A promotion offering discounted train tickets will be launched early next year, Transport Secretary Louise Haigh announced.

The Cabinet minister said passengers will be able to save up to 50% off the cost of Advance and off-peak fares, with more than a million cut-price tickets.

This will designed “to get Britain moving, to connect our communities and to give back to passengers, who for too long have paid more and more for less and less”, she said.

The promotion will mark the 200-year anniversary of the world’s first passenger train service.

The Stockton and Darlington Railway in north-east England opened on September 27 1825.

In a speech in Derby on Thursday, Ms Haigh said the train tickets sale will be among “exciting campaigns” designed to “urgently get passengers back on board”.

The Government is expected to announce later this year how much train fares in England will rise by in 2025.

Derby will be the future home of Great British Railways (GBR), a new public sector body which will oversee Britain’s rail infrastructure and train operation.

Ms Haigh said this will “not be British Rail rebooted or Network Rail 2.0”, but will “usher in a new era for the railways where every part of the industry is motivated and incentivised to deliver for the passenger”.

She added that this is her “personal mission”.

GBR will have a “relentless focus on passengers” and will “stop the blame game by unifying track and train”, she said.

Ms Haigh has established a shadow GBR to start industry collaboration ahead of the formation of GBR, which will require legislation.