We all want cheap train tickets. That’s why you’re on this page and that’s what thousands of people search for every single day. Plus, we all know the usual ways that we can save. Get a Railcard, book in advance, you know all of that. But what if you want to be spontaneous and book the night before, or on the way to the station? Here’s our handy guide to the cheap train tickets that you might not have discovered before.
What’s in this blog?
Looking for a particular route or fare? Choose from the list below or simply get scrolling!
- Manchester to London
- Liverpool to Brighton
- Travelling via Barnham
- London to Gatwick Airport
- Weekend Super-Off Peak tickets
- Leeds to Glasgow
- Birmingham to London
- Grand Central, Hull Trains & Lumo
- Northern – Advance Tickets on the go
- Why and how do all of these cheap tickets exist?
1. Manchester to London
Manchester to London is big business and drives a huge amount of demand. Tickets at busier times can be extremely expensive, so it can feel rather hopeless when you’re trying to bag a bargain. But, if you’re happy to make a single change of train at Crewe, you can save without compromising on flexibility. All you need to do is buy a ticket routed West Midlands Trains/Transport for Wales only.
Let’s take a look at the prices. In brackets, you’ll find the savings versus the full ‘Any Permitted’ fare:
| Ticket Type | Full Adult Fare | Railcard Fare |
| Anytime Return | £132.00 (-£237.40) | £87.10 (-£156.70) |
| Off-Peak Return | £50.40 (-£53.50) | £33.25 (-£35.30) |
| Super Off-Peak Return | £39.20 (-£64.70)* | £25.85 (-£42.70) |
*No Super Off-Peak ‘Any Permitted’ fare available. Comparison versus Off-Peak Return.
When can I use these tickets?
- The Anytime Return is valid, naturally, at any time!
- The Off-Peak Return is valid to leave Manchester after 07:30, and to leave London Euston after 08:45 on weekdays. It’s valid all day on weekends and Bank Holidays.
- The Super Off-Peak Return is valid to depart on trains between 10:30 and 15:59, and after 19:00, on Monday to Saturday. It’s valid all day on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
All of these tickets are valid to return within one month.
How long will the journey take?
On this journey, you’ll need to travel from Manchester Piccadilly to Crewe with Transport for Wales. You’ll then change onto a London North Western Railway/West Midlands Trains service that will take you to London Euston.
On most journeys, it’ll take 4 hours* to travel to London, and 3 hours and 30 minutes to travel to Manchester. Be aware that during engineering works, this may take longer and you may need to travel via Birmingham New Street.
*Due to the minimum connection time at Crewe being 10 minutes, all ticket-selling websites will give you a long (1 hour and 5 minutes) wait time at Crewe which extends the journey to more than 4 hours. But, if you’re able to, you can catch the train an hour earlier (giving you 5 minutes) which is usually a connection that can be made. This will reduce the journey time, but be aware that it isn’t guaranteed.
Visiting Manchester? We’ve produced a guide to Manchester train stations.
2. Liverpool Lime Street to Brighton
Looking to get from Merseyside to the South Coast? It can be an expensive trip. Luckily, there’s cheap train tickets out there to get you from A to B for a fraction of the cost. Our next ticket is one that’s routed West Midlands Trains and Southern only.
These are flexible tickets too, and they’re valid across London on the Underground. You’ll need to change at Crewe and pop across from London Euston to Victoria on a direct tube train. There’s also versions of this cheap train ticket that’ll take you to stops on the way, such as Gatwick Airport. Perfect if you’re catching a flight!
Let’s take a look at the prices, with savings in brackets:
| Ticket Type | Full Adult Fare | Railcard Fare |
| Anytime Return | £135.60 (-£314.80) | £89.45 (-£207.80) |
| Off-Peak Return | £71.50 (-£59.80) | £47.15 (-£39.75) |
| Off-Peak Day Return | £62.40 (-£69.30)* | £41.15 (-£45.75) |
*No Off-Peak Day Return ‘Any Permitted’ fare available. Comparison versus Off-Peak Return.
When can I use these tickets?
- The Anytime Return is valid, naturally, at any time! You can return within one month.
- The Off-Peak Return is valid to arrive in London Euston after 09:45 on weekdays. The return portion of your ticket is valid at any time, and you can return within one month. It’s valid all day in both directions on weekends and Bank Holidays.
- The Off-Peak Day Return is valid to arrive in London Euston after 09:45 on weekdays. The return portion of your ticket is valid at any time. It’s valid all day in both directions on weekends and Bank Holidays. You’ll need to make your whole return trip on the same day.
