FabSwingers.com forum: Go by train eh?

By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

Reading an article about the state of the Greek rail network comparisons were made to the UK network. Did you know that it costs our rail operators just 0.23p/per kilometer per passenger to ferry us around the UK (inclusive of running costs etc)?

How is a fare from Newcastle to London justified at over £200 when the total journey is approximately 250 miles: £57 in running costs, and 75% profit!

Take the train? Fuck that, it's the car for me as it takes a tank and half to go to my mum's and back which costs £100!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I always look for the 'Megabus' online, they don't go everywhere but from Leeds to Manchester (depending on the time slot) it can be £2.50!

Bargain, and only takes the same time as the train (about £12-13 I think)

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I only use train when its business as I.don't have to pay!

But if you look at cost of busses compared to their running cost they would be about same margins. We accept that as its not as costly.

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By *umpkinMan
over a year ago

near the sounds of the wimborne quarter jack!

"Reading an article about the state of the Greek rail network comparisons were made to the UK network. Did you know that it costs our rail operators just 0.23p/per kilometer per passenger to ferry us around the UK (inclusive of running costs etc)?

How is a fare from Newcastle to London justified at over £200 when the total journey is approximately 250 miles: £57 in running costs, and 75% profit!

Take the train? Fuck that, it's the car for me as it takes a tank and half to go to my mum's and back which costs £100!"

OK, for a family the train can work out much more expensive than a car but as always it seems that the press have made the usual mistake of using the standard "walk on" fare to make their comparison. If you can plan your journey ahead you can get some amazing discounts and with a bit of jiggery pokery and "splitting" your journey you can save more. For instance, my friend regularly travels from Plymouth to Bristol for about £32 on her disabled travel card. She recently traveled to Taunton (about halfway to Bristol) and was charged £9

I suggested she check the fare from Taunton to Bristol - £12! So as long as the train actually stops where her first ticket ends it`s totally legal and she saves £11. So, if you`re a sheep and just go up to the kiosk and buy a ticket on the day, they`ll sting ya! Use your noddle, check which company is running your train, split your journey ticket and for a single person it can be very competitive! And sometimes cheaper and far more convenent than the no frills airlines too!

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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

If you can plan that far ahead then yes there are some bargains to be had, but my family live down south and if I had to get there in an emergency (and Siren needed the car) I would pay through the nose if I walked into Newcastle Central and asked for a ticket to London.

Yardsticks for rail travel can only be measured by a regular full fare price, which is why the media use them as an indicator of value for money.

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By *umpkinMan
over a year ago

near the sounds of the wimborne quarter jack!

Yardsticks for rail travel can only be measured by a regular full fare price, which is why the media use them as an indicator of value for money."

Really? I think you`ll find that an increasing majority have become more savvy thanks to the web and wesites like thetrainline.com (still not the cheapest BTW) with the ability to book e.tickets and the like by smart phones etc.

Sorry Wishy but if the media are using full fares as a comparison, well that`s either pure lazyness on their part or "rail bashing". After all, the are always singing the praises of cheap air tickets which people have been using for ages. Don`t forget you will still have to pay full price on a last minute booked air ticket and I hope your car price comparison includes tax, insurance, running costs, vehicle depreciation etc.

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By *iamondsmiles.Woman
over a year ago

little house on the praire

W always go by train if we are going along distance now. You can get some absolutly brilliant savings. Obviously if your planning to go spur on the moment your not going to get any benefits but plan a bit in advance and you get your seats booked and a really good discount. Much cheaper than taking the car

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Id love to be able to travel by rail, thats how i used to visit my mother, but rail travel and a young child just wouldnt mix

driving is my only option

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I do love the train, getting a newspaper and some snacks. Is pretty expensive though.

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By *nJ_NW_cplCouple
over a year ago

wirral

We travelled to London as a family of 4 for a total of £85 return booked well in advance. Mrs PnJ had to go last minute on business and the same journey for 1 was over £200 xxx

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By *umpkinMan
over a year ago

near the sounds of the wimborne quarter jack!

"Id love to be able to travel by rail, thats how i used to visit my mother, but rail travel and a young child just wouldnt mix

driving is my only option "

Try looking at a Family Discount Card. Usually 1/3 of most prices if you qualify.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Id love to be able to travel by rail, thats how i used to visit my mother, but rail travel and a young child just wouldnt mix

driving is my only option

Try looking at a Family Discount Card. Usually 1/3 of most prices if you qualify."

