Travelling by train is often associated with crammed carriages and expensive tickets, but this year the latter could be only a distant memory if you play your cards well and are happy to stay up into the night.

Virgin Trains has announced its Black Friday sale will kick off at midnight on Wednesday (23 November) and will end at 11.59pm GMT two days later, with 200,000 discounted tickets up for grabs on the company's East Coast route.

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Of the 200,000 discounted advance seats on offer, around 150,000 will be standard class tickets, with the remaining 50,000 valid for travel in first class. The former will be on sale from £5, £10 and £15 – each way, while first class tickets can be purchased from £20, £25 and £30 each way.

The discounts mean a one-way trip from Edinburgh to London King's Cross in standard class will cost £15, compared with the normal price of £41, while the same trip in first class will cost £30 rather than £66.50.

A trip from the capital to Leeds will cost £5 in standard class and £20 in first class, rather than £14.50 and £41 respectively. Meanwhile, travelling from Newcastle to London one way will cost £10 rather than £40 in standard class and £25 rather than £66.50 in first class.

"Our fantastic deals offer our customers discounted tickets to any destination on our east coast network, giving them the opportunity to escape those January blues and get away to some of the beautiful locations on our route," said Virgin Trains managing director David Horne.

However, as it is often the case with this kind of promotions, there are a couple of caveats to be aware of before booking. Tickets will be valid for travelling between 4 January to 10 February, excluding 4 and 5 February, and there might be limited availability on peak services and during weekends.

Advance tickets are only valid for travel on the date, time and trains selected at the time of booking and tickets can't be transferred.

Tickets can be purchased here or via the Train Line website.

Black Friday