THE cheapest fares on trains from York to London and Edinburgh have been slashed – meaning a ticket to ride now costs less than 31 years ago.

In 1979, when Margaret Thatcher was elected Prime Minister, Pink Floyd were top of the charts with Another Brick In The Wall and the Sony Walkman was making its debut, the cheapest single fare to the capitals of England and Scotland was £12.

Now, with Gordon Brown preparing to stand for re-election, the charity single Everybody Hurts – Helping Haiti at number one and the Ipod the accessory to buy if you want to hear music on the move, a single ticket with York-based East Coast will set you back only £10.

The newly-nationalised train company said its “miniature prices,” which went on sale yesterday, were expected to be in high demand, so passengers were being advised to book early to secure the best bargains.

Karen Boswell, managing director, said: “We’re proud of our miniature prices, which offer great value for money and encourage people who’ve not travelled with us before to give the train a try.

“These new fares offer even more amazing value with all the benefits of travelling by East Coast trains. Our customers enjoy a city centre to city centre journey, free wireless internet access and our café-bar serving tasty food and drink along the way.”

A spokesman said the new prices included a ten per cent discount available only when booking through the train operator’s website, eastcoast.co.uk He was unable to say how much the most expensive ticket cost in 1979, and how that compared with today. But he pointed out the cost of other forms of transport, such as driving, had increased enormously over that period.

The new fares feature in a new series of Miniature Prices TV adverts, which were launched last night, featuring miniature model characters and the voice of Bernard Cribbins, who was the stationmaster in the film of E Nesbit’s classic The Railway Children and starred in the last series of Doctor Who.