Title: An insider's guide to cheap rail tickets | Travel | The Guardian
Headings: An insider's guide to cheap tickets
Travel
An insider's guide to cheap tickets
Patrick Barkham
@patrick_barkham
Six journeys, six tricks
Tactics

Content: There are, however, some smart routes through this maze of fares and price increases - routes that can save you money every time you take the train, and that horrible sensation: cheap seat envy. One tip is to start your journey on the internet. There are bargain tickets if you book in advance. Martin Lewis's www.moneysavingexpert.com website has some good suggestions, including checking National Rail's online promotions index and, if you're taking certain Virgin and South West Train routes, looking at megatrain.com to see if you can pick up a £1 ticket. Of course, there's nothing more frustrating than failing to get cheap offers if you have had the forethought to book in advance. According to public transport consultant Barry Doe, train companies are better than airlines in terms of the number of bargain seats. But, crucially, they are not obliged to provide cheap seats on every train. Look for a £10 single from Birmingham to London on a busy Friday train and you probably won't find one, even weeks in advance. It is difficult to know the best time to grab a cheap advance ticket, but train companies must set their timetables 12 weeks in advance and that is when cheap tickets are usually released, so searching exactly 12 weeks before your journey is one good tactic.