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Thousands of commuters who travel to work outside of peak hours will be given discounts on season tickets, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has revealed.

The cheap rail fares will also be available for people who work part-time as the government plans to cut the cost of regular rail travel by bringing in 'smart ticketing'.

Mr McLoughlin admitted that improvements needed to be made for passengers, but said the electronic ticketing scheme would save passengers money.

Mr McLoughlin plans to bring in electronic 'smart ticketing', similar to the Oyster card scheme in London, which he says will reduce fares.

He said: 'Not all commuters want to use the train five days a week. But at the moment it works out cheaper to pay for a season ticket than buying three return journeys a week.

'We have not got the kind of smart ticketing that would make the difference to enable you to purchase six journeys a week rather than pay for 10 journeys a week.'