UK rail passengers to get new government-backed train ticket website
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New retailer, which is part of Great British Railways plan, is not expected until 2026 at the earliest. A new online train ticket retailer backed by the government is to be created, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced, with the aim of simplifying the process of buying tickets from different rail operators.
However, the service will only be available once Great British Railways (GBR) has been established, which is not expected to take place until late 2026 at the earliest. The DfT said in a notice that the online retail service would bring together individual train operators’ ticket websites and would “work alongside a thriving private sector retail market, where all rail retailers can compete in an open and fair manner”.
Private sector ticket retailers, including companies such as Trainline, RailEurope and TrainPal, will “continue to play a key role in driving growth through innovation and investment and encouraging more people to choose rail”, the DfT added. Online train ticket sellers have previously been warned by the rail regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, to be more upfront about extra charges. It highlighted concerns about “drip pricing”, in which consumers are shown an initial price before add-ons such as booking fees are revealed later.
