Cheap advance rail fares could be phased out under radical industry plans to modernise the way people book train journeys.

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, is calling for a digital overhaul of fares which could see passengers who buy tickets on board paying the same price as those who have booked months in advance.

At present advance tickets costing as little as £15 are available for the same journeys for which last-minute tickets can cost hundreds of pounds.

Under the plans, passengers could be given a "national travel account" letting them manage and book journeys with any rail provider through a single smartphone app. This could eventually be extended to buses and taxis, RDG said.

Journeys booked through the app will be automatically allocated the lowest available fare, mitigating the need for so-called split-ticketing, where two separate tickets to a destination are cheaper than the cost of a single fare.