LNER charge 91.90 from Durham to London, and 200.80 for the same train from Newcastle

joeneat · 20 Jun 2026

Daylight robbery, I bought a ticket for the wrong date, gates were open at Newcastle so I didn't realise I had bought the wrong ticket till the guard came down after York, luckily the guard sold me a ticket from Durham, maybe this difference in price has been done so they can let people off with a short fair who come across honest, or maybe they just like ripping people traveling from Newcastle off. At nearly £110 for less than 15 mins on the train are there any bigger rip offs in the country?

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AlterEgo · 20 Jun 2026

£91.90 is a Super Off Peak Single from Durham and not an Anytime. Only Anytimes will nornally be sold on board, and the fare from Newcastle is correct as it would have been sold on board as the passenger joined without a valid ticket.

NER1621 · 20 Jun 2026

joeneat said:
luckily the guard sold me a ticket from Durham, maybe this difference in price has been done so they can let people off with a short fair who come across honest, or maybe they just like ripping people traveling from Newcastle off

The last bit is correct. But what’s happened here is that you’ve bought/been sold two different tickets. The Newcastle fare is the Anytime fully flexible single, the Durham fare is a Super Off-Peak single. As to why the difference - see other threads on LNER’s fake fares “simplification” “trial”.

joeneat · 20 Jun 2026

NER1621 said:
The last bit is correct. But what’s happened here is that you’ve bought/been sold two different tickets. The Newcastle fare is the Anytime fully flexible single, the Durham fare is a Super Off-Peak single. As to why the difference - see other threads on LNER’s fake fares “simplification” “trial”.

Thanks I had no idea about fake fares, Newcastle Durham 108.90 for 14 miles must be one one of the most expensive fares out there.

Royston Vasey · 20 Jun 2026

The most shocking thing to me here is that LNER are selling Super Off Peak tickets from Durham. And from a quick check of journeys tomorrow and Monday, Darlington and York as well. But not from Newcastle.

It's a bit of a mess but it begs another question... Weren't these Super Off Peak tickets withdrawn as part of the trial? Have they returned to sale?

joeneat · 20 Jun 2026

AlterEgo said:
£91.90 is a Super Off Peak Single from Durham and not an Anytime. Only Anytimes will nornally be sold on board, and the fare from Newcastle is correct as it would have been sold on board as the passenger joined without a valid ticket.

As soon as I realised my mistake I knew it would be an anytime to buy, just couldn't believe the price quoted from Newcastle when the guard was kindly selling me the short fare from Durham knowing I boarded at Newcastle. Ludicrous.

AlterEgo · 20 Jun 2026

joeneat said:
As soon as I realised my mistake I knew it would be an anytime to buy, just couldn't believe the price quoted from Newcastle when the guard was kindly selling me the short fare from Durham knowing I boarded at Newcastle. Ludicrous.

Is your ticket for a future date? It can be refunded less a small admin charge if you do so before the date of travel.

joeneat · 20 Jun 2026

AlterEgo said:
Is your ticket for a future date? It can be refunded less a small admin charge if you do so before the date of travel.

Sadly not, I look at il like I saved over £108.90

yorkie · 20 Jun 2026

joeneat said:
Daylight robbery, I bought a ticket for the wrong date, gates were open at Newcastle so I didn't realise I had bought the wrong ticket till the guard came down after York, luckily the guard sold me a ticket from Durham, maybe this difference in price has been done so they can let people off with a short fair who come across honest, or maybe they just like ripping people traveling from Newcastle off. At nearly £110 for less than 15 mins on the train are there any bigger rip offs in the country?

LNER's website absolutely will rip people off. This is why they have so many adverts telling people to "book direct"

However, if you use the forum's ticketing website, a cheaper combination of fare will be offered, whenever it is possible to do so. Where this is the case, 85% of the saving is passed on to you.

If it's not possible, then the total amount payable would be the same as if you had booked with LNER, because there isn't a booking fee.

Furthermore, the forum's ticketing site offers free seat selection on any operator, so no disavantage there either (indeed for a through journey on multiple operators, LNER will only let you select the seat on the LNER portion!)

