Nationally, walk-on fares for many journeys are five times more expensive than pre-booked tickets, according to figures released by the Campaign for Better Transport (CfBT).

It believes the price imbalance is placing an unfair burden on rail users – unless, like fortune tellers, they always know well in advance when and where they are going to travel.

But the CfBT is also warning that passengers in Leeds have it even worse than their counterparts across much of the rest of the country.

The campaign group says:

Walk-on fares between Leeds and London are on average 6.95 times the price of an advance ticket;

Journeys from Leeds to Cardiff, Glasgow, Bristol and Norwich cost around six times more when someone pays on the day;


So-called 'turn-up-and-go' tickets from Leeds to Manchester, Nottingham and Newcastle are roughly three times dearer than their pre-booked equivalents.

Of the 11 UK cities surveyed by the CfBT, the only places where average walk-on fares were higher than in Leeds were London, Cardiff and Newcastle.

The group's Cat Hobbs said: "We can't always predict the future. We need a walk-on railway."

She added: "At a time when people are facing increases in petrol prices, the Government is planning to make the green alternative, rail, even more expensive.

"It needs to invest more so that people can just turn up at Leeds station and go."

Today's figures came during the run-up to the first anniversary of the publication of the Government's rail White Paper, which included a pledge to limit fare increases where possible.

They also follow the revelation that bus and train MetroCard pass prices in traffic-choked West Yorkshire are set to go up by more than eight per cent.

National Express East Coast, which operates services on the main Leeds-London rail route, responded to the CfBT's claims by saying it offered a "range of tickets to suit all travel needs".