THOUSANDS of rail passengers pay too much for their journeys because train companies do not tell them about the cheapest tickets available. Rail fares have become so complex that only those well-versed in the rules and regulations can be reasonably sure of getting the best deal. Passengers have to know to ask for a specific ticket or combination of tickets because train companies are not obliged to advise them of the cheapest fare. One railway enthusiast runs seminars to teach travellers how to play the system to avoid paying over the odds.

The secrets of obtaining a bargain on the railways will become more relevant from January 2, when fares will increase by an average of 4 per cent. Further rises are likely because the Government is considering abolishing the price cap on Saver tickets.

One of the simplest tricks, which saves money on many routes, is to ask for two return tickets that combine to form a whole journey. A passenger starting out at Peterborough station and asking for a day return to Birmingham will be sold a Saver return for £32.10. However, if he asked for a cheap day return to Melton Mowbray for £6.20 and another from Melton Mowbray to Birmingham for £9.60, the total would be £15.80, less than half the amount requested by the clerk at Peterborough.

Another method is to buy a Network Card for £20, with which a passenger at Weymouth could buy a return to King’s Lynn for £50.25 instead of the usual price of £76.10 — making a saving of £5.85. The passenger could then use the card for the next year to get one third off all his journeys in the South East.

It is also possible to save hundreds of pounds a year by buying a season ticket that is never used for the stations it covers.

Alex Nelson, who runs a rail travel agency in Chester-le-Street, Co Durham, has a season ticket that covers the route between Ryde Esplanade and Ryde St Johns on the Isle of Wight. The two stations are at opposite ends of the town, and the season ticket is the cheapest in Britain at £104 a year.

Mr Nelson lives more than 300 miles from the Isle of Wight but uses the ticket on his regular trips to London.

The ticket, as with all season tickets, entitles him to a one-third discount within the Network South East area, which stretches from Exeter to King’s Lynn and from Worcester to Hastings. The season ticket also allows him to upgrade to first class for only £3.

He has used his ticket on the Isle of Wight only once in four years but saves £100 a year on other journeys.

Mr Nelson has uncovered many other money-saving dodges and holds ticketing masterclasses with voluntary groups, including the Women’s Institute and rotary clubs.

Barry Doe, a public transport consultant, said that most of the anomalies had emerged since the railways were privatised. “Some train companies have been so greedy in pushing up fares that they can hardly complain if people play the system to get a cheaper ticket,” he said. “In British Rail days, fare rises were done across the system and everything was dovetailed so that you didn’t get these anomalies.

“The system would be much fairer and easier to understand if the Strategic Rail Authority set the fares centrally rather than giving the companies freedom to charge what they like.”

The Rail Passengers Council plans to issue bulletins to passengers advising them how to avoid paying too much. Anthony Smith, the council’s director, said: “The fares system is ridiculously complicated and customers need to be very well- informed to negotiate it.

“If you are doing anything more complicated than buying a simple point to point return then the different options and restrictions can be bewildering.”

The Association of Train Operating Companies said that ticket clerks did not always advise passengers of the cheapest deal because it would take too long. A spokeswoman said: “People are perfectly within their rights to ask for those tickets if they want to. It’s possible in some circumstances they are going to get a cheaper fare.”

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