Rail firms accused of forcing Christmas travellers to pay hundreds of pounds for 'rip-off' tickets

Passengers who try to book the cheapest tickets have found they were all sold out weeks - and in some cases months - before.

This means they are often forced to pay three times as much for the same return journey.

Train companies were accused of restricting the number of cheap seats available, with rail unions claiming many deals were "simply a mirage", applying to fewer than one in ten sales on the busiest routes.

Several Christmas deals were said to have sold out in October.

Rail bosses have refused to state exactly how many tickets - usually from as little as £10 - were on offer this year but said yesterday that they had increased the amount.

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly was last night asked to investigate the alleged scandal, which train operators vigorously deny.

A Mail investigation showed that none of the cheapest fares was left available on some of the busiest key routes at Christmas.

In some cases, booking staff said the cheapest tickets available were saver tickets - which are up to three times the cost of the cheapest 'value' tickets - which had sold out weeks ago.

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Anthony Smith, chief executive of consumer group Passenger Focus said: "People have no idea how many cheap tickets there are. It could be 2,000, 200 or just two. The train companies must be honest about how many cheaper tickets are available.

"They are a public service subsidised by the taxpayer. They should be accountable. People should have a rough idea what their chances are of getting a cheaper ticket."

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association, which represents 31,000 workers, called on Miss Kelly to intervene to stop train operators 'restricting' cheap tickets over Christmas to boost revenue.

General secretary Gerry Doherty said: "The rail companies are always claiming cheaper tickets are available if only you book ahead. But many people trying to book online find these so-called deals are a mirage.

"The truth is no one knows how many cheaper seats are being sold because the rail companies will not tell us. They say it is confidential information."

He said same-day rail travel was now "the preserve of the middle classes", with a walk-on return fare between London and Manchester "costing £230 in the New Year".

But the Association of Train Operating Companies denied rail firms were restricting cheap tickets, insisting they were making more were available this year. It accused the union of potentially misleading passengers.

An spokesman said: "We completely deny the suggestion that train operators are restricting the sale of cheaper tickets. Indeed, the opposite is true. To make travel easier for passengers, and to ensure value, walk-on train tickets are available throughout the holiday period."

He said some long-distance train operators have lifted peak-time restrictions on the use of saver tickets from the evening of December 21 and until December 31 inclusive.

ATOC said more than one million cheap advance purchase seats are available per week on long distance operators alone.

It said a return saver fare from London to Manchester of £59.50 was widely available over the Christmas break.