Access to better rail ticket prices has been made easier in recent years with the development of bookings tools focused on the UK rail market.

The two leading products, Trainline and Evolvi, together with Click Travel’s in-house system, now account for the majority of sales of rail tickets to UK organisations.

In general, however, UK rail travel is more expensive than it is for our European neighbours and is not helped by a myriad of fares which vary dramatically depending on the time of travel.

More recently, clever search tools have become available which identify cheaper alternatives by issuing multiple tickets for a journey traditionally covered by one ticket.

Known as ‘Split Ticketing’, it can provide substantial savings over the fares available through the usual booking tools.

For example, a standard off-peak fare for a journey from Taunton to Leeds at £132.70 would cost only £101.30 with split tickets – saving around 24% – and still travelling on the same train.

However, there’s a catch. Instead of a through ticket from Taunton to Leeds, the traveller buys six tickets: Taunton-Bristol-Cheltenham-Birmingham-Derby-Chesterfield-Leeds!

There’s no need to change trains or even get off at the intermediate stations because all the tickets can be picked up at Taunton… BUT your seat reservations will be based on each point to point ticket, meaning that it’s possible you’ll have to change seats up to six times during the journey.

Is it worth it? If you intend to work on the train, probably not, but if you’re the social type and travelling with no luggage, then perhaps it is.

The train companies don’t like split ticketing – as it reduces their revenues – and they continue to put pressure on the booking systems not to offer the service either.

But until we see some sense in rail pricing, the technical entrepreneurs will find a way of bridging a gap in the market.