Rail operator signals five-day bargain bonanza as airline prices rise.

Thousands of extra bargain fares will be available from East Coast train operator GNER in a five-day sale from Friday, 2 February 2007.

GNER is releasing 50 per cent more seats at its lowest prices, for bookings made between 2 February and Tuesday, 6 February, for travel on its trains between 1 and 29 March 2007.

The news comes on the day air passenger duty, the ‘green’ tax paid by airlines to the Government and added to the cost of a flight ticket, doubles from £5 to £10 for domestic travel – and at a time of rising awareness of the environmental benefits of choosing the train instead of the ‘plane.

The low price fares can be booked via GNER’s website, www.gner.co.uk, on its booking line on 08457 225225 or at any staffed rail station.

The cheapest prices are available online at www.gner.co.uk, where lowest price tickets bought online benefit from a ten per cent discount. Prices vary according to time of booking and choice of originating and destination stations – examples of lowest online Standard Class single fares include:
· London - Leeds – from £9.50
· Newcastle - London – from £10
· York - Edinburgh – from £10.25
· Edinburgh - London – from £12.50

GNER spokesman John Gelson said: “This five-day sale offers a great opportunity to enjoy all the comfort, speed and environmental benefits of GNER train travel at a great value price. “GNER trains are the ideal way to travel to many exciting visitor destinations in March – an ideal time for an early Spring break in city or countryside. We expect this offer to prove very popular, and our advice is to book early for the best deal”.

During the five-day offer period, more than 165,000 of GNER’s cheapest Standard Class fares will be made available.

Full details and terms and conditions of the bargain GNER offers are available online at www.gner.co.uk.