As of 10am this morning, the price of more than a million train tickets have been slashed in half.
For the months of April and May, travellers will be able to get up to 50% off some train tickets in a move by the Department of Transport designed to restore train travel numbers to pre-pandemic levels.
However, the reduced cost tickets are not available for travellers making journeys at peak times - meaning they will be of no help to commuters battling the UK's cost of living emergency.
The discounted tickets went on sale this morning, reports The Manc, with passengers eligible to travel for cut prices on certain off-peak and advanced fares between 25 April and 27 May.
Image: Geograph
They are being sold on a first-come, first-served basis, and can be purchased online from participating retailers.
Cutting the cost of rail travel will help “ease some of the pressure” on finances at a time when inflation is rising, the Department for Transport said.
It is the first time that multiple rail operators have come together to offer nationwide savings.
Trips from York to Leeds are discounted from £5.60 to £2.80 at certain times. Elsewhere, travel from London to Edinburgh is available at £22 and £25 from London to Cardiff.
Still, the move ultimately only benefits those with disposable income and has drawn much criticism from transport campaigners and commuters alike.
The 'Great British Rail Sale' has been critiqued on a number of factors, primarily for not helping commuters who are facing increasing travel costs.
Labour’s shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said the discounts this spring will be “small comfort to passengers” after years of “soaring fares”.
“A decade of brutal Tory fare hikes have priced people off our railways,” she said.
“This temporary respite will be small comfort to passengers who had thousands taken out of their pockets from soaring fares since 2010.
“And the decision to end the sale just before half-term will mean many families face the same punishing costs over the holidays.”
The Campaign for Better Transport, however, said that it had been pushing for action to improve passenger levels for months.
It welcomed the move by the government, but Norman Baker, its chief executive’s adviser and former transport minister said: “It can show the Treasury that the way to increase income is to cut fares, not keep ratcheting them up and driving people off the railway.”
Feature image - Wikimedia Commons
Leeds
Inside Moida, the new Korean beauty and skincare store in Leeds city centre
If your skincare routine has been needing an upgrade, there's some good news waiting for you inside Trinity Leeds.
The shopping centre has just welcomed Moida, a brand-new beauty retailer specialising in authentic Korean skincare, bringing some of the world's most sought-after K-beauty products to Leeds.
Named after the Korean word meaning 'to gather' or 'come together', moida is all about making Korean skincare easy to discover and accessible for everyone.
Inside the new store that has taken over the old Claire's Accessories site, shoppers can expect an extensive range of handpicked products from some of the biggest names in K-beauty, including Beauty of Joseon, Dr. Althea, TIRTIR, Medicube, Biodance, and more cult-favourite brands.
The collection has been curated by a team of Korean beauty experts with close links to Korea, meaning customers can expect everything from viral TikTok sensations to exclusive products that are often difficult to get hold of elsewhere in the UK.
Moida K-Beauty has opened in Trinity Leeds. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
Steven Foster, Centre Director at Trinity Leeds, said: "With Korean skincare still increasing in popularity, moida brings an exciting new concept to the centre. Offering guests viral products alongside everyday essentials, plus the chance to browse new brands in-store will be a fantastic experience.
"We know moida is going to be a brilliant addition for both existing fans of K-beauty and those keen to discover it for the first time."
It's the latest announcement following the recent launches of Lane7, Footasylum, LEGO, Jerk Junction, The Fragrance Shop and schuh at Trinity Leeds.
Fantastic Leeds bakery owner claps back at one-star review calling him ‘silly man’
Daisy Jackson
One of Leeds' most popular independent bakeries has addressed a recent one-star review, which slammed them for being sold out of sandwiches.
Silver's Bakehouse, which comes from the same team behind Silver's Deli, suggested that the reviewer should 'work on their manners'.
The review hit out at the Farsley bakery for being sold out of sandwiches by the time they travelled 'an 80 minute round trip', describing owner Chris Riley as a 'silly man'.
The reviewer said they have been 'loyal high-spending customers since the first one opened' but wrote that they won't be visiting Silver's again after being left empty-handed.
They wrote: "It's all very good being mr instagram but things can go south very quickly silly man, make more sandwiches if you are going to be sold out in the first hour, don't risk the disappointment!!!"
Silver's Bakehouse has now publicly shared and responded to the review, stressing that they won't tolerate 'rudeness' and detailing the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.
He said: "Let me explain again for you, David…
Inside Silver's Bakehouse in Farsley. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
"We start baking at 5am and rarely finish before 6pm. Everything is made fresh, by hand, often taking days to prepare, in a very small bakery. You can literally see how small it is - and we utilise every inch.
"We make as much as we physically can. Sometimes we sell out earlier than we’d like, and we’re incredibly grateful that so many people want what we make. But there is, unfortunately, a limit to how much we can produce.
"For the record, I’m not overly enthused about being “Mr Instagram” - what a truly horrendous phrase to conjure up. I managed to avoid it for years, but needs must and all that.
"I am genuinely grateful for your custom, David. Rudeness, however, I’m considerably less enthusiastic about.
"So yeah, we’ll keep working hard. You keep working on those manners."
The Hoot -
19th April 2022 
