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Travel by train for £1 By Brandon Gee
It's not just no-frills airlines that are slashing the cost of travel. After a successful pilot scheme by South West Trains, train firms are expected to begin offering tickets for as little as £1 on some services, mimicking the pricing strategies
Under its Megatrain scheme, South West Trains has been selling tickets for as little as £1, plus a 50p internet booking fee, to fill otherwise empty seats on its trains. For example, a £1 ticket could be purchased for the 5.20am London Waterloo to Portsmouth journey, while the normal single off-peak journey costs £23. South West Trains' parent company, Stagecoach Group, modelled Megatrain on Megabus, the low-cost coach service it launched three years ago. But while the Megatrain pilot scheme has been deemed successful, existing price-control rules will need to be relaxed if the practice is to become standard. Under current restrictions, the low-cost fares can only be offered through temporary, special promotions.
However, there is a concern that the relaxation of pricing rules could encourage train operators to raise prices on their most popular services.
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