Finding the Cheapest Train Fare

For my sins, I travel from Durham to London and back by train every week. As far as I know the cheapest way for me to do this is to buy GNER Advance tickets as soon as they are released (usually about 3 months ahead). The user interfaces for all of the train booking sites are painful, so I’ve been playing around with automating my ticket booking procedure.

I’ll let you know how I get on.

In the meantime I noticed a comment on my article about the plethora of train tickets…

It is unbelievable there are so many. Just wish there were as many people who would help you find the cheapest ticket for your journey!

So I thought people might be interested to read this excerpt I read in an article on Martin Lewis’ excellent MoneySavingExpert website

Is there an automated system that does this for you?

Not at the moment. Yet this article is so popular, I’m exploring creating a free automated Train Ticket Calculator with live info to calculate the cheapest tickets for you. It’s actually so complex it needs a research mathematician to build the algorithms to get it automated; but we’re getting there. If you’re interested, keep up to date via the weekly email.

You’ve got to love the fact that it needs a research mathematician to build the algorithms.

Now here’s a crazy thought – why not simplify the system of tickets?

Maybe it’s time to write to my MP.