Business travellers are even more likely to stick to four wheels rather than try train travel after a study revealed passengers are paying more in the UK.

Consumer watchdog Passenger Focus was commissioned by the government to look at rail fares and ticketing.

And, while it discovered passengers making advance purchases buy some of the cheapest tickets in Europe, passengers wanting to travel at short notice generally faced higher charges.

For example, in Britain long-distance turn-up-and-go fully flexible day return fares to the principal city – London – were 87% more than in the next most expensive country surveyed – Germany.

“Ultimately, a fundamental review of the long-distance fare structure is needed to improve understanding and address the issues of fairness and the high price of flexibility,” said Colin Foxall, chairman of Passenger Focus.