How long will the journey take?
On this journey, you’ll need to travel from Liverpool Lime Street to Crewe, and then Crewe to London Euston on trains operated by London North Western Railway/West Midlands Trains. In London, you’ll catch the Victoria Line to London Victoria.
On Mondays to Saturdays, you’ll need to catch a train to Lewes or Hove before changing to reach Brighton. On Sundays, Southern operate direct between London and Brighton without the need to change.
Journey times start at around 5 hours and 25 minutes to complete the whole journey down to Brighton, and can reach up to 6 hours and 15 minutes, depending on connection times.
3. Travelling via Barnham
When it comes to travelling around the South East, cheap train tickets can be difficult to find, as they usually involve a long slog into London and then back out. If you’re happy to avoid London and take in some of the beauty of the South Coast of England, then you’re in line to save a packet!
These are all flexible tickets, and to/from a wide variety of stations in Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and Dorset. The only restriction is that you need to avoid London, and make sure you travel through Barnham. These tickets are usually routed via Barnham or ‘Edenbridge/Polegate‘.
Let’s take a look at some examples, with the saving versus the fare via London in brackets:
Ashford International to Portsmouth Harbour (routed via Edenbridge or Polegate)
| Ticket | Full Adult Fare | Railcard Fare |
| Anytime Day Return | £33.80 (-£80.70) | £22.30 (-£53.25) |
| Off-Peak Return | £31.20 (-£46.40) | £20.55 (-£30.75) |
| Off-Peak Day Return | £19.30 (-£54.00) | £12.70 (-£35.65) |
Brighton to Bournemouth (routed via Barnham)
| Ticket | Full Adult Fare | Railcard Fare |
| Anytime Day Return | £34.90 (-£85.90) | £23.00 (-£56.70) |
| Off-Peak Return | £34.90 (-£70.30) | £23.00 (-£46.40) |
| Off-Peak Day Return | £25.80 (-£70.30) | £17.00 (-£46.40) |
Hastings to Weymouth (routed via Barnham)
| Ticket | Full Adult Fare | Railcard Fare |
| Anytime Day Return | £34.90 (-£124.70) | £23.00 (-£82.30) |
| Off-Peak Return | £37.90 (-£83.00) | £25.00 (-£54.75) |
| Off-Peak Day Return | £31.70 (-£82.50) | £20.90 (-£54.45) |
When can I use these tickets?
- The Anytime Day Return is valid, naturally, at any time! You need to return the same day.
- The Off-Peak Return is valid to depart after 09:29 on weekdays. You can return within one month.
- The Off-Peak Day Return is valid after 08:59 on weekdays. You need to return the same day.
How long will the journey take?
This very much depends on the route that you choose to take and where you’re travelling from and to. Based on the examples listed above, you can travel from Ashford International to Portsmouth Harbour in around 3 hours 30 minutes to 4 hours.
Brighton to Bournemouth takes 2 hours 30 minutes to 2 hours 50 minutes, and Hastings to Weymouth takes around 5 hours. All of these times are of course subject to change during engineering works or disruption.
4. London to Gatwick Airport
Cheap train tickets from London to Gatwick Airport are out there, but you need to pick the right train first! For the cheapest fare, you can take Thameslink services from London St Pancras, Farringdon, City Thameslink, London Blackfriars or London Bridge.
Southern-branded trains from London Victoria provide the middle ground, while Gatwick Express-branded trains are the most expensive. Sometimes, the Gatwick Express trains aren’t even any faster!
Let’s take a look at the fares first that are valid from all of the stations listed above, including Victoria (unless stated).
| Ticket | Operator | Full Adult Fare | Railcard Fare | |
| Anytime Return | All from London Victoria only (inc. Gatwick Express) | £38.70 | £25.50 | |
| Anytime Day Return | All from London Victoria only (inc. Gatwick Express) | £22.00 | £14.50 | |
| Anytime Return | All except Gatwick Express | £38.80 | £25.60 | |
| Anytime Day Return | All except Gatwick Express | £22.00 | £14.50 | |
| Off-Peak Day Return | All except Gatwick Express | £19.50 | £12.85 |
As you can see, if you’re travelling to meet a relative or flying in and out on the same day, then Gatwick Express can attract quite the premium. If you need full flexibility and need to travel from Victoria, then the difference is a little smaller.
