Commuters and long-distance travellers alike have long been moaning about the cost of train travel, and how ludicrously hard it is to track down the cheapest deal.

Last week National Rail launched bestvaluefares.co.uk which it says will help passengers find the cheapest fares and best deals.

So does it deliver?

Cheap fare finder

The site's cheap fare finder section does what it says on the tin. You enter details of your start point, destination and date you want to travel and it displays the fares on offer. To buy tickets online it takes you through to the website of the appropriate train company.

Railcards

It's not just students that can buy a railcard to get money off their fares with a 16-25 Railcard. There is also the Family and Friends Railcard, Senior Railcard and Network Railcard that offer discounts. As well as knocking cash off your train fares holding one of these cards can also get you a discount at certain hotels or attractions.

Season tickets

If you make the same journey to work every day it makes sense to get a Season Ticket. An Annual Season Ticket works out the best value and gives you 52 weeks travel for the price of 40.

Train company offers

This section of the site lists the latest offers from different train firms. Current offers include 50% discount on off-peak tickets on Southern, Kids Go Free in Scotland with ScotRail, and 50% off advance fares for students on the Transpennine Express. Club 55 offers discounts on Arriva Trains Wales, First Great Western and ScotRail for travellers aged 55 or over.

Your guide to rail tickets

This section explains the difference between anytime, off-peak, advance and season tickets as well as looking at the Oyster card, Plusbus, sleeper services and First Class tickets.