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RAIL bosses last night angrily denied suggestions they were misleading North-East passengers over the availability of cheap tickets.

Transport union the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) alleged that cheap fares were "a mirage" designed to lure passengers in to buying more expensive tickets during busy holiday periods.

The claim sparked a furious row with rail bosses denying the allegations and saying they had simply sold all the available tickets.

Last night, a passenger group urged companies to release confidential figures for the number of cheap tickets available.

A TSSA spokesman said the union had tried to buy the cheapest tickets on the East Coast Main Line between a variety of stations, including London and Newcastle, at Christmas.

Because none were available at that time, the union decided to repeat the investigation during another holiday period.

The union tried unsuccessfully to buy bargain tickets, costing £15.70, to travel between Glasgow and London on July 17, 18 and 21 - the start of the traditional holidays in Scotland - via the East Coast Main Line. A spokesman said the experiment was indicative of a problem across the line, which serves York, Northallerton, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle.

He said: "The Glasgow to London tickets are an example, but it is more widespread than just between those two stations."

TSSA general secretary Gerry Doherty ordered the survey after accusing rail companies of restricting the cheapest ticket sales during busy holiday periods in order to boost higher-priced ticket sales.

He said: "This is proof positive that the rail companies are deliberately misleading the travelling public when they claim that cheaper tickets are available if you only book far enough ahead.

"This is clearly not the case on one of the country's busiest routes, National Express's East Coast Line.

"Not one cheapest bargain ticket was available, either through the booking office or by the internet.

"These so-called deals are a mirage, aimed at luring customers in and then forcing them to pay higher fares."

TSSA said rail companies had refused to publish the number of discounted tickets available in advance because they were commercially confidential.

It will urge Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly to instruct companies to publish the information "to make sure the public are not misled".

National Express East Coast spokesman Alan Hyde said: "This allegation is untrue and it's disappointing that TSSA didn't bother to check their facts beforehand.

"The reality is that our cheapest tickets were available and were sold on our Glasgow-London route over the three stated days in July.

"Over a 12-week booking period, we typically offer three million tickets, one million of which are advance purchase and 100,000 of which are at our cheapest price.

"And when we run advertising campaigns to promote our headline fares, we typically exceed Trading Standards requirements by making 150,000 of our cheapest tickets available.

"Most people recognise the need to book ahead for the best prices. It is hardly surprising that the lowest price tickets sell very quickly." But passenger group Passenger Focus supported the TSSA's request for figures to be made available.

A spokesman said: "The problem with research of this nature is that the train companies do not quote the quotas.

"We have called for some time for the train companies to be more transparent.

"If they do not tell passengers how many are available, it does not enable them to plan ahead. "Neither is it possible for me to say the TSSA is correct because we don't know the details."

The Association of Train Operating Companies said the cheapest advance tickets were usually available up to 12 weeks in advance of travel.

A spokesman said: "Advance rail tickets are popular because they offer excellent value for money and therefore sell very quickly. People know good value when they see it and are taking the train in increasing numbers for leisure travel."

6:03am Monday 12th May 2008

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