Title: BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | 10 legit ways to get cheaper rail fares
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Content: If you buy a GNER-only first single it is £31.50 and if you buy a Virgin-only first single it is £29. So with Virgin both ways, it's £58, saving £28. Even if you travel GNER, it's still only £63. 10. LONDON-MANCHESTER FIRST CLASS
Very few savings can be made in first class as the cheaper short-distance fares don't exist, but to show how crazy the current system has become, take this example. A first class open return from London Euston to Manchester is £337 for 185 miles each way. But a first open return to Falkirk - yes, in Scotland - is £320. This is because West Coast fares are priced by Virgin. London-Manchester is £337 return, and £355 London-Glasgow. BUT London-Falkirk is priced by GNER who have cheaper fares - and yet fares from London to Falkirk are available via either the West or the East Coast routes.