Rip-off train tickets
Discussion
Never found a stupidly priced ticket, reguarly go to visit my mother in deepest cornwall and from Oxford the past 3 times i have paid £31 rtn standard, £62 rtn 1st class and now i am down here again i bought a single to get home for £37 first class. Bus was £68 single and took 11.5 hours, as it stands each ticket has been cheaper then the cost of fuel for a round trip of nearly 600 miles.
EFA The latest ticket was purchased 5 days ago so not months in advance.
EFA The latest ticket was purchased 5 days ago so not months in advance.
Edited by Nickyboy on Tuesday 17th March 16:55
Nickyboy said:
Never found a stupidly priced ticket, reguarly go to visit my mother in deepest cornwall and from Oxford the past 3 times i have paid £31 rtn standard, £62 rtn 1st class and now i am down here again i bought a single to get home for £37 first class. Bus was £68 single and took 11.5 hours, as it stands each ticket has been cheaper then the cost of fuel for a round trip of nearly 600 miles.
EFA The latest ticket was purchased 5 days ago so not months in advance.
do you have to go into london and out again? if not, there's your answer.EFA The latest ticket was purchased 5 days ago so not months in advance.
Edited by Nickyboy on Tuesday 17th March 16:55
Its not like your forced to travel on the train you have options and this particular option is in your opinion to expensive.
The train company is a company out to make profit and it sells its goods at a price it thinks it can get away with rather than one to make everyone happy, seems like a reasonable business practice to me.
The train company is a company out to make profit and it sells its goods at a price it thinks it can get away with rather than one to make everyone happy, seems like a reasonable business practice to me.
imp123 said:
Its not like your forced to travel on the train you have options and this particular option is in your opinion to expensive.
The train company is a company out to make profit and it sells its goods at a price it thinks it can get away with rather than one to make everyone happy, seems like a reasonable business practice to me.
That's fine in a normal competitive environment. At an airport, you can choose to fly BA, Lufthansa Ryan Air etc to yourdestination. From my local station, I have no choice, I can't choose train company A, B or C can I?. It's a regional monopoly. That's why you see crazy fare increases every year for crappy unmanned stations, overcrowded trains due to not enough investment in rolling stock, need I go on?The train company is a company out to make profit and it sells its goods at a price it thinks it can get away with rather than one to make everyone happy, seems like a reasonable business practice to me.
Can you imagine only being able to fly one airline to the US, one airline to Germany, one to France etc?
I think it's really about making the Chancellor and car lobby happy. If you run an expensive and crappy train service, you will drive people to use their cars; no pun intended. The amount of tax extracted from the motorist for his fuel is pure income for the treasury. When the motorist complains about the high fuel duty, you can tell him he's causing pollution/accidents, you name it. With the support of the anti-car lobby you can increase all the car taxes, claiming global warming or whatever else is on the spin list that day. In addition you can fine speeding motorists with the multitude of "safety" cameras. Add the tax on car insurance, local authority parking charges, parking ticket income etc: It is little wonder the Government is quite happy to allow these local monopolies to screw the poor passenger.
I do Doncaster-Kings Cross quite regularly. Now cheaper to go the night before and stay in a cheap hotel If there is such a thing).
Saturday I ended up geting the bus between Hatfield and Huntington, but luckily spotted this because Nexpress were about to sell me a first class ticket on a bus.
Saturday I ended up geting the bus between Hatfield and Huntington, but luckily spotted this because Nexpress were about to sell me a first class ticket on a bus.
I go and see a mate in Ilfracombe, N.Devon travelling from London, from time to time. I drive and it normally takes me about 4 hours and the round trip costs about £60 in petrol. Old gas guzzling Beemer.
I love the drive, stop when I want for food, listen to the radio or my iPod and enjoy my own company.
The last time my missus suggested that I let the train take the strain.
Had to hoof a heavy bag for a mile to the tube station, stand all the way to Paddington. £70 on the day for the train to Barnstaple via Exeter. The first train was rammed and there was nowhere to sit for the 2 1/2 hours to Exeter.
Wait in the freezing cold for the train? to Barnstaple which was some sort of 2 carriage bus thing with thin arse numbing seats, if you could get one, that took over an hour to travel the 30 miles to Barnstaple.