Watershed · 20 Jun 2026

Royston Vasey said:
The most shocking thing to me here is that LNER are selling Super Off Peak tickets from Durham. And from a quick check of journeys tomorrow and Monday, Darlington and York as well. But not from Newcastle.

It's a bit of a mess but it begs another question... Weren't these Super Off Peak tickets withdrawn as part of the trial? Have they returned to sale?

The sham "trial" only applies from Newcastle and beyond so this is entirely correct.

Return tickets have (mostly) been abolished by LNER, as have Off-Peak fares on journeys that also have Super Off-Peak fares. But Super Off-Peak Singles remain as the last bastion of vaguely affordable walk-up travel, between London and stations as far north as Chester-le-Street.

For Newcastle and north thereof, there are still plenty of workarounds by buying a ticket to a further station than you're travelling, e.g. to Enfield Town if travelling to London.

joeneat · 20 Jun 2026

yorkie said:
LNER's website absolutely will rip people off. This is why they have so many adverts telling people to "book direct"

However, if you use the forum's ticketing website, a cheaper combination of fare will be offered, whenever it is possible to do so. Where this is the case, 85% of the saving is passed on to you.

If it's not possible, then the total amount payable would be the same as if you had booked with LNER, because there isn't a booking fee.

Furthermore, the forum's ticketing site offers free seat selection on any operator, so no disavantage there either (indeed for a through journey on multiple operators, LNER will only let you select the seat on the LNER portion!)

This is about accidently travelling with the wrong ticket and being sold one on board. I generally use trainsplit sites then buy direct with no fees.

yorkie · 20 Jun 2026

joeneat said:
This is about accidently travelling with the wrong ticket and being sold one on board.

Ok but you were sold the cheaper fare on board.

The higher fares from Newcastle are the "simpler" ones that the tail industry and Government wants to charge people all over the country in future, if the trial is deemed a "success". See other threads.

joeneat said:
I generally use trainsplit sites then buy direct with no fees.

This isn't acceptable to use Trainsplit to do the research for you and then book with LNER. Please do not do this.

It's also absolutely no cheaper to buy the same tickets on LNER than it is to buy from Trainsplit. If you search separately for each part of the journey then the overall price paid will be the same as Trainsplit does not charge a booking fee.

If you don't want to pay the share of saving fee, that's fair enough but please search for each ticket individually on the site you found it.

Anything else would be underhand and only encourages LNER to continue their behaviour of overcharging people.

If too many people do this, it will put such sites out of business and everyone will lose out (apart from LNER, who would love it if such sites ceased to exist as they undercut their high fares)

joeneat · 20 Jun 2026

yorkie said:
Ok but you were sold the cheaper fare on board.

The higher fares from Newcastle are the "simpler" ones that the tail industry and Government wants to charge people all over the country in future, if the trial is deemed a "success". See other threads.

This isn't acceptable to use Trainsplit to do the research for you and then book with LNER. Please do not do this.

It's also absolutely no cheaper to buy the same tickets on LNER than it is to buy from Trainsplit. If you search separately for each part of the journey then the overall price paid will be the same as Trainsplit does not charge a booking fee.

If you don't want to pay the share of saving fee, that's fair enough but please search for each ticket individually on the site you found it.

Anything else would be underhand and only encourages LNER to continue their behaviour of overcharging people.

If too many people do this, it will put such sites out of business and everyone will lose out (apart from LNER, who would love it if such sites ceased to exist as they undercut their high fa

Fair enough. re train split. Just pointing out the price pisparity

yorkie · 20 Jun 2026

joeneat said:
Fair enough. re train split. Just pointing out the price pisparity

Ok I hope you now understand why it's so important to use and support such sites.

And also why this unfair fares trial should be stopped and not expanded.

