Travelling to India, Jamaica or Brazil from Manchester is cheaper than a train from Piccadilly to London Euston

Andy Burnham has compared return flights to popular holiday destinations to highlight the outrageous cost of UK train travel.

The mayor took to Twitter this morning to share a list of return flight prices from Manchester Airport to India, Jamaica, Brazil and Ivory Coast, all of which fell short of £400pp. 

At the bottom of his list, however, was a return train journey from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston which, remarkably, came out as the most expensive trip.

While flights to India, Jamaica, Brazil, and Ivory Coast cost £343, £345, £325 and £319 retrospectively, a return train journey to London will set a passenger back a massive £369.

Burnham followed up his tweet with a screenshot of his ticket, which showed that the £369 ‘anytime return’ was actually the cheapest option. 

In a recent op ed for the Evening Standard, Burnham slammed the UK’s train system as ‘extortionate madness’, pointing out that ‘full control’ is needed to reduce fare prices.

He wrote: “With the country in the clutches of a simultaneous cost-of-living and climate crisis, we won’t get the railway we need until we retake control and massively reduce fares.

“On today’s prices, it is cheaper to book a return flight from Manchester to India, Jamaica, Brazil or the Ivory Cost than it is to take a two-hour return rail journey to our capital city.

“For as long as train tickets cost more than plane tickets, the economics of transport in the UK will be in entirely the wrong place when it comes to facing up the climate crisis. But the truth is it unlikely to change any time soon.”

This comes just days after the mayor criticised the government’s ‘Great British Rail Sale‘, which will see fares for journeys across the country be slashed by up to half throughout April and May.

The first-of-its-kind sale is expected to bring journeys from Manchester to Newcastle down from £20.60 to £10.30, London to Edinburgh services from £44 to £22, and York to Leeds journeys from £5.60 to £2.80.

Government officials said half-price rail tickets are just ‘one of the ways’ it is helping to support families with the cost of living crisis, following its announcement of council tax discounts and tax cuts.

In a statement, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “For the first time ever, operators across the rail industry are coming together to help passengers facing rising costs of living by offering up to 50% off more than a million tickets on journeys across Britain.

“There’s no better time to visit friends, family or just explore our great country, so book your tickets today.”