Let’s take a look at the fares now that are only valid from St Pancras, Farringdon, City Thameslink, Blackfriars and London Bridge. They’re routed ‘Not Underground’, so you could take Southern trains for part of the route if you wished, but Thameslink runs the direct trains on this line:
| Ticket | Route | Full Adult Fare | Railcard Fare | |
| Anytime Return | Not Underground | £24.50 | £16.15 | |
| Off-Peak Day Return | Not Underground | £14.60 | £9.60 | |
| Super Off-Peak Day Return | Not Underground | £11.40 | £7.50 |
Quite a difference! If you’re travelling out on a Saturday and back on a Sunday, it’s cheaper to buy two Super Off-Peak Day Singles (£11.30/£7.45 with Railcard).
When can I use these tickets?
- The Anytime Return is valid, naturally, at any time! You can return within one month.
- The Anytime Day Return is valid at any time! You need to return the same day.
- The Off-Peak Day Return is valid to depart after 09:29 on weekdays. You need to return the same day.
- The Super Off-Peak Day Return is valid on weekends and Bank Holidays only.
How long will the journey take?
- Gatwick Express from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport takes 30 minutes
- Southern from London Victoria to Gatwick Airport takes 30 to 35 minutes
- Thameslink from London St Pancras to Gatwick Airport takes 45 minutes
- Thameslink from London Bridge to Gatwick Airport takes 30 minutes.
Wondering what the trains are like? We’ve written about the best train to Gatwick Airport.
5. Weekend Super-Off Peak fares in the South East
Cheap train tickets are available at weekends on many routes operated by Great Northern and Thameslink. While Super Off-Peak fares exist throughout the network, these ones can offer a significant discount and make day trips even more affordable. On one particular route, Greater Anglia also offer a competing fare!
You can find them on the routes between Bedford and Brighton (via London), between north of London and the Sutton Loop, and between Peterborough/Kings Lynn/Cambridge and London Kings Cross. Greater Anglia have a competing fare between Cambridge and London Liverpool Street. These fares aren’t available for journeys wholly within London Zones 1-6.
Let’s take a look at some example return fares:
| Route | Full Adult Fare | Railcard Fare | |
| Bedford to London (Thameslink) | £18.10 | £11.90 | |
| London (Thameslink) to Brighton | £14.50 | £9.55 | |
| Cambridge to London Kings Cross | £20.70 | £13.65 | |
| Peterborough to London Kings Cross | £23.30 | £15.35 | |
| Cambridge to London Liverpool St | £15.90 | £10.45 |
When can I use these tickets?
It’s simple! They’re valid all day on weekends and Bank Holidays. You’ll need to make your return journey on the same day.
How long will the journey take?
This can vary depending on the route you’re taking and when you’re travelling. We’d advise checking National Rail before you travel, or double checking when you book your ticket with us. Engineering works often take place on weekends, which can cause your journey to take longer.
6. Leeds to Glasgow
Cheap train tickets between two of the most vibrant cities in the UK can be difficult to find. Usually, you’ll need to travel via York and Newcastle, which can be expensive.
There is an alternative though! You can choose to take the scenic Settle & Carlisle Railway up to Carlisle before changing for a train to Glasgow Central. Just book a ticket routed via Appleby. If you need flexibility, you’ll save a packet. Let’s take a look at the fare, with the saving versus the ‘Any Permitted’ fare in brackets:
| Ticket | Full Adult Fare | Railcard Fare |
| Anytime Return | £68.10 (-£78.60) | £44.90 (-£51.90) |
When can I use these tickets?
Easy! There’s only an ‘Anytime Return’ available as a return fare on this trip. You can travel whenever you’d like. Break your journey as many times as you like, with your outward journey needing to be completed within five days. You can return up to a month later.
How long will the journey take?
On average, it’ll take around 4 hours and 15 minutes to travel from Leeds to Glasgow Central. Travelling from Glasgow Central to Leeds takes around 4 hours. You’ll need to change at Carlisle on this journey.
Wondering what there is to do in Glasgow? Take a look at what we saw on a day trip to Glasgow.
7. Birmingham to London
There’s plenty of cheap train tickets from Birmingham to London. The only issue is knowing where to start! With three operators and two different routes to choose from, it can be difficult to know which route is best for you. However, if you’re happy for the journey to take a little longer, there are some bargains to be had. The cheapest flexible tickets are those routed WMR/LNR only or via High Wycombe. Trains via High Wycombe are operated by Chiltern Railways.