Sadly highly paid, free pass holding consultants are desperately trying to facilitate the abolishment of regulated fares, such as the one you were sold.

joeneat said:
Thanks I had no idea about fake fares,

They aren't fake fares; I think the other poster meant the claim they are "simple" and/or what customers desire, is fake.

joeneat said:
Newcastle Durham 108.90 for 14 miles must be one one of the most expensive fares out there.

That's not a fare at all.

Failed Unit · 21 Jun 2026

The only thing we need to be careful with is that everyone splits at Durham and by popular demand it gets added to the train.

It is definitely a cat and mouse games as the popular splitting points get removed.

I was nearly caught out by the unfair train last week. Trying to figure out which station in London I need to at to get a super-off peak to halve the fare.

Fawkes Cat · 21 Jun 2026

joeneat said:
I generally use trainsplit sites then buy direct with no fees

yorkie said:
This isn't acceptable to use Trainsplit to do the research for you and then book with LNER. Please do not do this.

This response perhaps needs a little expansion. As I understand it, the retailer (Trainsplit in this case) incurs costs in calculating a split ticket - not just the cost of running their computer program, but from whoever holds the ticketing data charging for access to the data. If the split ticket enquiry proceeds to a sale, then the cost of the enquiry is covered by the commission and/or the 15% of the saving that's retained. But otherwise it's a loss to Trainsplit.

yorkie · 21 Jun 2026

Fawkes Cat said:
This response perhaps needs a little expansion. As I understand it, the retailer (Trainsplit in this case) incurs costs in calculating a split ticket - not just the cost of running their computer program, but from whoever holds the ticketing data charging for access to the data. If the split ticket enquiry proceeds to a sale, then the cost of the enquiry is covered by the commission and/or the 15% of the saving that's retained. But otherwise it's a loss to Trainsplit.

Retailers incur costs even if you don't make a purchase and simply use them to search.

gembercannelle · 21 Jun 2026

@yorkie I have tried to raise this issue before but didn't get much attention. Do you maybe know why forum ticketing website does not find London to Edinburgh tickets/fares that are readily available from Transport for Wales? For instance, Sunday 26 July: London Kings Cross 14:36 London North Eastern 16:49 Leeds; then Leeds 17:10 CrossCountry 20:10 Edinburgh, as advance single.

yorkie · 21 Jun 2026

gembercannelle said:
@yorkie I have tried to raise this issue before but didn't get much attention. Do you maybe know why forum ticketing website does not find London to Edinburgh tickets/fares that are readily available from Transport for Wales? For instance, Sunday 26 July: London Kings Cross 14:36 London North Eastern 16:49 Leeds; then Leeds 17:10 CrossCountry 20:10 Edinburgh, as advance single.

I've not seen this, but please either create a new thread (and tag me in) or use the Trainsplit thread, and also, please include a search link. I will take a look this evening.

gembercannelle · 21 Jun 2026

yorkie said:
I've not seen this, but please either create a new thread (and tag me in) or use the Trainsplit thread, and also, please include a search link. I will take a look this evening.

The thread I created is here https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/london-to-edinburgh-sunday-july-12.302926/#post-7809303

I am not sure how to create a search link.

Transport for Wales:

Forum website around the same time:

Maybe this is the link: https://tickets.railforums.co.uk/re...&OutboundTime=13:15&Adults=1&OpenReturn=false

Haywain · 21 Jun 2026

gembercannelle said:
I have tried to raise this issue before but didn't get much attention. Do you maybe know why forum ticketing website does not find London to Edinburgh tickets/fares that are readily available from Transport for Wales? For instance, Sunday 26 July: London Kings Cross 14:36 London North Eastern 16:49 Leeds; then Leeds 17:10 CrossCountry 20:10 Edinburgh, as advance single.

You can get the result by setting change at Leeds and maximum of 1 change in the search options. The same fare then surfaces.

gembercannelle · 22 Jun 2026

Haywain said:
You can get the result by setting change at Leeds and maximum of 1 change in the search options. The same fare then surfaces.

How does one suppose to know they have to set change at Leeds to get this fairly sensible and well-priced option? :rolleyes:

LNER charge 91.90 from Durham to London, and 200.80 for the same train from Newcastle

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