Northern wants teachers to swap coaches for trains, claiming it will save them money when it comes to school trips.

The train operator compared the costs of coach and train travel for various routes, saying that "Coach travel company may vary per quote," and basing the quotes on 25 passengers total (20 children, 50 adults) travelling midweek on a return journey.

According to Northern's calculations, a trip from Knaresborough to Harrogate would cost £340 by coach, but £60 by train - representing a saving of £280.

Littleborough to Todmorden would come to £250 by coach, but £76.50 by train, while Saltaire to Bradford would cost £450 by coach but £58.50 by train.

Mark Powles, commercial and customer director at Northern, said: "Coaches are synonymous with school trips - but times change and there are significant savings that teachers can make if they will give the railway a go."

A sale for group bookings with Northern will open on Tuesday, October 1 and run until Tuesday, 31 December, offering up to 75 per cent off the standard ticket price for journeys between Sunday, October 6 and Tuesday, 31 December.

More information is available at northernrailway.co.uk/tickets/group-travel