Cheapest possible fare in the UK...

[Chester27]

I need your help... does anyone know the cheapest Origin/Destination flow on the UK rail network?

My guess would be Ryde Pier Head > Ryde Esplanade

I'm just meaning a standard walk-up adult ticket, no child or other discounts

I'm sure there will be better informed folk out there.....

 

[dlj83]

I believe it’s Lichfield City to Lichfield Trent Valley

 

[MrJeeves]

I believe it’s Lichfield City to Lichfield Trent Valley

It is indeed

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I believe it’s Lichfield City to Lichfield Trent Valley

Anytime Day Single is £1.10.

Slightly surprising that, as it has to be at least a mile and a bit between the two stations, and there must be quite a few shorter distance, but more expensive, one station 'hops' out there.

 

[kacper]

you can get "free train transfer" tickets between Heathrow terminals for... free, but these are not "defined" fares

 

[Willie Bee]

Anytime Day Single is £1.10.

Slightly surprising that, as it has to be at least a mile and a bit between the two stations, and there must be quite a few shorter distance, but more expensive, one station 'hops' out there.

So a 5-minute journey is only £1.10

I was thinking about Manors to Newcastle, which is sometimes shown as being only a 2 minute journey, but the fare is £2.70

 

[AlterEgo]

Anytime Day Single is £1.10.

Slightly surprising that, as it has to be at least a mile and a bit between the two stations, and there must be quite a few shorter distance, but more expensive, one station 'hops' out there.

This one's a relic of "baskets" and regulated prices, I believe. Was kept the same or even deflated for years, I think.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Anytime Day Single is £1.10.

Slightly surprising that, as it has to be at least a mile and a bit between the two stations, and there must be quite a few shorter distance, but more expensive, one station 'hops' out there.

Some Merseyrail ones are under a kilometre but £2.40 seems to be the lowest (e.g. Aughton Park to Town Green).

 

[SteveM70]

I believe it’s Lichfield City to Lichfield Trent Valley

Anytime Day Single is £1.10.

Slightly surprising that, as it has to be at least a mile and a bit between the two stations, and there must be quite a few shorter distance, but more expensive, one station 'hops' out there.

Shame it isn't in Northernland, they'd offer cheap advances on it

 

[Incogcyclist79]

Looks like Lelant to Lelant Saltings is a contender. £1.00 for an adult Cheap Day single.

Look up fares for any train journey in Britain

Full details of all British rail Single, Return & Season tickets and Travelcards. Built-in Season Ticket Calculator.

www.brfares.com

 

[Alex365Dash]

Looks like Lelant to Lelant Saltings is a contender. £1.00 for an adult Cheap Day single.

Tied with an Evening Single / Sunday Single between Ryde St Johns Road and Ryde Esplanade, also for £1.

 

[MrJeeves]

Slightly surprising that, as it has to be at least a mile and a bit between the two stations, and there must be quite a few shorter distance, but more expensive, one station 'hops' out there.

Burgess Hill to Wivelsfield is £2.30

0.8 miles. 1 minute.

 

[davews]

Any Time Single Twickenham to St Margarets £3.80! Probably less than your 0.8 miles. Or do it on TFL contactless off peak for £2.80, who is robbing who?

 

[Billy Hicks]

Does this mean as recently as 2022 (or maybe 2021) there were still some fares available for under a pound? I seem to remember there were a few in the mid-2010s, possibly some of the examples above, but I’m not sure how gradually they increased in price after that.

 

[mikeb42]

Any Time Single Twickenham to St Margarets £3.80! Probably less than your 0.8 miles. Or do it on TFL contactless off peak for £2.80, who is robbing who?

Meanwhile, Birchgrove to Ty Glas (0m 17ch according to RailMiles - less than 1/4 of a mile) is a staggering £2.60. £12.24 per mile must be some kind of record, in an entirely bad way.

What seems an obvious candidate turns out to definitely not be a contender for the OP's query after all!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Golf Street to Barry Links is another £1.00 fare.


On a related note:

Is Ardrossan Town to Ardossan Harbour the cheapest seven day season ticket at £5.10?

