Northern Rail is hoping to encourage more students to travel by rail with an offer of 75 per cent off train tickets for commutes to school, in what the rail operator describes as the potential 'end of the school run'. 

The heavy discount is available on annual tickets bought as part of Northern's Under 16 Education Season Ticket scheme. 

Tickets went on sale on yesterday (1 August). Each ticket covers unlimited travel between any two stations on the Northern network seven days a week, which means they can also be used for travel during weekends and school holidays.

Northern runs the programme in partnership with 166 secondary schools and university technical colleges across the North of England. 

A further 146 educational establishments with over 100,000 students located within 1km of a railway station served by Northern have not yet signed up to the scheme.

Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern, said: "The school run can be one of the most stressful times of the day for parents – and we want to make it a thing of the past.

"With 75%-off the cost of their journey for anyone that signs-up for the full school year, our Under 16 Education Season Tickets offer one of the most generous discounts of any ticket scheme in the country.

"By encouraging students to use the train from an early age, we also hope to kickstart a lifelong habit of commuting by rail."

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For more information and details of how to apply for a ticket, parents and carers should visit the relevant Northern webpage HERE.