The cost of UK Rail Travel

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It's swings and roundabouts. If you buy at the right time, you could probably buy a rail ticket to go via Aberdeen for cheaper than a taxi fare from the next town after a night out.

A £6 saving that costs about 9 hours of your time isn't appealing to most people.
 


Flared Hicks said:
  • Much cheaper - depends on the routes you're taking, and the times you're travelling. I'd say overall they are usually cheaper, but not always much cheaper unless, like here, you book in advance, in which case deals can be had here.
  • More timely - I travel extensively in the UK and Europe and don't find this to be the case. I have trains running late in Belgium, France, Netherlands & Germany on a regular basis. My trains in the UK are on time or within a few minutes 90+% of the time
  • Beautiful trains - erm yes, whatever Cat. A commuter train in the aforementioned countries is no more or less functional a public transport medium than it is here. Long distance trains like the Thalys, TGV, Frecciarossa etc you may have a point, but the average local or intercity is no more beautiful than even the aging 125s
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I agree. I am not commuting but travelling inter city trains. All those beauties and the pendolino or whatever it is called.

Flared Hicks said:
Cat Ryan - Last of the Romantics. Starring Daniel Day Lewis in a flowery dress with ringlets and a porcelain complexion.
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I love the old Japanese stock in Thailand and the overnight from Paris to Madrid. I loved the old wooden seated Dutch inter city.

I do find old trains romantic. Like listening to boxing on the radio. Not everyone's cup of tea.
 
Flared Hicks said:
Cat Ryan - Last of the Romantics. Starring Daniel Day Lewis in a flowery dress with ringlets and a porcelain complexion.
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must be those dirty double decker trains in france and belgium with the guys leaving tissues and toys for sale on your table every half hour
 
How they class over 16 as adult is terrible.Yes I know you can get the Young Persons Card but still bloody expensive
 
Flared Hicks said:
  • Much cheaper - depends on the routes you're taking, and the times you're travelling. I'd say overall they are usually cheaper, but not always much cheaper unless, like here, you book in advance, in which case deals can be had here.
  • More timely - I travel extensively in the UK and Europe and don't find this to be the case. I have trains running late in Belgium, France, Netherlands & Germany on a regular basis. My trains in the UK are on time or within a few minutes 90+% of the time
  • Beautiful trains - erm yes, whatever Cat. A commuter train in the aforementioned countries is no more or less functional a public transport medium than it is here. Long distance trains like the Thalys, TGV, Frecciarossa etc you may have a point, but the average local or intercity is no more beautiful than even the aging 125s
Click to expand...

The Grand Central ones are a joy to travel in :)
 
You should be able to pay £50 and be able to travel to any British station by train imo. You cannot make a profit worth making from mass rail transit. Privatisation has failed like we all knew it would.
 
York said:
The boy tbf has highlighted how stupid the British rail traveller is though - the cost of rail travel is bloody stupid, and drives those with cars to take the car unless perhaps travelling into the centre of London. I go 2 returns to London for next month with East Coast for £20 all in last month when Virgin were advertising specials. Just looked at cost today and it's £197. I could take the car there and back and pay the Congestion charge and still have money left over - bloody stupid.
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similar to when we went to Lords to watch Durham in the final. Train was going to be £130 each and that was a return on the day. driving down, parking up outside central london, direct london bus into lords, then a hotel just outside of london on the night cost us approx £90. (£50 petrol, £40 travelodge, £5 for london bus as we used contactless debit card).

february 2015, i went to somerset to visit a friend. durham to taunton was £120 going via birmingham. going durham to london, london to bristol, bristol to near weston super mare cost me £50 return. travelling time almost identical.

crazy pricing system

Frijj said:
He supposedly counted all the costs
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he counted in all costs. bus to the airport in east midlands, bus to and from berlin centre, and bus home from stansted airport.

ffcne said:
How they class over 16 as adult is terrible.Yes I know you can get the Young Persons Card but still bloody expensive
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arriva buses class an adult as over 14.
 
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Illogical train travel in this country:

Type in Exeter St Davids to Hilsea (change at Fareham) £65 for a single

Type in Exeter St Davids To Fratton £16. Get off at Fareham and buy a single to Hilsea £4. Total £20.
 
Paddy O'Dors said:
Illogical train travel in this country:

Type in Exeter St Davids to Hilsea (change at Fareham) £65 for a single

Type in Exeter St Davids To Fratton £16. Get off at Fareham and buy a single to Hilsea £4. Total £20.
Click to expand...
I cannot for the life of me understand why the government/watchdog simply make a law which forces train companies to publish the cheapest iteration of a journey.
 
Paddy O'Dors said:
Illogical train travel in this country:

Type in Exeter St Davids to Hilsea (change at Fareham) £65 for a single

Type in Exeter St Davids To Fratton £16. Get off at Fareham and buy a single to Hilsea £4. Total £20.
Click to expand...

Another victory for Mrs T.

monkeytassle said:
I cannot for the life of me understand why the government/watchdog simply make a law which forces train companies to publish the cheapest iteration of a journey.
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Private enterprise mate. Need to maximise wealth for the shareholders.
 
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Paddy O'Dors said:
Illogical train travel in this country:

Type in Exeter St Davids to Hilsea (change at Fareham) £65 for a single

Type in Exeter St Davids To Fratton £16. Get off at Fareham and buy a single to Hilsea £4. Total £20.
Click to expand...

I have found at times, if I put in my local station in Kent up to Sunderland or Newcastle, I have to change at St Pancras to Kings Cross, where basically you just walk across the road. Doing it on one ticket is anywhere between £20 and £60 more expensive than buying separate tickets but going on the same train and walking across the same public road. They want to charge me £60 to cross a road?
 
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