If you travel on the first route, you’ll leave from Birmingham New Street and travel via Northampton into London Euston. Trains via High Wycombe leave from Birmingham Snow Hill and Birmingham Moor Street instead, and travel via Leamington Spa and Banbury (as well as High Wycombe!) to London Marylebone.
Let’s take a look at the fares on offer. We’ve popped the saving versus the ‘Any Permitted’ equivalent in brackets:
| Ticket | Operator/Route | Full Adult Fare | Railcard Fare | |
| Anytime Return | via High Wycombe | £135.30 (-£53.50) | £89.25 (-£35.35) | |
| Anytime Return | WMR/LNR only | £99.20 (-£89.60) | £65.45 (-£59.15) | |
| Off-Peak Return | via High Wycombe | £58.00 (-£7.80) | £38.25 (-£5.15) | |
| Super Off-Peak Return | via High Wycombe | £36.40 (-£29.40)* | £24.00 (-£19.40)* | |
| Off-Peak Return | WMR/LNR only | £39.00 (-£26.80) | £25.70 (-£17.70) | |
| Super Off-Peak Return | WMR/LNR only | £29.00 (-£36.80)* | £19.10 (-£24.30)* |
*No Super Off-Peak Return ‘Any Permitted’ fare available. Comparison versus Off-Peak Return.
When can I use these tickets?
This is a little tricky as each route has its own restrictions! Here they are in a nutshell:
- The Anytime Return on both routes is valid, naturally, at any time! You can return within one month.
- The Off-Peak Return via High Wycombe is valid to arrive in London after 10am on weekdays. There’s no restrictions on the return journey nor on weekends/Bank Holidays. You can return within one month.
- The Off-Peak Return via WMR/LNR only is valid to depart after 08:45 on weekdays in both directions. There’s no restrictions on weekends/Bank Holidays. You can return within one month.
- The Super Off-Peak Return via High Wycombe is valid to arrive in London after 11:30 on weekdays. On your return, you’re allowed to leave London Marylebone between 08:30 and 15:59, and 19:01 onwards. There’s no restrictions on weekends/Bank Holidays. You can return within one month.
- The Super Off-Peak Return via WMR/LNR only allows you to arrive in London after 13:00 on Monday to Saturday and to depart London after 10:30. It’s also not valid to depart in either direction between 16:00 and 18:00. There’s no restrictions on Sundays/Bank Holidays. You can return within one month.
How long will the journey take?
- WMR/LNR trains from Birmingham New Street to London Euston take around 2 hours and 15 minutes. Some services are a little faster and others may take longer, particularly in the late evenings.
- Chiltern Railways services from Birmingham Moor Street to London Marylebone take around two hours on average.
We’ve also taken a trip to compare all three operators between London and Birmingham.
8. Grand Central, Hull Trains & Lumo
These three operators are known as ‘Open-Access’ operators. They run trains outside of a franchise or contract and operate everything at their own commercial risk. Of course, they need to persuade people to use their trains, so they’ll offer cheap train tickets, even if you’re buying on the day.
Grand Central operate between Sunderland/Bradford and London, Hull Trains (as you’d expect!) operate between Hull and London, and Lumo operate a very limited-stop service between Edinburgh and London.
