Rail fares have already been made cheaper and simpler in the North of England thanks to public ownership, the government has said. Around £270,000 in savings have been made so far by making fares cheaper on routes requiring a change between operators. The joint initiative between three publicly-owned train operators has also generated £200,000 in additional revenue for the railway. Northern, TransPennine Express and LNER, which are all controlled by the state, have been taking part in the trial since last year. Working with Network Rail, the operators have reduced ticket prices on routes between Leeds and Manchester - and beyond. Sign up to the MEN Politics newsletter Due North here For example, the cost of travelling from Harrogate to Manchester by train, which was previously £33.90, is now as cheap as £14.10. The pilot comes as the government looks to bring all rail operators across the country into public ownership in the coming years. Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said: “This is exactly the type of collaborative work public ownership enables, allowing us to put passengers first by making train travel simpler and more affordable. “We’re making it easier for people across Manchester to travel by train to get to popular attractions across the North including Old Trafford , Headingley Cricket Ground and Meadowhall shopping centre. “Through these cheaper fares we’re opening up more options to people travelling across the North, putting more money in working people’s pockets and boosting connectivity and growth as part of our Plan for Change.” The ongoing pilot was first launched in June 2024 by publicly-owned train companies operating between Leeds and Manchester. Join our Traffic and Travel WhatsApp group HERE Analysis of mobile network data showed that rail’s modal share was low despite competitive journey times compared to travel by car. Further investigation found this was due to a lack of clear, consistent ticket options for journeys involving more than one operator. For passengers booking ahead, cheaper advance fares were often available on only one leg of a cross-operator journey, with a walk-up fare on the other, creating an unattractive proposition for would-be rail users looking to book in advance, the government said. By using mobile network data, the publicly-owned train operators and Network Rail identified further underperforming travel flows for cross-operator advance journey options and introduced more affordable fares to encourage more people to choose the train. This 'innovative' data-driven approach uses mobile data to track travel patterns and identify customer flows, enabling train operators that are in public ownership to create smarter, more efficient ticketing options that benefit both passengers and the environment. The move is part of a wider effort by the Department for Transport to make rail travel more attractive, affordable, and sustainable.