Rollercoasters, Roman architecture, Rural landscapes and Rock: Family days out from less than £5 per person this autumn half-term

The train operator is trialling the new ticket, which is valid for two adults and up to four children aged 5-15 (under 5s already travel for free with a paying adult), on six popular routes across its network. They are:

• Services between Leeds and Chester
• Services between Manchester and Barrow-in-Furness
• Services between Manchester and Blackpool
• Services between Manchester and Windermere
• Services between Sheffield and Scarborough
• Services between York and Bridlington

Tickets go on-sale on Monday, 16 October and are valid for travel from Monday, 23 October. They are available online and must be bought seven days in advance of travel. Sample fares include:

Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern, said: “We’re always looking for new ways to convert people from road to rail - and with the half-term holidays on the horizon, now seemed the perfect time to launch our ‘Family Fare’ ticket.

“This ticket offers amazing savings for families looking for days out across the North of England, be that the excitement of rollercoasters in Blackpool or the majesty of Roman architecture in Chester, the beauty of rural Cumbria or some old-fashioned seaside rock in Scarborough.”

Pending the success of the trial, Northern intends to roll-out the Family Fare ticket across the rest of its network.

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.