district, starting June 15.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man saves £70 on train by flying from Manchester to London via Iceland
A frustrated commuter claims he saved £70 on 'ridiculous' train fares by flying to London from Manchester via Iceland. Muscab Salad was on his way home to London after a trip to Manchester when he discovered the return train back to the capital was a whooping £130. The 32-year-old said he found the price 'ridiculous' so went looking up other options there could be. Muscab discovered he could get a £21 Jet2 flight to Keflavík in Iceland, where he spent 18 hours sightseeing and exploring the city. The content creator said he also visited a thermal bath and spoke to the locals while walking around the city (Image: Kennedy News and Media) The savvy traveller said he took a £36 Play flight back to London the same evening, with the whole trip costing him a total of £57. As well as saving himself £75, he claims flying through Iceland was a bonus as he always wanted to visit. In his viral online video documenting his trip, Muscab is seen enjoying a hot chocolate in the Icelandic town before he is off to try the country's national dish, Hákarl. The content creator said he also visited a thermal bath and spoke to the locals while walking around the city. In his viral video, Muscab said: "I definitely recommend day trips, do it more, F the trains." Muscab, from London, said: "I was in Manchester and needed to get back to London. [Going via Iceland] was so much cheaper. "I wanted to go to Iceland at some point so I thought I might as well do the flight route back. "I saw the price of the tickets and got the idea, it was £130 because it's more expensive in the morning. "I went in the morning and I came back in the early morning the next day. "I needed to be in London by afternoon so I had time. In total the flight was £57. "I flew there and back with budget airlines, it was literally half the price. It just makes more sense, it was so much cheaper. "I went around the town. I had the food there, I spoke to random people. It was just a fun day out, it wasn't like a full holiday. "I went to a thermal bath and had the national dish which is fermented shark. It was better than I expected." Muscab claims the price of trains in the UK is not justified and that it is too expensive compared to European countries. The traveller said he would do a similar trip again instead of paying for the train and would recommend it to others looking to explore other cities. Muscab said: "Train tickets in the UK are expensive, I feel like everyone knows that. Even if you book in advance it's still expensive, it's still cheaper to fly. "It's cheaper to meet up in Spain than meet up in Manchester, that's how ridiculous it have the most expensive trains in Europe, it's not justified. "I would 100% do it again. Seeing another country is not a bad thing, it's a bonus. "I'm happy I got to experience Iceland. I recommend that people travel, it's a lot cheaper than people think." Commenters on Muscab's video have expressed their frustration over UK rail prices, while others pointed out it would have been cheaper to take a coach. One commenter said: "Something needs to be done about the trains in the UK. It's ridiculous." Another said: "So it's cheaper to go out of the UK than to get to another city in the UK." Another said: "£130 for a train is wild." One commented: "Coach is a tenner, probably quicker than multiple flights and no need to go through security multiple times." Another commented: "I would have just booked a coach."
The Independent
12-05-2025
- The Independent
Flying from Manchester to London via Iceland is cheaper than getting the train, TikToker reveals
As train fares soar in the UK, travellers are looking to save money with alternative transport methods and rail workarounds, such as the ' Didcot dodge ' to avoid paying full price for travel. One social media user has taken it a step further, flying from Manchester to London via Iceland to swerve a £130 train fare between the UK cities. TikToker Muscab (@muscab_salad) shared a video of his travels with the caption: 'Can Iceland be a day trip, that's cheaper than a train from Manchester to London?' Muscab booked a £21 flight from Manchester to Keflavik, Iceland, followed by a flight from Iceland to London Stansted for just £36. He said that the £57 journey connecting London and Manchester saved £94 when compared to the price of the train fare. The 'easy' 24-hour day trip to Iceland included a hot chocolate in Reykjavik, sightseeing and trying the national dish, hákarl (fermented shark meat), before heading back to the airport. Muscab said: 'London to Manchester is like a two-and-a-half-hour train, if I'm flying from London to Iceland, it's only three hours, there's no difference in my opinion.' According to the TikToker, flying 'sometimes is just as easy as going on a train'. He added: 'Overall, I think Iceland is an easy day trip because I've seen a lot today. 'I definitely recommend day trips in other countries, do it more.' The video has been viewed 514,000 times since it was posted last Wednesday, but not all social media users were convinced by the TikToker's creative route home. One wrote: 'With all the fuss, I could have just taken a coach to Victoria station for £25 and called it a day!' 'Coach is a tenner, probably quicker than multiple flights and no need to go through security multiple times,' commented another. Several were shocked by the 'outrageous' train prices. A TikTok user said: 'The fact that flying to Iceland then to London is cheaper than a direct train is outrageous, I wish people protested against this train prices are ridiculous in the UK, we're getting scammed.'
