The promotion, which covers Fridays from 20 July to 31 August, means customers who buy an off-peak ticket won’t need to wait for the start of the off-peak period on a Friday evening to travel.

The rail network said it wants to encourage more spontaneous weekend getaways from London this summer.

Customers booking in advance will still bag the cheapest tickets, but the limited-time deal means a customer turning up at Euston Station at 4pm and travelling on the next train to Manchester will see the cost of a walk-up fare drop by £125.55.

Research by Virgin found Brits are far from being a nation of queue-loving, stiff upper-lip Brits; they in fact embrace spontaneity and last-minute decisions for weekend plans.

The train firm found 93% of all social media conversations about the weekend refer to acting spontaneously, with excited conversations kicking in at 4pm on a Friday.

Sarah Copley, executive director commercial, for Virgin Trains said: “We know the working week is busy for most, with day-to-day routines often not allowing much opportunity to be spontaneous. We see summer weekends as the perfect time to think a little differently about how you choose to spend time in the UK.

“Our summer promotion will enable Virgin Trains customers to extend their weekends with ease and be more flexible with their plans. We hope as many people as possible will make the most of their summer Fridays starting that little bit earlier, choosing to travel and explore the many great places we visit along the West Coast with friends and family.”

For more ways to save money on train fares, check out this guide.