CrossCountry welcomes ‘Advance on the Day’ trial

CrossCountry, part of leading transport group Arriva, has welcomed the Department for Transport's announcement that the train company will lead a trial which will see Advance train tickets for sale on the day of travel.

This initiative, which was part of the Department for Transport's Rail Fares and Ticketing Review, will see CrossCountry introduce across all its longer distance routes the opportunity for passengers to buy discounted 'Advance' tickets as close as 10 minutes before their train departs. 

Starting 13 October 2013, the trial has been made possible through CrossCountry's introduction of ground-breaking technology to the British rail industry representing some £1 million investment in technology by the train company.

Using its website and Train Tickets App for mobile phones, discounted 'Advance' tickets, currently only for sale until the day before travel, will be available for longer, offering passengers more opportunities to make savings on their rail travel.

This innovative and unique solution is an expansion of CrossCountry's existing industry-leading initiative which offers passengers the option to reserve a seat up to 10 minutes before a train departure anywhere on a CrossCountry journey.

CrossCountry will work with the Department for Transport and industry watchdog Passenger Focus to demonstrate the benefits to customers of expanding this pioneering 'Advance on the Day' concept, and with the wider rail industry on its potential adoption by other train operators.

Andy Cooper, CrossCountry's managing director, said: "Advance on the day is great news for our customers.

"Previously we had only been able to offer the full fare on the day, even on trains where we knew there were spare seats and wanted to encourage people to travel. Being able to offer these cheaper fares right up to the train's departure anywhere on our longer distance journeys will help customers during these difficult economic times, and help the industry by ensuring that all available seats can be offered at the best price possible."

Notes to editors

The CrossCountry network is the most extensive passenger rail franchise in Britain. Stretching from Aberdeen to Penzance, and from Stansted to Cardiff, it calls at over 100 stations. Based in Birmingham, CrossCountry connects seven of the Britain's 10 largest cities and delivers 295 services every weekday, equating to some 32 million passenger journeys a year.

Examples of possible savings* using 'Advance on the Day' include:

* All prices quoted are Standard fares

**Advance on the Day prices quoted subject to availability

'Advance' tickets are discounted quota-controlled fares designed to encourage customers to travel on services where spare capacity is available and are a key factor in the growth in passenger journeys on Britain's railways. The allocation of 'Advance' tickets on each train is closely controlled to account for expected demand and these tickets can be purchased up to 12 weeks before a train's departure. Customers are still advised to book their journeys as far in advance as possible to secure the best price, as once the allocation has been exhausted then only full priced tickets can be purchased. 'Advance on the Day' tickets are available on all longer distance direct journeys using only CrossCountry services and where allocation remains, and only by booking through CrossCountry's mobile App or call centre, or at www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk.

CrossCountry

CrossCountry started operating on 11 November 2007. The franchise, which is the most extensive in the UK, will run until 31 March 2016. For further information on CrossCountry services and future franchise plans log on to crosscountrytrains.co.uk.

CrossCountry is part of the Arriva group, which is owned by Deutsche Bahn. Arriva is a leading pan-European public transport operators with more than 42,000 employees and operations across 12 European countries. The link to Arriva is www.arriva.co.uk. The link to Deutsche Bahn is deutschebahn.com.

Like CrossCountry on Facebook at facebook.com/crosscountrytrains.

Follow CrossCountry on Twitter via twitter.com/crosscountryuk.

CrossCountry bookings

Passengers can buy tickets for any rail journey in Britain, with any train company and with no booking fee at crosscountrytrains.co.uk or via the free CrossCountry Train Tickets app.Download the app by visiting your app store or by texting TRAVEL to 87080.

CrossCountry facts and figures

STATIONS SERVED: 119
ROUTE MILES: 1,490
WEEKDAY SERVICES: 295
PASSENGERS CARRIED: Over 30 million passenger journeys a year anticipated
ANNUAL TRAIN MILEAGE: Approximately 16 million
EMPLOYEES: Approximately 1,600
LONGEST TRAIN SERVICE: 08.20 Aberdeen to Penzance (774 miles)

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Contact Information

CrossCountry Press Office: [email protected]

About CrossCountry

CrossCountry is a long-distance passenger train operator, with a network stretching from Aberdeen to Penzance and from Stansted to Cardiff and calling at over 100 stations. Based in Birmingham, CrossCountry connects seven of Britain’s 10 largest cities and delivers 240 services every weekday, equating to over 42 million passenger journeys each year.

For further information on CrossCountry services, visit crosscountrytrains.co.uk or visit one of our social media platforms via X @crosscountryuk or Facebook at facebook.com/crosscountrytrains