London Tube strikes and rail fare freeze held back sales growth, Trainline says

Trainline has said its ticket sales growth was held back this year by London Tube strikes, heatwaves and the Government’s freeze on rail fares.

The online ticketing platform reported UK consumer net ticket sales of £2.1 billion for the six months to the end of August, which was more or less the same as the previous year.

Strong demand for train journeys and a lower level of tickets being refunded, as a result of a change to industry policies in April, had a positive impact on the company’s total sales.

But this was partly offset by the Government’s decision to freeze regulated rail fares across England, which prevented price increases for passengers, including on peak time returns for commuters and off-peak returns between major cities.

Trainline also pointed to the impact of disruptions from the hot weather, which can wreak havoc on overhead power lines and steel rails, as well as Transport for London Tube strikes.

Furthermore, fewer tickets being refunded also had the adverse effect of reducing fee revenues for the platform, which charges people to refund their tickets.

From April, rules changed so people can only request a refund before 11.59pm on the day before travel.

Trainline, which makes most of its money by taking a commission on ticket sales for coach and rail journeys, is being investigated by the UK’s competition watchdog over concerns that customers were not shown full prices upfront.

Probes also into Virgin Atlantic and Red Driving School are part of a wider clampdown by the regulator over misleading pricing practices.

Jody Ford, Trainline’s chief executive, said: “We delivered a robust first half, with customers choosing and returning to Trainline for the value and features we offer, against a backdrop of resilient underlying demand for UK rail travel.

“The industry is moving through an important period of change and Trainline is well positioned, with real scale in the UK and across Europe, deep customer loyalty, and over three million customers now holding a digital railcard in our app.”