Virgin Trains Ticketing expands partnership with SilverRail to offer affordable rail travel options

Credit: SilverRail

Virgin Trains Ticketing has announced that it has strengthened its collaboration with SilverRail to enhance affordability and convenience for rail travellers across Great Britain. The partnership introduces advanced tools aimed at providing customers with greater flexibility and significant cost savings.

The integration of SilverRail’s ‘Conversion Plus’ suite brings two key features to Virgin Trains Ticketing:

• Gen 2 Split Ticketing: This functionality identifies and offers combinations of tickets on different legs of a journey, enabling passengers to pay less than they would for a single through ticket
• Cheaper Routes: Customers with flexible schedules can opt for indirect routes and longer travel times in exchange for substantial fare reductions.

Using the new tools, Virgin Trains Ticketing has reported savings of up to 78% on some popular routes. For instance:

• London to Stockport: £26.20 (indirect via Crewe) versus £117.70 direct – a 78% saving
• Wilmslow to London: £48.00 (indirect via Crewe) versus £144.40 direct – a 67% saving
• Derby to London: £55.70 (indirect via Tamworth) versus £93.80 direct – a 40% saving.

Flexible departure options further add to the savings, such as:

• London Waterloo to Bath (via Warminster): £44.40 compared to £79.80 from London Paddington – a 44% saving

In addition, customers earn Virgin Points on every journey, which can be redeemed for train travel and other rewards via Virgin Red, Virgin Group’s rewards platform. Until 15 December 2024, customers can earn double points on all bookings. This marks the first deployment of SilverRail’s tools across Great Britain’s rail ticketing market.

Cameron Jones, SilverRail’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We’re excited to see Virgin Trains Ticketing deploy more of our Conversion Plus tools with Cheaper Routes, which, combined with our Gen 2 split ticketing functionality, has seen price savings of up to 78% compared to direct journeys.”

Mark Plowright, Director of Virgin Trains Ticketing, said: “We all know that the UK needs a simpler rail fares system and split ticketing is a sticking plaster rather than a long-term solution. That said, while we wait for fares reform, Virgin Trains Ticketing will continue to innovate and find new ways to help customers navigate fares and get more value from their train journeys.”

Since its launch in 2021, Virgin Trains Ticketing has saved passengers nearly £2 million on fares through split ticketing and Virgin Points.