Save Time With Northern

Northern, the UK’s largest train operator outside of London, was, just for once, encouraging its customers to break the rules at Newcastle’s Central Station today.

The train operator launched an interactive roadshow at the station to promote the number of ways its customers can purchase tickets; highlighting the convenience, speed and ease of buying a ticket via its website or app before they’ve even reached the station.

One benefit customers can enjoy when making an online or app-based purchase is jumping the queues at ticket offices and ticket vending machines at stations.

Game savvy customers were invited to play a brand new online game ‘Queue Jumper’, developed especially for the train operator, for the chance to win £250 in rail vouchers. The game, which involves a journey through a station and collecting as many tickets as possible, encourages players to share the buy before you board message with others by posting high scores on social media.

Many rail users don’t realise it’s a legal requirement to purchase a ticket before boarding the train if they have passed a facility to do so at their departing station, such as a ticket office or ticket vending machine.

Richard Allan, Customer and People Experience Director for Northern, comments: “We thought the game would be a fun way to raise awareness of the law around buying a ticket before boarding a train, but also promoting the benefits of doing so. Northern now offers more ways than ever for customers to purchase their tickets and with just a little bit of planning customers can save both time and money by buying in advance.”

Northern customers can save an average of 60% with an Advance Purchase ticket, which can be bought in the station, online or through the app before the date of travel.

The roadshow moves on to Leeds station on Wednesday 2 November, Manchester Victoria station on Friday 4 November, and Liverpool Lime Street station on Monday 7 November.