Network Rail staff flew from Newcastle to London as the journey was cheaper by plane than train.
A report in the Sunday Times revealed employees working for Network Rail - the body which owns and operates Britain's railway infrastructure - have chosen to travel around the country by planes on a number of occasions, as air travel was more cost effective than taking the train.
Journeys included a £73.31 flight from Newcastle International Airport to London Heathrow Airport. An anytime single rail ticket from Newcastle to London Kings Cross costs £160, although advance and off peak fares can be cheaper. The cheapest advance adult ticket costs £29, but customers usually have to book far in advance to get that price, as only limited seats are available for the cheapest fares.
The Sunday Times' report found employees spent £19.99 on a flight from Cardiff to Anglesey. A flexible single rail ticket would cost £84 for the same journey. Other journeys staff took include a £30.99 flight from London Stansted to Glasgow and a £39.99 flight from Southampton to Manchester.
A total of £1m was spent on rail tickets in the last two financial years while staff took 9,212 flights in the same period.
A spokesperson for Network Rail said: "With 98% of our business travel made by rail, trains more often than not represent best value."
Network Rail does not set train fares. Train companies - like LNER, CrossCountry and Virgin - are responsible for pricing tickets, while 40% of fares are capped in line with the RPI rate of inflation.
