Latest news with #trainfares
Arab News
3 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan Railways offers major discount in train fares on Eid Al-Adha
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways has announced a major discount in train fares during three days of Eid Al-Adha besides running five special trains ahead of the festival, Pakistani state media reported on Monday, citing the railways minister. Eid Al-Adha is one of the two most important festivals of the Islamic calendar. Muslims mark the festival by slaughtering animals such as sheep and goats, and sharing their meat among family, friends and the poor. The Pakistani government has announced a four-day holiday on Eid Al-Adha from June 6 till June 9, and hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis will be traveling to their hometowns to celebrate the occasion among their loved ones. 'Pakistan Railways will… offer a 20 percent discount on fares during the three days of Eid-ul-Azha,' the Pakistan Television (PTV) reported on Monday, citing Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi. The announcement came hours after the first Eid special train left the southern port city of Karachi for Lahore on Monday. The second train will leave Quetta for Peshawar at 10am today, Tuesday, while the third will leave from Lahore to Karachi via Multan at 5pm. The fourth train will depart from Karachi to Rawalpindi at 8pm on Tuesday, while the last special train will leave Karachi for Lahore at 8pm on June 4. Abbasi shared that the department's revenue had reached Rs83 billion ($294 million) due to improved operations over the last four months, according to the broadcaster. He said a new passenger train will operate between Punjab's Lahore and Narowal district, starting June 15.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man saves £70 on train by flying from Manchester to London via Iceland
A frustrated commuter claims he saved £70 on 'ridiculous' train fares by flying to London from Manchester via Iceland. Muscab Salad was on his way home to London after a trip to Manchester when he discovered the return train back to the capital was a whooping £130. The 32-year-old said he found the price 'ridiculous' so went looking up other options there could be. Muscab discovered he could get a £21 Jet2 flight to Keflavík in Iceland, where he spent 18 hours sightseeing and exploring the city. The content creator said he also visited a thermal bath and spoke to the locals while walking around the city (Image: Kennedy News and Media) The savvy traveller said he took a £36 Play flight back to London the same evening, with the whole trip costing him a total of £57. As well as saving himself £75, he claims flying through Iceland was a bonus as he always wanted to visit. In his viral online video documenting his trip, Muscab is seen enjoying a hot chocolate in the Icelandic town before he is off to try the country's national dish, Hákarl. The content creator said he also visited a thermal bath and spoke to the locals while walking around the city. In his viral video, Muscab said: "I definitely recommend day trips, do it more, F the trains." Muscab, from London, said: "I was in Manchester and needed to get back to London. [Going via Iceland] was so much cheaper. "I wanted to go to Iceland at some point so I thought I might as well do the flight route back. "I saw the price of the tickets and got the idea, it was £130 because it's more expensive in the morning. "I went in the morning and I came back in the early morning the next day. "I needed to be in London by afternoon so I had time. In total the flight was £57. "I flew there and back with budget airlines, it was literally half the price. It just makes more sense, it was so much cheaper. "I went around the town. I had the food there, I spoke to random people. It was just a fun day out, it wasn't like a full holiday. "I went to a thermal bath and had the national dish which is fermented shark. It was better than I expected." Muscab claims the price of trains in the UK is not justified and that it is too expensive compared to European countries. The traveller said he would do a similar trip again instead of paying for the train and would recommend it to others looking to explore other cities. Muscab said: "Train tickets in the UK are expensive, I feel like everyone knows that. Even if you book in advance it's still expensive, it's still cheaper to fly. "It's cheaper to meet up in Spain than meet up in Manchester, that's how ridiculous it have the most expensive trains in Europe, it's not justified. "I would 100% do it again. Seeing another country is not a bad thing, it's a bonus. "I'm happy I got to experience Iceland. I recommend that people travel, it's a lot cheaper than people think." Commenters on Muscab's video have expressed their frustration over UK rail prices, while others pointed out it would have been cheaper to take a coach. One commenter said: "Something needs to be done about the trains in the UK. It's ridiculous." Another said: "So it's cheaper to go out of the UK than to get to another city in the UK." Another said: "£130 for a train is wild." One commented: "Coach is a tenner, probably quicker than multiple flights and no need to go through security multiple times." Another commented: "I would have just booked a coach."
The Independent
12-05-2025
- The Independent
Flying from Manchester to London via Iceland is cheaper than getting the train, TikToker reveals
As train fares soar in the UK, travellers are looking to save money with alternative transport methods and rail workarounds, such as the ' Didcot dodge ' to avoid paying full price for travel. One social media user has taken it a step further, flying from Manchester to London via Iceland to swerve a £130 train fare between the UK cities. TikToker Muscab (@muscab_salad) shared a video of his travels with the caption: 'Can Iceland be a day trip, that's cheaper than a train from Manchester to London?' Muscab booked a £21 flight from Manchester to Keflavik, Iceland, followed by a flight from Iceland to London Stansted for just £36. He said that the £57 journey connecting London and Manchester saved £94 when compared to the price of the train fare. The 'easy' 24-hour day trip to Iceland included a hot chocolate in Reykjavik, sightseeing and trying the national dish, hákarl (fermented shark meat), before heading back to the airport. Muscab said: 'London to Manchester is like a two-and-a-half-hour train, if I'm flying from London to Iceland, it's only three hours, there's no difference in my opinion.' According to the TikToker, flying 'sometimes is just as easy as going on a train'. He added: 'Overall, I think Iceland is an easy day trip because I've seen a lot today. 'I definitely recommend day trips in other countries, do it more.' The video has been viewed 514,000 times since it was posted last Wednesday, but not all social media users were convinced by the TikToker's creative route home. One wrote: 'With all the fuss, I could have just taken a coach to Victoria station for £25 and called it a day!' 'Coach is a tenner, probably quicker than multiple flights and no need to go through security multiple times,' commented another. Several were shocked by the 'outrageous' train prices. A TikTok user said: 'The fact that flying to Iceland then to London is cheaper than a direct train is outrageous, I wish people protested against this train prices are ridiculous in the UK, we're getting scammed.'
