NORTHERN is encouraging commuters in the north west to switch from driving to taking the train as they could save hundreds of pounds a year.
According to the train operator’s data, commuters who choose to take the train could reduce the cost of their daily journey to work by up to 24 per cent.
For customers with an annual season ticket travelling from Chester to Manchester, taking the train costs £14.06 compared to £18.40 when driving.
This is a saving of £4.35 a day and a whopping £938.65 a year.
Other routes such as Blackburn to Manchester, offer a saving of 20% when taking the train instead of driving and travelling from Bolton to Manchester would mean a saving of 23%.
Chris Jackson, regional director at Northern, said: “As the cost of fuel continues to rise, it’s important that commuters understand the savings they can make by switching to the train. Not only is it a more affordable option, but it’s also better for the environment, with each train journey helping to reduce congestion and air pollution on our roads.”
Commuters who switch to taking the train can also enjoy additional benefits such as increased productivity, reduced stress, and the ability to avoid traffic jams and parking fees.
To make train travel even more affordable, a Northern Season ticket represents the biggest discount and unlimited journeys between two named stations. Now available as Barcode ticket, it makes it even easier to renew and travel with.
For customers who travel less frequently, Northern offers flexi season tickets, which offer any eight days travel in a 28-day window.
Commuters can find out more about the cost savings they can make by switching to taking the train here
It is all about performance and reliability.
Northern figures state, ‘ The percentage of trains On Time between April 2021 and March 2022 was 67.0% compared with 76.3% in the previous year’. If you need a connection then those stats are exceptionally worrying verging on appaling!
On top of that Northern cancel 3.3% of their trains.
The main operator through Greenfield have a very concerning level of performance (or lack of). ‘ Rail franchise Transpennine Express (TPE) cancelled 1,048 trains the night before they were due to run in the four weeks to 4 February, according to the Office of Road and Rail (ORR).’
So yes, the idea of travelling by train is exciting, but given the current state of affairs, totally unreliable. We are planning travelling to London in a couple of weeks. In the past train has always been our preferred mode tof transport, but given the current shambles, we just cannot rely on Northern. TransPennine, Avanti.
Dreadful state of affairs!
If you love playing a Russian Roulette with train cancellations then travelling by rail is definitely for you.
All good and well saying that but look at the reliability performance of the trains!!!