LNER scrap off-peak fares on London-Edinburgh journeys as they expand Flex ticket trial

The ‘Simple Fares’ trial continues on routes between London towards Newcastle, Berwick and Edinburgh

LNER say that their trial is not about increasing prices (Getty Images)

London Northeastern Railway (LNER) is continuing its recently-introduced ticketing system for key intercity routes as they scrap “confusing” off-peak fares, making way for tickets priced depending on their flexibility.

The train operator has been trialling their new train tickets throughout the year on routes starting in London and ending in Newcastle, Berwick-upon-Tweed and Edinburgh, replacing the traditional ‘off-peak’ fares with different classifications.

In January, LNER introduced a new ‘semi-flexible’ ticket called the ‘70min Flex’ as part of their two-year-long trial, which allowed customers to travel on any LNER train up to 70 minutes before or after the exact timing on the initially booked journey.

On these select routes, off-peak and super-off-peak tickets were scrapped, but tickets could still be booked in advance, with the choice of adding flexibility with the ‘70min Flex’ tickets.

From yesterday (30 September), after nine months of trialling the new system, LNER has expanded its pilot to more local stations surrounding Edinburgh, Newcastle and Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Customers can now also use the ‘70min Flex’ ticket with other train operators in those areas, such as Northern, TransPennine Express, CrossCountry, ScotRail and the Tyne and Wear Metro.

After Monday, passengers will be able to flex their ticket between London and 27 stations, such as Heworth, Alnmouth and Edinburgh Airport, in both directions on their train journeys.

As part of the new phase of the pilot, two new fare options have been introduced. Passengers who travel on these routes will now be given three options, LNER’s managing director David Horne said was less “confusing” and more “simple”.

The ‘70min Flex’ will stay in place, with an often middling price, while ‘Fixed’ tickets will be available at the lowest fare but only valid for the booked train shown on the ticket.

The most expensive ticket will be the ‘Fully Flexible’ fare, which gives passengers the chance to travel at any time of the day on the route, similar to a traditional ‘Anytime’ ticket.

LNER says that the advantage of having the ‘70min Flex’ as an option on these routes is that it gives commuters a little bit more flexibility while being cheaper than an Anytime (fully flexible) ticket.

There are usually two trains each hour that connect Edinburgh and Newcastle with London, giving passengers a choice of five possible services: the originally booked train or the two immediately before or after it.

While the ‘70min Flex’ is not refundable, passengers can change their ticket time for an additional £10 if the new train falls outside the 70-minute window.

At the time of the flexible ticket launch in January, David Horne, the managing director at LNER, said that their operator “remains at the forefront of rail reform”.

“Simplifying fares is vital in making rail travel more attractive. Customers tell us they find fares confusing.

“This exciting new pilot is the next step in our plans to overhaul complicated and outdated ticketing options, and we look forward to hearing feedback from our customers.

“We believe that making fares simpler, smarter, and fairer, while introducing value for money and modern flexibility will encourage more people to choose to travel by rail, the most sustainable travel choice.”

However, not everyone has been impressed with the new way of buying tickets with the operator.

Mark Smith, the former British Rail manager who founded the Seat61.com international rail website, said in August: “The replacement is an inflexible, dynamically-priced Advance 70 Flex fare which is less flexible than the super off-peak fare it replaces and often more expensive.”

“And if you have to cancel your trip, you lose all your money as the new fare is non-refundable,” he added.

LNER believes that their ‘Simpler Fares’ trial is “industry-leading” and will improve and simplify ticketing, giving passengers clearer ticket options and “flexibility that matches the modern way we travel”.

Horne posted on X last week that the trial is not about increasing prices, but said that at least two-thirds of the ‘Fixed’ fares sold in a four-week period will cost less than half of the ‘Fully Flexible’ fare.

He added that almost 90 per cent of standard class ‘Fixed’ fares on the pilot routes are available cheaper than the old super-off peak fare.