Families facing the financial strain of summer school holidays are set for some welcome relief with significantly discounted rail fares now available across Britain's publicly owned train services. At least one operator is offering child fares as low as £1, making a day out at a fraction of the usual cost.
The discounts, part of the government's 'Great British Summer Savings' initiative, cover various operators, including Southeastern, where children under 16 can travel off-peak for just £1. C2c and GTR (operating Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern, and Gatwick Express) continue their 'Kids for £2' return deal for off-peak weekend and school holiday travel, while Greater Anglia offers selected £2 tickets for children.
Operators are not just focusing on child fares; some have family-friendly deals that cover up to two adults and four children. For instance, LNER and Northern offer discounted family tickets with reported average savings of 77%. WM Trains has a summer deal allowing travel from Birmingham to London for as little as £22. TransPennine Express enhances the journey experience by providing free 'All Aboard' activity books for younger passengers and offers rail customers deals like 2-for-1 entry to Scarborough Castle and a third off entry to Edinburgh Dungeon and Legoland Manchester.
The new measures complement broader government efforts to reduce travel costs. Rail fares are frozen until March 2027, an estimated £600 million saving for passengers. Children can also travel free on buses throughout August 2026, with a £2 single bus fare cap set to be implemented across England (excluding London) from January 2027.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander stated, "We know that the cost of living and weighing up whether you can have a day out is a real worry for families. That's why we're cutting the cost of making memories with deals on train journeys across all services in public ownership." She underlined that these discounts are part of a broader plan to create a fairer, more affordable railway network.