RAIL union RMT exposed the destructive practices of “profiteering machine” Trainline today as the firm reported a double-digit growth in revenues. 

The travel booking website reported that ticket sales in the six months to August 31 had jumped by 14 per cent to £3 billion, which boosted revenues by 17 per cent to £229 million. 

Before the announcement, RMT had surveyed 2,600 rail workers about the firm, uncovering numerous problems such as bogus tickets, excessive pricing and confusing fare options.

More than 90 per cent of the respondents reported that the firm failed to provide passengers with the best value fare and sells tickets that are invalid for the intended journeys, forcing many customers to pay again or face penalties.

Some 80 per cent said they had encountered passengers who had bought tickets through Trainline only to find that they were unusable, requiring them to buy new ones.

RMT reported that the website fails to apply discounts such as GroupSave or regional offers, leaving customers paying more than they would at the ticket office.

The website’s default settings prioritises more expensive fares, the union said, while its “Splitsave” option can be confusing, leaving many people unexpectedly out of pocket as it is restricted to certain trains at certain times.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said “Trainline is a profiteering machine that’s ripping off passengers and unnecessarily costing taxpayers.

“Their model relies on hidden fees, deceptive ticket options and overpriced fares, all designed to boost shareholder profits at the public’s expense.”

RMT highlighted that the government’s plan for the creation of a publicly owned Great British Railways (GBR) would eliminate third-party profiteering by bringing ticketing under public control. 

“A nationalised, publicly owned rail ticketing system would mean transparency, fair prices and best value fares for every passenger,” Mr Lynch said.

“RMT supports plans to simplify ticketing and the creation of Great British Railways should be an opportunity to tackle the rip-off and the confusion that Trainline has thrived off.”

The company insisted that “this RMT attack is riddled with errors,” adding that it was continuing to invest in new technology and working in partnership with the government to make rail travel easier.

Despite reporting that it had doubled its pre-tax profits to £46.5m, Trainline announced plans yesterday to cut its workforce.

The company did not reveal how many jobs would be lost in a drive to slash costs by £1m.