A furious passenger has suggested a wild solution for those wanting to travel by train between London and Manchester.
Trips from the capital to Manchester can rise to eye-watering sums according to a Trainline screenshot shared on X, where tickets were seen at prices as high as £369.40.
The sum has led some to suggest a “cheaper” way of making the trip as people slam “out of control” train ticket prices.
Taking to X with their bright idea, user @Cole00004 suggested that, instead of purchasing a train ticket, you could buy a cheap car and dump it at your destination instead.
He wrote: “At this point it’s cheaper to buy a banger, drive it and abandon it, each trip.”
Some X users figured they could get a cheaper flight than the prices shown. One said: “It’s absolutely insane how expensive trains there are unless you book three months in advance. It’s literally like £25 to fly from London to Manchester so everybody does. It’s absurd.”
Another joked the astronomical price would still leave you “without a seat”, while others said they had encountered similar pricey problems. One user said: “Four of us looked at a return trip for a meeting and it was cheaper to hire a limo door to door.”
It was not only old bangers and door-to-door limos that could get you from London to Manchester cheaper, as some Uber trips appeared better priced. “It’s also cheaper to get an Uber from South West London to Manchester Piccadilly than to get the train at peak times,” one person claimed.
It’s worth noting that at the time of writing (October 17) train tickets from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly are available at between £32 to £76 at various times for the rest of this week.
A spokesperson for Avanti West Coast said: “Most customers take advantage of our lower cost Advance fares, with a single journey between Manchester and London starting at £32 that can be purchased for peak time trains too. We want to help people find the best value tickets for their needs, which is why we introduced our award-winning Superfare ticket that offers those who can be flexible with their plans a one-way journey between Manchester and the capital for just £20.”