Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will reduce the cost of rail travel for families and make it competitive with road use.

When comparing the difference in costs when travelling using the railway or road network then the costs of driving, such as every day running costs, depreciation and insurance of a vehicle should also be taken into consideration.

There are a number of railcards available that offer discounts against most rail fares, including the Family and Friends Railcard which offers a third off rail fares for adults and 60 per cent off rail fares for children.

More recently, we launched the Great British Rail Sale, the first ever nationwide rail sale. The Great British Rail Sale helped save families money and connect them with friends and families. Over 1.3 million tickets were sold, offering around £7million worth of savings for passengers.