Thanks to a bank holiday offer, you’ll be able to explore Wales for less than the price of a cup of coffee.
To promote it’s Pay As You Go (PAYG) system, Transport for Wales (TfW) have slashed the price of train travel to just £1 one way.
Given the announcement that rail fares are set to rise in England by 5.8% next year, it’s welcome to those both living in, and visiting, Wales.
From August 19 to August 28, the £1 tickets are available for travel at any station where passengers tap in and out.
This means that 95 stations (all of which are in the southeast) across the TfW network are taking part, including all stops on the Valleys lines, as well as routes to Bridgend, Maesteg, the Vale of Glamorgan, Abergavenny, and Chepstow.
This £1 per single journey promotion is exclusively available to passengers using PAYG, and excludes all other ticket types.
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While the savings aren’t massive, they’ll soon add up, especially if you’re commuting around the southeast.
For example, a single fare from Abergavenny to Cardiff Central usually costs £4.20, so you’re saving £3.20 per day, one way. If you do that journey five days a week for a month, both ways, that’s a saving of £128.
Alexia Course, TfW chief commercial officer said: ‘Our PAYG service offers our customers the fastest, easiest and cheapest way to travel on our network, with the added flexibility of being able to tap in and tap out.
‘Since launching last year, PAYG has become our fastest selling ticketing product. Through this exclusive and time-limited summer campaign, we’re offering customers the ability to travel between any of our PAYG-enabled stations for just £1 per single journey.’
And, for those travellers in north Wales wondering where their cheap tickets are, cabinet secretary for transport and North Wales, Ken Skates, said: ‘With the introduction of PAYG across North Wales coming soon, more and more people will get the opportunity to benefit from cheaper fares.’
Alexia added: ‘Whilst this ticketing method is currently exclusive to South Wales for the moment, we are excited to be exploring how we can roll it out across North Wales as a part of the Network North Wales project.’
It’s not the first big announcement from TfW this year. Back in April, it was revealed that a £1,000,000,000 ‘Welsh Tube’ would be coming to the country, spanning a staggering 105 miles.
The six core lines will connect the Welsh capital to the likes of Aberdare, Coryton, Merthyr, Tydfil, Rhymney and Treherbert.
However, it’s not without controversy. Metro readers shared their takes on the ambitious project, and opinion was split down the middle.
While some thought it was a ‘brilliant idea’ others claimed that the ‘rest of Wales [is] ignored yet again.’
Helen Peely Jones Irving explained: ‘Far more important is a train from Carmarthen to Aberystwyth so you do not have to travel to England to go from South Wales to North Wales, but as usual anywhere after Swansea does not count as Wales.’
Travel by train like a VIP
If you’re a fan of rail journeys – but you like to luxe life – there are plenty of options out there for you.
- Metro recently boarded the luxury Pullman, for a trip back in time. While tickets for the famous train often come with a hefty price tag, this summer, you can take a ride and tuck into a three-course lunch — all for £10, as part of their Grape British Railway experience
- Want to romanticise your commute? One of the UK’s busiest commuter trains is bringing back first class travel, with WiFi, faster internet and improved storage — but no free snacks.
- Okay, this train itself might not be boujee, but we reckon enjoying a mini safari from your seat is pretty A-list. If you hop on board a train at London’s Liverpool St and go to Norwich, you’ll be able to spot some polar bears along the way.
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