Andy Burnham considers big change to UK train ticketing system that will affect football fans | OneFootball

Andy Burnham is considering extending access to railcards in a bid to make train tickets cheaper, something that would help football supporters.

New Prime Minister Andy Burnham is looking into extending access to railcards in a move that could benefit football fans up and down the country.

With the new season set to start, EFL fans will be making plans for home and away games over the next few months, and, as we know, it can be very expensive.

Unlike the Premier League, there is no cap on away ticket prices in the Championship, League One or League Two, so fans can regularly fork out up to £45 on tickets, and clubs are increasingly looking to raise revenue with the prices of home tickets.

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So, when you combine that with the rail prices, just going to a game, before you take into account any food or drink, is an expensive day out for football supporters.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham set to review rail prices

Therefore, football fans will welcome an update from the Mirror that says the Prime Minister will be reviewing the rail prices, as he considers making railcards accessible to all ages.

At the moment, there are different types of railcards that can be bought depending on your age, but, for adults aged 31-59 outside the south east, there is no way of receiving a discount on a train ticket.

Railcard change plans at 'very early stage'

However, the report explains that this could change moving forward, although it’s said that discussions are at a ‘very early stage’.

There is an acknowledgement at government level that train prices are steep, and they are determined to do more than just freeze prices. One potential solution would be to extend the railcard that applies to adults in the south east across the rest of the country.

Those railcards cost £35 a year, and it means travellers can regularly save up to a third of the price when they go on the trains.

EFL fans will welcome a potential reduction in train travel prices

Obviously, this is something that will benefit the whole country, and most would agree that the price we pay to go on the train is very expensive, especially as there are often issues in terms of delays.

So, it’s something that does need to be rectified, and football fans will also welcome the prospect of this taking place.

A significant chunk of the fans who go to games will fall into the category of 31 to 59, and, as outlined above, they have to pay the sometimes extortionate prices that are set, and they are also limited in terms of the times they can go, which can make it more expensive.

Anything that can change such prices is a positive, and fans would also hope that something can be done to reduce the overall price of football, as many families are unable to go to games nowadays due to the cost involved with it all, which is a huge shame.

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But, that will be a longer-term discussion, and it’s something that the Independent Football Regulator will be tasked with sorting out.

It will be interesting to see how this develops and if it comes into place, and football fans will certainly be hoping that Burnham, who is an Everton supporter, does follow through with these plans.