 

[Shimbleshanks]

Purley to Chesham on my over-60s Oystercard - a grand total of £0.00 after 9.30am on a weekday, or any time at the weekend.

 

[Incogcyclist79]

Golf Street to Barry Links is another £1.00 fare.


On a related note:

Is Ardrossan Town to Ardossan Harbour the cheapest seven day season ticket at £5.10?

I've found this one which maybe hard to beat, Dockyard(DOC) to Devonport (DPT) is only £3.60 per week

 

[Deafdoggie]

Define fare?
Wedgwood to Barlaston was 80p on the bus last time I did it (I concede it has probably gone up now!) There is no train fare, but the bus is the train anyway.

 

[Hadders]

I've found this one which maybe hard to beat, Dockyard(DOC) to Devonport (DPT) is only £3.60 per week

That’s the cheapest season ticket. Although it’s outside the Gold Card but it could be useful for changeover purposes.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

Many years ago, I bought an annual season ticket from Manchester Oxford Road to Piccadilly for £36 which was 360 x the normal 10p fare. This allowed me to buy an Annual Season Ticket holders railcard for an extra £5. It paid for itself many times over. I never used my AST.

 

[sk688]

Any Time Single Twickenham to St Margarets £3.80! Probably less than your 0.8 miles. Or do it on TFL contactless off peak for £2.80, who is robbing who?

Similarly, Northolt Park to Sudbury Hill is 3.80 (but i doubt anyone in their right mind would buy a ticket for that journey)

 

[Haywain]

Many years ago, I bought an annual season ticket from Manchester Oxford Road to Piccadilly for £36 which was 360 x the normal 10p fare. This allowed me to buy an Annual Season Ticket holders railcard for an extra £5. It paid for itself many times over. I never used my AST.

I think that at one time a ticket from Attercliffe to Brightside was the cheapest possible for those purposes, and hence surprisingly popular. Both stations are, of course, long gone now.

 

[drspa44]

Looking at my database (which includes TFL contactless), £1.00 is definitely the cheapest adult non-zero train fare. There are quite a few off-peak tickets for £1.00.

The only anytime/peak fare that exists for £1.00 is BEVERLEY <-> COTTINGHAM with the restriction of HULL TRAINS ONLY

Look up fares for any train journey in Britain

Full details of all British rail Single, Return & Season tickets and Travelcards. Built-in Season Ticket Calculator.

www.brfares.com

 

[Trainguy34]

Looking at my database (which includes TFL contactless), £1.00 is definitely the cheapest adult non-zero train fare. There are quite a few off-peak tickets for £1.00.

The only anytime/peak fare that exists for £1.00 is BEVERLEY <-> COTTINGHAM with the restriction of HULL TRAINS ONLY

Look up fares for any train journey in Britain

Full details of all British rail Single, Return & Season tickets and Travelcards. Built-in Season Ticket Calculator.

www.brfares.com

After scrolling down a little bit, I saw a likely contender for the highest Price / Distance Ratio - a £9998 test only Adult Single for the same route - no break of journey however.

Is it bad that I wish I could buy that for fun?

Look up fares for any train journey in Britain

Full details of all British rail Single, Return & Season tickets and Travelcards. Built-in Season Ticket Calculator.

www.brfares.com

 

[drspa44]

After scrolling down a little bit, I saw probably a contender for the highest Priceistance Ratio - a £9998 test only Adult Single for the same route - no break of journey however. Is it bad that I wish I could buy that for fun?

The best price/distance ratio is to sneak into a staffed station somehow, find a guard and tell them you do not intend to pay and ask to be issued a penalty fare instead. Whilst not technically an advertised train fare, it is the worst value: £80 to travel 0 miles.

 

[Gaelan]

The best price/distance ratio is to sneak into a staffed station somehow, find a guard and tell them you do not intend to pay and ask to be issued a penalty fare instead. Whilst not technically an advertised train fare, it is the worst value: £80 to travel 0 miles.

You could achieve the same ratio by buying a platform ticket!