It wouldnt be about the cost as others have pointed out booking in advanced can save a lot of money, just about packing everything, trying to cart a suitcase, pushchair, backpack and load it onto the train safely and efficiently with a small child just has disaster written all over it

Plus she'd no doubt get restless on the train and for a 4 hour journey would just be chaos for me and everyone around

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

If you're upset about giving profit to the train companies, I'd try not to think about the profits made out of your tank and a half of petrol.

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By *emmefataleWoman
over a year ago

dirtybigbadsgirlville

"Id love to be able to travel by rail, thats how i used to visit my mother, but rail travel and a young child just wouldnt mix

driving is my only option "
I see lots of people with young kids using the train, so driving isnt your only option, its your preference.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Id love to be able to travel by rail, thats how i used to visit my mother, but rail travel and a young child just wouldnt mix

driving is my only option I see lots of people with young kids using the train, so driving isnt your only option, its your preference.

correct

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

There is something special about travelling by train. Agree it is sometimes much too expensive though.

Use the train loads and did when I had my kids cos more space and time to play games etc. They loved those train journeys. Take books, games and sarnies.

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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

"If you're upset about giving profit to the train companies, I'd try not to think about the profits made out of your tank and a half of petrol."

I'm not averse to a company making a profit, that's what business are in business to do, but when we're encouraged to use our cars less (and taxed heavily for using them) it's a bit rich for the govt to urge us onto public transport where the profit margins are so high. I'm not convinced that privatisation of the rail network was a good idea - but I do support the privatisation policies of Thatcher's govt generally speaking - and when it comes to the railways I feel it should have stayed in public ownership, and operated not to make obscene profits but to keep down the costs of travel for the populace to which it serves.

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By *atisfy janeWoman
over a year ago

Torquay

When my lads were small....very small...

we would often travel long distances by train to visit relatives.

Wasn't always easy....but then again being a parent isn't always easy, and no one ever said it would be.

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By *umpkinMan
over a year ago

near the sounds of the wimborne quarter jack!

"I do love the train, getting a newspaper and some snacks. Is pretty expensive though. "

Sometimes, the extra cost between 1st class and standard is neglidgable and by the time you`ve taken into consideration your free tea/coffee/water/biscuits/newspaper that you get in first it can be cheaper too. Plus free Wi-Fi on some 1st class!

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By *eavenNhellCouple
over a year ago

carrbrook stalybridge

still the safest form of land travel in the world

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

For me, living in rural areas a lot of my life, the car is always cheaper - it saves my most precious commodity - TIME! That said I've only been driving for about 6 months, so I expect the novelty of not living to public transport timetables will wear off after I've been in one too many tailbacks on the M5

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

do the megabus like i do £1 ive got 3 journeys book for £1 each way ...yeah a bit longer travel time but i enjoy spending the difference on something worthwhile

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By *abioMan
over a year ago

Newcastle and Gateshead

"do the megabus like i do £1 ive got 3 journeys book for £1 each way ...yeah a bit longer travel time but i enjoy spending the difference on something worthwhile "

but the point wishy made was "can you book that on the day of travel?"

i hate it when people bash the railway, but then they always quote the most expensive fare when doing it......

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By *yrdwomanWoman
over a year ago

Putting the 'cum' in Eboracum

I travel a lot between York and Bristol and reckon its about 50/50 for me. Bear in mind I don't pay for either the tickets or the fuel when travelling for work, but there is nothing worse than getting stuck in a 2 hour tailback on the M1, just to hit another one on the M42. On the other hand, trains aren't known for their punctuality! However being able to read, listen to music, and scoff a sarnie without swerving across 3 lanes of traffic makes training it my preference.

As for when I do have to pay, a train ticket between York and London booked 3 months in advance is £16. A small car booked for a weekend is 4 times that price, plus the two tanks of petrol needed, plus a £200 deposit that you'll be lucky to get back.

My Mum has a cutting that calculated that if you only ever use public transport, including full train fares, taxis, hire cars and buses, it still works out less than running a car full time. I lose the convenience sure, but it suits me fine.

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By *ixson-BallsMan
over a year ago

Blackpool

"If you can plan that far ahead then yes there are some bargains to be had, but my family live down south and if I had to get there in an emergency (and Siren needed the car) I would pay through the nose if I walked into Newcastle Central and asked for a ticket to London.

