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Government-backed train ticket website set to shake up the market — but not until 2026

January 23, 2025

A new government-backed train ticket retailer is to be launched online, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced, with the aim of consolidating UK rail fares into a single digital platform.

However, the service will only go live once Great British Railways (GBR) — the new body charged with running the UK’s rail network — is established, which the government has said is unlikely before late 2026.

The DfT said the new website would bring existing online sales for each train operator together under one roof and is intended to work “alongside a thriving private sector retail market”. Key private companies including Trainline, RailEurope and TrainPal will continue selling tickets, with the government pledging to maintain “an open and fair” environment.

Private ticket sellers have faced criticism in the past for “drip pricing”, adding extra charges once customers start booking, prompting concern from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). The new service will aim to eliminate such opaque fees and introduce further transparency for rail passengers.

Although the platform was initially proposed in 2021, it was shelved later that year, largely due to the government’s reassurances about the importance of private sector innovation. Shares in Trainline, a leading online ticket firm with roughly 18 million customers, tumbled by almost 7 per cent on the news. The value of the company also suffered in 2021 when Grant Shapps, then transport secretary, first unveiled plans for a government-run retailer.

Jody Ford, Trainline’s chief executive, welcomed the pledge of a “competitive retail market”, while emphasising the benefits that private companies bring to consumers through technological development and user-friendly apps.

These moves follow the new Labour government’s confirmation in last summer’s King’s Speech that it would introduce a railways bill. The legislation will establish Great British Railways, which will centralise both track and train services. The DfT says the new framework “will deliver on the government’s commitment to simplify the complex web of fares and tickets”, giving customers more clarity and convenience whether they book tickets online or offline.