There is now a way substantially to cut the cost of travelling from London to Manchester or vice-versa. Virgin Trains are running a trial operation which allows you to print your tickets at home and then take them to use on the train. You can do so for fares as low as £1, or, more commonly, anything under a tenner each way. To get these cheap fares, you need to go to a special page on Virgin’s website: http://tinyurl.com/2zdhsd. As we went to press, tickets were available until April 25, but this could be extended.