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Frustrated passenger saved £70 on a train trip from Manchester to London by flying via Iceland instead
A frustrated passenger says he saved £70 on 'ridiculous' train fares from Manchester to London by flying via Iceland. Muscab Salad, 32, was on his way home to London when he discovered the return train back to the capital was £130. Shocked at the 'ridiculous' price, he began searching for alternative travel arrangements - and found he could fly to Keflavík in Iceland with Jet2 for just £21. Once there, Mr Salad, from west London, spent 18 hours sightseeing and exploring the city. He then took a £36 flight back to London the same evening, with the whole trip costing him a total of £57. As well as saving £75, Mr Salad told how flying through Iceland was a bonus as he has always wanted to visit. In his viral online video documenting his trip, he is seen enjoying a hot chocolate in the Icelandic town before he is off to try the country's national dish, Hákarl. The content creator said he also visited a thermal bath and spoke to locals while walking around the city. That's why he's gone to Iceland: Mr Salad took a huge detour to avoid overpriced train tickets - instead flying to Keflavík for £21 In his viral video, Mr Salad said: 'I definitely recommend day trips, do it more, f*** the trains.' He continued: 'I was in Manchester and needed to get back to London. [Going via Iceland] was so much cheaper. 'I wanted to go to Iceland at some point so I thought I might as well do the flight route back. 'I saw the price of the tickets and got the idea, it was £130 because it's more expensive in the morning. 'I went in the morning and I came back in the early morning the next day. 'I needed to be in London by afternoon so I had time. In total the flight was £57. 'I flew there and back with budget airlines, it was literally half the price. It just makes more sense, it was so much cheaper. 'I went around the town. I had the food there, I spoke to random people. It was just a fun day out, it wasn't like a full holiday. 'I went to a thermal bath and had the national dish which is fermented shark. It was better than I expected.' Mr Salad claims the price of trains in the UK is not justified and that it is too expensive compared to European countries. The traveller said he would do a similar trip again instead of paying for the train and would recommend it to others looking to explore other cities. He said: 'Train tickets in the UK are expensive, I feel like everyone knows that. Even if you book in advance it's still expensive, it's still cheaper to fly. 'It's cheaper to meet up in Spain than meet up in Manchester, that's how ridiculous it is. We have the most expensive trains in Europe, it's not justified. 'I would 100 percent do it again. Seeing another country is not a bad thing, it's a bonus.
Telegraph
06-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
John Swinney scraps peak-time rail fares in Scotland
Peak-time train fares are to be scrapped in Scotland, John Swinney has announced as he attempted to woo voters ahead of next year's Holyrood election. The First Minister said the practice of charging much higher fares at the busiest commuter times would end on the nationalised ScotRail network on Sept 1. Unveiling his Programme for Government (PfG) covering the 12 months preceding the May 2026 election, he argued the move would encourage train travel and put 'more money in people's pockets'. Among the other plans unveiled in the PfG, the speech used to open the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, was the publication of a 'further paper setting out the economic benefits that independence can bring for Scotland'. Mr Swinney also announced that a ban on drinking alcohol on ScotRail services would be scrapped, saying it was 'counterproductive and ineffective', despite the SNP having maintained it since the pandemic. Trade unions and the Scottish Greens welcomed the move. Peak-time fares cover tickets bought before 9.15am on weekdays and certain services between 4.42pm and 6.30pm. An anytime day return between Glasgow and Edinburgh currently costs £32.60, while an off-peak ticket costs £16.60. Scots not switching to rail Mr Swinney's announcement came only months after a trial allowing customers to travel all day on off-peak fares failed to encourage Scots to swap their cars for rail. Peak fares were temporarily scrapped in October 2023 but SNP ministers chose not to continue the scheme after an official analysis found only a 'limited increase' in the number of passengers. It concluded the pilot 'did not achieve its aims of encouraging a significant modal shift from car to rail' and peak fares were reintroduced last September. The policy was estimated to cost the taxpayer between £25 million and £40 million per year, while reducing Scotland's greenhouse gas emissions from cars by less than 0.1 per cent. In a statement in the Scottish Parliament, Mr Swinney said that his Government had taken the 'difficult decision' to axe the pilot scheme 'in the face of severe budget pressures'. 'But now, given the work we have done to get Scotland's finances in a stronger position, and hearing also the calls from commuters, from climate activists and from the business community, I can confirm that from Sept 1 this year, peak rail fares in Scotland will be scrapped for good,' he said. 'A better deal for people' Mr Swinney said the decision 'will put more money in people's pockets' and will mean ' less CO2 is pumped into our skies '. 'Once again, tens of thousands of Scots saving money. Once again, a better deal for people because they live in Scotland,' he continued. An accompanying document said that the alcohol ban on trains, described as the 'last legacy of Covid restrictions', would be scrapped. It said the ban would be replaced by 'new regulations that focus restrictions more effectively on particular times and locations'. Mr Swinney, Russell Findlay, the leader of the Scottish Tories, Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, will all give keynote speeches on Wednesday to mark a year until the Holyrood election on May 7 next year. Mr Findlay said: 'This flimsy Programme for Government is just more of the same from the SNP and will do little to restore public trust. No wonder that so many of their MSPs couldn't be bothered to turn up to hear it. 'John Swinney is the politician who has failed to deliver for the past 18 years, the politician who has wasted more public money than anyone else, the politician who is now desperately trying to clear up his own mess.'
