Loco2 Reveals Secrets of Booking Cheap Train Fares in UK and Europe

Loco2 (https://loco2.com), the search engine for train tickets, has created a simple, powerful infographic to serve as a guide to booking the cheapest fares in the UK and Europe.

Loco2 crunched the data from 400,000 searches carried out on its booking platform this summer* to highlight the trends that affect prices and reveal to travellers how to find the lowest fares.

The infographic compares journeys across the Continent to see if there's any truth to the claim that the UK has Europe's most expensive train tickets. It shows that while UK travellers are stung by the highest walk-up fares, UK Advance fares are comparable to the cheapest fares on mainland Europe.

The analysis also digs into the data behind soundbites from other companies, such as “save 43% by booking in advance”. While this claim was found to be an accurate estimate of the potential saving, Loco2 warns that these savings are available on all UK rail-booking sites – no company can discount tickets more than the rail operators themselves – so travellers should try to avoid paying booking fees.

Loco2 combined the findings with its deep knowledge of rail to reveal useful tips and tricks. For example, to find the very cheapest tickets, the key is to know when to book. The infographic neatly explains the booking windows for different international rail operators, and shows how Wednesday is the cheapest day to travel. It also gives the best days and times to bag a Eurostar ticket for less than £50 – with Wednesday afternoon being the ideal time to travel.

Train travellers can discover the cheapest price for thousands of other popular journeys on Loco2. The data that feeds the infographic is drawn from thousands of journey searches performed daily by its users with the cheapest fares regularly harvested and displayed on its comprehensive destination guides.

Visit the website at loco2.com or download the free mobile app, available for iOS orAndroid. Follow Loco2 on Twitter @loco2 and on Facebook atfacebook.com/loco2.com

Contact Traveltappers for JPEGS of the full infographic and individual section slides. For further information, hi-res images, to enquire about press trips and to arrange interviews with Loco2's founders, Kate and Jamie Andrews, please email:travelnews@traveltappers.co.uk. Alternatively, contact Kate Simon on 07939 526109 and kate@traveltappers.co.uk or Simone Kane on 07811 161839 andsimone@traveltappers.co.uk. Traveltappers is a trading name of Little Black Book Creative Ltd.

Notes to editors:

Loco2 is a search engine for train tickets. Its simple, fast booking platform enables users to buy train tickets for the UK and across Europe.

The site was launched in 2012 by a small team of passionate train travellers, led by brother and sister Jamie and Kate Andrews. Loco2 also means “low CO2” – by simplifying the booking process, Loco2 helps travellers ditch the plane and opt for a lower-carbon journey by train.

*Analysis is based on a sample of 393,915 searches carried out from 16 June to 16 September 2016. Price data was accurate at the time of publication but may be subject to change.

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