FULL DISCLOSURE: Northern customers can now compare cost, travel time and CO₂ emissions of their journey versus the equivalent trip by road BEFORE they book their ticket

The train operator provides the information via the Savings Calculator comparison tool on their website.

Ticket prices are compared against the average cost to travel the same distance in both a diesel and electric car; journey times are compared to peak car journeys in Google maps; and CO₂ emissions are calculated using government certified data sources and assumptions.

The new feature forms part of Northern’s commitment to put customers at the heart of everything it does by enabling them to make informed decisions.

Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern, said: “Encouraging people to make the switch from road to rail is something we are, naturally, very passionate about.

“The ‘Savings Calculator’ tool on the website now highlights three of the biggest issues our customers tell us are important to them – and we’re confident our trains will more than ‘hold their own’ against the car when it comes to saving people time, money and the CO₂ emissions of their journeys.”

Some example comparisons for popular journeys on the Northern network include:

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.

All calculations are made using Government conversion factors. Environmental data regarding Northern’s fleet of trains is validated each year by an external auditor. For further information on this calculation, visit: www.northernrailway.co.uk/train-vs-car-comparison/data.