Let’s take a look at some of their typical flexible return fares. You’ll find the saving (versus the Any Permitted fare) in brackets. We’ll start with Grand Central:
| Ticket | Route | Full Adult Fare | Railcard Fare | |
| Anytime Return | Bradford to London | £178.00 (-£130.20) | £117.45 (-£85.95) | |
| Off-Peak Return | Bradford to London | £102.00 (-£122.40) | £67.30 (-£65.85) | |
| Anytime Return | Doncaster to London | £159.00 (-£91.00) | £104.90 (-£60.10) | |
| Off-Peak Return | Doncaster to London | £93.00 (-£93.70) | £61.35 (-£61.85) | |
| Anytime Return | Sunderland to London | £191.00 (-£179.70) | £126.05 (-£118.60) | |
| Off-Peak Return | Sunderland to London | £132.00 (-£139.40) | £87.10 (-£92.00) | |
| Anytime Return | York to London | £172.00 (-£136.20) | £113.50 (-£89.90) | |
| Off-Peak Return | York to London | £119.00 (-£96.70) | £78.50 (-£63.85) |
Next, we’ll take a look at flexible cheap train tickets on Hull Trains:
| Ticket | Route | Full Adult Fare | Railcard Fare | |
| Anytime Return | Hull to London | £174.00 (-£105.60) | £114.80 (-£69.70) | |
| Off-Peak Return | Hull to London | £135.00 (-£76.10) | £89.10 (-£50.20) | |
| Super Off-Peak Return | Hull to London | £108.00 (-£23.50) | £71.25 (-£15.20) | |
| Anytime Return | Doncaster to London | £147.00 (-£103.00) | £97.00 (-£68.00) | |
| Off-Peak Return | Doncaster to London | £105.00 (-£81.70) | £69.30 (-£53.90) | |
| Super Off-Peak Return | Doncaster to London | £90.00 (-£21.40) | £59.40 (-£14.10) |
Finally, we have some of the typical flexible Lumo fares available:
| Ticket | Route | Full Adult Fare | Railcard Fare | |
| Anytime Day Single | Edinburgh to London | £75.00 (-£118.90) | £49.50 (-£76.25) | |
| Anytime Day Single | Newcastle to London | £65.00 (-£127.80) | £42.90 (-£84.30) |
You should bear in mind that all of these operators also sell even cheaper train tickets in advance, so these are the maximum fares that you’d pay. Why not book with Railsmartr today and see which offers the best deal for you?
When can I use these tickets?
This is a little tricky as each route has its own restrictions! Here they are in a nutshell:
- The Anytime Return and Anytime Day Single on all operators is valid at any time! You can return within a month on the return fares.
- The Off-Peak Return on Grand Central is not valid on the 06:46 Sunderland to London or 06:55 Bradford to London on Mondays to Thursdays. It’s also not valid on the 16:27 London to Sunderland or 16:48 London to Bradford on Mondays to Thursdays. No restrictions apply on other days (inc. Bank Holidays) and you can return within one month.
- The Off-Peak Return on Hull Trains is valid to arrive at London Kings Cross after 10am on Monday to Thursdays. You’re also not able to return from London between 15:30 and 17:45 Monday to Thursday. No restrictions apply on other days (inc. Bank Holidays) and you can return within one month.
- The Super Off-Peak Return on Hull Trains is valid to arrive at London Kings Cross after 11:30am on Monday to Thursdays. You’re also not able to return from London between 15:00 and 18:49 Monday to Thursday. No restrictions apply on other days (inc. Bank Holidays) and you can return within one month.
How long will the journey take?
- Grand Central from Sunderland to London takes around 3 hours and 30 minutes
- Grand Central from Bradford to London takes around 3 hours and 15 minutes
- Hull Trains from Hull to London takes around 2 hours and 50 minutes
- Lumo from Edinburgh to London takes an average of 4 hours and 25 minutes.
9. Northern – Advance Tickets on the go
Now, we all know that buying advance tickets is a sure fire way to get cheap train tickets. Northern is an example of a company that can give you some great deals right up to the time that your train leaves!
While Advance Single tickets tie you to a specific train, that’s less of an issue if the train leaves in the next hour or two, as you probably know that you’re definitely going to travel! Here’s some examples of fares available on the same day:
| Route | Full Adult Fare | Railcard Fare | |
| Blackpool North to Manchester Piccadilly | £9.00 | £5.90 | |
| Sheffield to Manchester Piccadilly | £7.50 | £4.95 | |
| Leeds to Sheffield | £4.90 | £3.20 | |
| Manchester Victoria to Leeds | £8.50 | £5.60 | |
| Sheffield to Doncaster | £2.20 | £1.35 |
When can I use these tickets?
These are all Advance tickets so they’re valid only for the date and train shown on your ticket.
How long will the journey take?
This will vary depending on which train you take and where you’re going! Always check your itinerary provided when you book.
Why and how do all of these cheap tickets exist?
That’s a great question! On most of these routes, you’ll find that you have a choice of at least two rail operators or the option to take a different route. These cheap train tickets exist for a number of reasons:
- To fill up slower trains. Nobody would pick a slower option if there wasn’t something in it for them!
- To encourage competition. Rail companies want your business! By charging different fares, they each aim themselves at a different market.
- To earn more! If you buy a ticket for a specific operator, they get to keep more of the fare. If you buy an ‘Any Permitted’ one, what you pay is then split up between everyone that runs trains on even a small section of your journey.
To start planning your next journey, just visit the Railsmartr website.
All fares were checked on 02/06/2023 unless stated. They’re subject to change at any time and Railsmartr are not responsible for any loss or inconvenience incurred.