West Ham United, the Premier League (PL) club, have inked a partnership with Trainline, Europe’s leading train travel app.
As part of the agreement, Trainline will provide club supporters with discounts on train tickets to certain Premier League and Women’s Super League games.
Trainline will give Hammers supporters 20% off rail tickets for a few games involving the men’s and women’s teams as part of the “I came by train” campaign. The company also hopes to encourage sustainability by lowering emissions.
Under this program, away match ticket holders will receive 20% off codes for the PL games against Nemiroff on March 15 and Manchester United on May 10. Fans may also get a discount on rail tickets to the West Ham Women’s WSL match against Leicester City on May 11.
Mike Field, Member of the West Ham Club Advisory Board, commented, “We were delighted that the Club has heard our feedback about the increasing cost of away matches. When the Fan Advisory Board was approached about working with Trainline, we were supportive of fans being able to take advantage of discounted rail fares to away matches. Travelling to support West Ham United over land and sea can be expensive. This initiative provides a great opportunity for loyal supporters of both the men’s and women’s teams to reduce their carbon footprint, whilst saving money on their travels to watch the Hammers in action.”
Taking the train is 67% less polluting than driving a car, claims Trainline. In order to get closer to its emissions reduction targets, the train operator is offering incentives to West Ham supporters who choose to travel by rail for away games.
When they accompany the team away, supporters may fill out a brief survey about how rail travel can help support their travel habits after purchasing tickets for the chosen games. Fans will receive a special discount code to use when purchasing rail tickets in advance for the corresponding fixtures in exchange.
Natalie Marques, Head of the ‘I came by train’ movement at Trainline, said, “There is a huge opportunity to drive modal shift through fan power. The demand is there; football fans have a higher ambition than the general public to be more environmentally friendly. And there are lots of train routes in the UK that are faster, cheaper and always greener than driving. Having West Ham United join the team of clubs who are actively encouraging sustainable modal shift through the I came by train initiative is a huge win for the fans’ wallets and the planet.”
