Wigan passengers will be able to use new, simpler rail fares when travelling in Greater Manchester

More than a dozen different fares are currently available for journeys on certain routes, including many which restrict customers to travelling on a particular service or with one train operating company.

But from Sunday, December 7, everyone who buys a ticket on the day they are travelling between two railway stations in Greater Manchester will be offered two options: anytime and off-peak.

The new fares will be valid on rail services run by all operators and all single journeys will be half the price of return trips.

Overall, the change will mean the average fare in Greater Manchester will fall by 5.6 per cent.

Tickets will be available to buy from the 96 stations in Greater Manchester and online, with other types of tickets still offered to those who book in advance.

The new system is part of the Government’s UK-wide transformation of fares, making them easier to understand and journeys more seamless, in a bid to bring more people back to rail.

Greater Manchester will be one of the first areas in the country to benefit from this type of rail fare reform, which will also pave the way for contactless payments and integration with the Bee Network from December 2026.

More than half of train journeys (52 per cent) in Greater Manchester will be cheaper, with customers saving up to £1.50 on some trips.

It could also save money for around 4,000 customers a week who are not currently getting the best deal, by using anytime tickets to travel during off-peak periods.

On the remaining 48 per cent of journeys, customers will see a slight price increase, but for most of these trips (85 per cent), it will be a rise of 20p or less.

Alex Hornby, Northern’s commercial and customer director, said: “Customers tell us that buying railway tickets has become too complicated and the fare system needs to change.

“That’s why we're looking forward to introducing these new fares in Greater Manchester, which will make train travel much simpler, provide customers with more choice about which services they travel on and stop thousands from overpaying for their journeys.

“Of course, we will have our colleagues on hand to help customers get to grips with the new tickets and we will be welcoming and listening to all feedback to ensure they work for everyone.”

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: “For too long, confusion around the complicated web of tickets has been a barrier to people choosing the train.

"In December, Greater Manchester will be the one of the first city region’s outside London to get a simple set of on-the-day fares – vital progress in making rail travel easier, fairer and more accessible for everyone.

“We’ve seen that making public transport more affordable and simpler boosts passenger numbers, with more people than ever boarding our yellow buses and integrated tap and go payments with our tram network.

"These simpler fares are a stepping stone to bringing rail into the Bee Network in December 2026, joining up trains with buses, trams and active travel for an integrated public transport system like those enjoyed by other global cities.”