Starting today, Virgin Trains has removed the Friday afternoon peak fare restrictions for trains departing from London’s Euston Station. This will enable thousands of travelers to start their weekends for less, and comes after a 13 week trial that has helped dramatically reduce congestion on popular evening trains.
During the trial, the popular 7:00 p.m. London Euston to Manchester service saw the average maximum number of passengers fall by 61%. Normally this would be the first service available for passengers with off-peak tickets. Similar benefits were seen on the West Midlands route where the average maximum number of passengers on the 7:03 p.m. London Euston to Birmingham New Street fell by 75%.
Impact of Friday Peak Removal on first off-peak service
Over the course of the trial in excess of 3,500 additional journeys were made each Friday, as visitors flocked to major cities such as Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow for a weekend break. But despite driving up numbers travelling, the promotion has also led to a reduction in congestion by spreading passenger demand more evenly throughout the day.
“Rather than everyone waiting for the first off-peak train on Friday evening, people can now travel whenever’s convenient for them,” explained Sarah Copley, Commercial Director at Virgin Trains. “This change means we’ve been able to reduce congestion, whilst helping people save money and make an earlier start to their weekends.”
While the cheapest tickets are always available in advance, those who decide to travel on the spur of the moment can now secure a cheaper off-peak ticket any time after 9:30 a.m. on a Friday, instead of waiting until 7:00 p.m. A customer arriving at Euston Station at 4:00 p.m. and buying a ticket for the next train to Manchester will see their fare reduced by $162.00.
The decision has been welcomed by both staff and passengers, with positive comments on Virgin Trains internal communications channels and social media feeds.
Find schedule and fare details at Virgin Trains.
Image: Virgin Trains