Yardsticks for rail travel can only be measured by a regular full fare price, which is why the media use them as an indicator of value for money."

that yardstick is the equivalent of walking off the street into a hotel and paying the rack rate...we all know with a bit of prior booking you can get a bargain....

the press may use them as an indicator but we all know that what one reads ain't necessarily the be all and end all

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"We travelled to London as a family of 4 for a total of £85 return booked well in advance. Mrs PnJ had to go last minute on business and the same journey for 1 was over £200 xxx"

My mate and I travelled from Coventry to London this week for £13.50 return for the two of us

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By *waymanMan
over a year ago

newcastle

How is a fare from Newcastle to London justified at over £200 when the total journey is approximately 250 miles: £57 in running costs, and 75% profit!

Take the train? Fuck that, it's the car for me as it takes a tank and half to go to my mum's and back which costs £100!"

Lots of good comment sin this thread, but bear in mind also that the London commuter market greatly skews all the cost and finance models of British heavy rail.

Also bear in mind that you could cut costs simply by eliminating the ROSCOs and transferring the rolling stock to the franchisees or to the infrastructure company - any surplus stock could then be transferred to an open access authority to enable more open access providers to enter the market.

Get rid of the shitty contractors who do maintenance badly and demand ridiculous overnight possessions irrespective of the work being undertaken and you might even grow the capacity of the network without spending any money...

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I always look for the 'Megabus' online, they don't go everywhere but from Leeds to Manchester (depending on the time slot) it can be £2.50!

Bargain, and only takes the same time as the train (about £12-13 I think)"

Jeeeze that's cheaper than my 6 mile journey to town on the local bus what a bargain

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By *roovytwoCouple
over a year ago

burnley

Used to use trains to get from Aberdeen to Burnley when I was a student(5 years)...dirty,horrible,inefficient,3 train changes...the list could go on.Never went on one again till about 3 years ago when had to go to Birmingham to collect a car...guess what...still the same...late trains so missed connection ...had to go via somewhere else...dirty carrage...over priced yes a good whinge but they are no better now than they were 25years ago and probably far more expensive pro rata

On the other hand took the bus into Manchster last year..on time,£5.00 clean straight to centre no hassle only slightly longer than car...impressed.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"do the megabus like i do £1 ive got 3 journeys book for £1 each way ...yeah a bit longer travel time but i enjoy spending the difference on something worthwhile

but the point wishy made was "can you book that on the day of travel?"

i hate it when people bash the railway, but then they always quote the most expensive fare when doing it......

"
i paid £10 on monday for tues to london the same journey on the train was £126.00

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"do the megabus like i do £1 ive got 3 journeys book for £1 each way ...yeah a bit longer travel time but i enjoy spending the difference on something worthwhile

but the point wishy made was "can you book that on the day of travel?"

i hate it when people bash the railway, but then they always quote the most expensive fare when doing it......

"
i paid £10 on monday for tues to london the same journey on the train was £126.00 yes you can book up to 30mins before the coach leaves

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

[Removed by poster at 17/05/12 21:54:29]

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"We travelled to London as a family of 4 for a total of £85 return booked well in advance. Mrs PnJ had to go last minute on business and the same journey for 1 was over £200 xxx

My mate and I travelled from Coventry to London this week for £13.50 return for the two of us

"
on the train, not the bus

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By *RS79Man
over a year ago

Milton Keynes

Split your journey up - even on the day - just ask the ticket office to do it. If you ask they will help

Never pay walk up direct fares instead take 10 mins with the timetable and figure out where your train stops and then use nation rail enquires to work out journey combinations write them down and select the cheapest combination

You do not have to get off the train as long as you have tickets covering every stop. So Newcastle- Durham - Durham - York is valid if your train stops at all the stations for a journey between Newcastle and York

Then go to the train company website, and any train company website will sell you the same tickets to buy them. East coast and London midland have the best interface I find

However always check the site of the actual operator for further discounts

NEVER NEVER NEVER and I can't stress this enough use the train line . Com THEY CAN NOT SAVE ANY MORE MONEY THAN YOU CAN SAVE YOURSELF AND THEY CHARGE A BOOKING FEE!

Lecture over - any questions

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By *ara JTV/TS
over a year ago

Bristol East

I like going by train.

If you play around with times, you can save quite a bit.

I drive to Inverness and get the train from there to Edinburgh or Glasgow.

Full fare is something like £60 return, but I normally get it for £22 return by using less popular trains during the day.

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