Santa bags a bargain fare with Thameslink and Great Northern

“Mum… you’re never going to believe it!” Seven-year-old Alfie of Dunstable couldn’t believe his eyes when Santa and his reindeer climbed aboard one of Thameslink’s brand new trains at Bedford station to let the train take the strain out of some early Christmas gift-hunting.

After ‘elf and safety’ grounded his sleigh, Father Christmas and his reindeer chums Donner and Blitzen found that Thameslink and Great Northern’s new “Christmas All The Way” promotion was just the ticket, with its great value Super Off-Peak fares.

Santa was quick to get his ‘claus’ into the offer. Weekend and bank holiday fares are at least 20% cheaper than a usual Off-Peak ticket fare, proving that it’s not at all ‘deer’ to travel into the capital for some pre-Christmas shopping.

Passenger Services Director Stuart Cheshire said: “It appears Santa had the ‘presents of mind’ to let the train take the strain and decided to give his reindeer a rest by travelling with us. Whether you’re ‘hoofing’ it up, shopping or visiting relatives, Thameslink and Great Northern provide fast and frequent services to the capital and at the weekends they’re surprisingly cheap.”

The Super Off-Peak discount can also be used with either a 1/3-off Railcard or a 1/3-off GroupSave discount (for three or more adults travelling at one time). On top of that, up to four kids travelling with an adult go for just £2 each if tickets are booked online.

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Editor’s notes
For more information and high resolution copies of this picture and others, visit www.christmasalltheway.co.uk or call 0203 750 2031

Sample Super Off-Peak return weekend/bank holiday fares to London from:
Bedford
One adult £14.60 or £9.65 with a railcard
Luton
One adult £10.10 or £6.65 with a railcard
St Albans
One adult £8.50 or £5.60 with a railcard
King’s Lynn
One adult £24.20 or £16 with a railcard
Cambridge
One adult £16.60 or £10.95 with a railcard
Huntingdon
One adult £11.60 or £17.60 with a railcard
St Neots
One adult £16.60 or £10.95 with a railcard
Hitchin
One adult £12.60 or £8.30 with a railcard
Stevenage
One adult £11.10 or £7.35 with a railcard
Welwyn Garden City
One adult £8.50 or £5.60 with a railcard

Govia Thameslink Railway
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operates Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services as follows:
• Thameslink – services between Bedford and Brighton, Luton/St Albans and Sutton, Wimbledon and Sevenoaks
• Great Northern – services between London and Welwyn, Hertford, Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn
• Southern – services between London and the Sussex coast (Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne, Bognor Regis, Hastings) and parts of Surrey, Kent and Hampshire (Ashford International, Southampton, Portsmouth)
• Gatwick Express – Fast, non-stop direct services between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria

GTR is now the largest rail franchise in the UK in terms of passenger numbers, trains, revenue and staff: GTR carries about 326 million passenger journeys per year, employs around 6,500 people and generates annual passenger revenues of approximately £1.3bn.

The GTR investment programme for stations includes funding for more CCTV, toilet refurbishments, new retail facilities, help points and car park improvements – as well as plans for increased motorcycle storage and improved transport integration.

southernrailway.com, gatwickexpress.com, thameslinkrailway.com greatnorthernrail.com