michael Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 The topic below is something people have known about for a while but what has shocked me is the actual price of tickets. How can they possibly consider train travel a viable alternative to the car when it costs so much? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6442947.stm When I used trains on a daily basis (6+ years ago) I was annoyed at the £6.50 a day it cost me, the prices quoted in the article are mental though. The last time I did Leeds > London I think I paid £29 return with a reserved seat, that was a long time ago though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 I sometimes used the train to go to boro about 3 or 4 years ago. Now it's just way too expensive, much cheaper to fly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbourner Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 I hate driving in London so took the train to Earls Court once, think it was £70 or something!!! That was only about 2 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 When there's two of you it's just not worth taking the train. Especially when you end up having to get cabs etc the other end too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penguin Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 trains = rip off .... i use to pay £45 for an offpeak return between london and leeds - with a student card.... that was 4 years ago - prob touching £70 for the same ticket now i imagine! same journey on a car is no more then 30 quid and you can have 4 hitchickers with you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Class One Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Whe I first moved to Oxfordshire in 1999 I was working an 8hour shift pattern, so I could only drive to work on my "core" days, the rest of the time I had to use public transport. At the time I could get free bus and tube travel, but the train was costing me £27.50 A DAY In one week of the pattern it would cost me £137.50 to get to and from work. (Thank the Lord that week only happened once every six weeks). Now however, I can get free train travel upto about 70-100miles from London depending on the operator. However since then I've moved further out and work 12hours so have to drive otherwise my day would be just too long (6hrs travelling per day as opposed to 1.5-2hrs travelling) The paradox I don't understand, is how the Government want to increase taxation to improve public transport, yet the train operating companies are private businesses, so is the Government giving handouts to private enterprise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
penguin Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 few people fail to see the hipocracy of governement! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveK Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 I went up to the motor show a few years ago at the NEC. The return ticket was something ridiculous like £70 each. We both run uneconomical cars (he has a Celica, I only had the 964 then) and yet it was still much cheaper for us to drive - and still would have been even if I was going on my own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millsy Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 It is a farce. I've paid around £40 for a return ticket from Peterborough to London in peak rate before. That's about a 45/50 min journey and without a reserved seat. You could almost hire out a cheap car and do the journey for the same price. Season ticket is £550 a month - you'd have to be earning serious money to commute to work from here but loads do. I'd use public transport more if it was a) cheap and b) more reliable/frequent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittyclaws Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Me and the wife looked into getting a train up to blackpool a few years ago. With 75% off the full fare ticket,It still worked out cheaper to take the car. I can only get free travel on southern trains, and also on south west trains but thats only if i don't come across a guard on a power trip. But in all, yes the fares are sky high ps,,, I may add at this point that the fares have nothing to do with me, or engineering works. I just drive the bloody things from A to B then to C, Then back to A, then to D back to A to D to A to D to A to D to A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaymdee Posted March 15, 2007 Share Posted March 15, 2007 I wanted to get a return to Reading a few weeks ago. one of the options gave me a quote from Bath of £172 !! Super saver return was £33, so not too bad, but WTF is £172 about??? Not exacly making it an attractive alternative are they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivan Posted March 16, 2007 Share Posted March 16, 2007 The only time I have been on a train in the last 10 years was when my company refused to let me travel to the smoke by car (and save them a fortune BTW). Made me train and tube my way there and reclaim the expense. Because of the cost I made them pay me back the day I returned and absolutley refused to do it ever again. Needless to say I didn't last long in that company as I wasn't a yesman. I simply will not travel by train while there is a cheaper and more convenient alternative! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoboblio Posted March 16, 2007 Share Posted March 16, 2007 The trains are one of the main reasons I'm looking at a job closer to home outside of London - over 3.5k a year to sit on those cattle carts, no thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edd_t Posted March 16, 2007 Share Posted March 16, 2007 i pay just over £3100 now for the priverledge of sitting on a seat as comfy as a brick wall twice a day! i must be a mug. just so that i can come to london and fill my lungs with polluted air! if my GF stays round mine, it costs her £30 a day for a return on the train with me! total rip off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toyotasuprauk Posted March 16, 2007 Share Posted March 16, 2007 I got the train yesterday (very unusual) and I have to say it was actually very good. All the trains left on the time, the new trains are pretty nice with excellent sound proofing apart from one train which had rock hard seats. It was off peak and still cost over £18 each from Newhaven to West Brompton (Earls Court) which I think is too expensive. If the prices were more reasonable I actually think I would start taking the train to work providing it wasn’t packed worse than a cattle lorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittyclaws Posted March 16, 2007 Share Posted March 16, 2007 I wanted to get a return to Reading a few weeks ago. one of the options gave me a quote from Bath of £172 !! Super saver return was £33, so not too bad, but WTF is £172 about??? Not exacly making it an attractive alternative are they? As a guess, the £172 would be the most direct route, ie, the quickest. the £33 would be the longest route Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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