Northern appeals to would-be student fare evaders to take action before penalty fare rises to £100 on Monday

Northern, which runs services through Ilkeston Railway Station, has issued a ‘final call’ to students across the North of England to get their Under 16 Education Season Tickets before sales close on Friday 20th January.

The special ticket offers some help to cash-strapped students through the discount available, but the warning is that from Monday 23rd, anyone caught travelling on the rail network in England without a valid ticket for travel or ‘promise to pay’ card will be issued with the government’s new £100 penalty fare.

Student fare evasion is something Northern has been working hard to combat in partnership with secondary schools and UTCs across its network.

Many fare evasion incidents take place when students are travelling relatively short distances between rural and suburban stations which are not barrier-controlled.

Given the high number of students on-board and the limited journey time, conductors cannot always carry out a full ticket inspection, which emboldens students to ‘risk it’.

But with the new penalty fare coming into place on Monday, Northern is appealing to students – and their parents – to act.

Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern, said: “Under 16 Education Season Tickets offer savings that can be worth hundreds of pounds per year.

“Having one also means a student always has the means to get to and from school – and won’t succumb to peer pressure, travel without a ticket and risk being issued with a £100 penalty fare.

“It’s no way to spend your pocket money – don’t risk it!” 

Parents whose children attend a school or UTC not currently participating in the scheme are encouraged to email education @ northernrailway.co.uk so that Northern can make contact with them.

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with nearly 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.

Northern’s new timetable came into effect in December 2022 and all customers, especially those who have made regular journeys on specific train times, are advised to use the new 'Check My Timetable' feature on Northern’s website to see changes specific to their local station.