This train looked like the thing the Russian Peasants were on in the film The Peacemaker, before it gets hit by the troop train carrying a nuclear bomb.
Once at Barnstaple there is a bit of a walk to a bus that runs every 2 hours for the 45 min schlep to Ilfracombe.
Public transport!!!!!!!
You can shove it where the sun don't shine.
I love the drive, stop when I want for food, listen to the radio or my iPod and enjoy my own company.
The last time my missus suggested that I let the train take the strain.
Had to hoof a heavy bag for a mile to the tube station, stand all the way to Paddington. £70 on the day for the train to Barnstaple via Exeter. The first train was rammed and there was nowhere to sit for the 2 1/2 hours to Exeter.
Wait in the freezing cold for the train? to Barnstaple which was some sort of 2 carriage bus thing with thin arse numbing seats, if you could get one, that took over an hour to travel the 30 miles to Barnstaple.
This train looked like the thing the Russian Peasants were on in the film The Peacemaker, before it gets hit by the troop train carrying a nuclear bomb.
Once at Barnstaple there is a bit of a walk to a bus that runs every 2 hours for the 45 min schlep to Ilfracombe.
Public transport!!!!!!!
You can shove it where the sun don't shine.tamore said:
Nickyboy said:
Never found a stupidly priced ticket, reguarly go to visit my mother in deepest cornwall and from Oxford the past 3 times i have paid £31 rtn standard, £62 rtn 1st class and now i am down here again i bought a single to get home for £37 first class. Bus was £68 single and took 11.5 hours, as it stands each ticket has been cheaper then the cost of fuel for a round trip of nearly 600 miles.
EFA The latest ticket was purchased 5 days ago so not months in advance.
do you have to go into london and out again? if not, there's your answer.EFA The latest ticket was purchased 5 days ago so not months in advance.
Edited by Nickyboy on Tuesday 17th March 16:55
Its no different to airlines, you book early you get nice cheap tickets, you take a last min trip and you pay thru the nose
Nickyboy said:
tamore said:
Nickyboy said:
Never found a stupidly priced ticket, reguarly go to visit my mother in deepest cornwall and from Oxford the past 3 times i have paid £31 rtn standard, £62 rtn 1st class and now i am down here again i bought a single to get home for £37 first class. Bus was £68 single and took 11.5 hours, as it stands each ticket has been cheaper then the cost of fuel for a round trip of nearly 600 miles.
EFA The latest ticket was purchased 5 days ago so not months in advance.
do you have to go into london and out again? if not, there's your answer.EFA The latest ticket was purchased 5 days ago so not months in advance.
Edited by Nickyboy on Tuesday 17th March 16:55
Its no different to airlines, you book early you get nice cheap tickets, you take a last min trip and you pay thru the nose
i can rarely plan more than a couple of weeks ahead because of my business, so even i'f i'm travlelling alone, the car is cheaper and far more convenient.
I had an interview in London for a job in the Transport police IT related and they suggested I took the train from Bristol to London and they would pay me back.
£140 for the return journey to the station I forget what it was called and then 2 tube journeys and a taxi. Total for the day would have been close to £200.
Now morally I didn’t do it instead took the car at a cost of £20 in fuel and found a parking meter a short walk from the interview at £2 per hour so I popped in £4.
Got to the interview to be told there was parking available at the site
Time taken was also shorter 2.5 hours instead of 5 on the outbound so a total of 5 hours for the whole trip at a cost of £24+5 for wear and tear instead of £200 for a 10 hour trip and a 1 hour interview.
£140 for the return journey to the station I forget what it was called and then 2 tube journeys and a taxi. Total for the day would have been close to £200.
Now morally I didn’t do it instead took the car at a cost of £20 in fuel and found a parking meter a short walk from the interview at £2 per hour so I popped in £4.
Got to the interview to be told there was parking available at the site
Time taken was also shorter 2.5 hours instead of 5 on the outbound so a total of 5 hours for the whole trip at a cost of £24+5 for wear and tear instead of £200 for a 10 hour trip and a 1 hour interview.
I totally sympathise. I live near Basingstoke and my girlfriend lives in Beckenham. For me to go and see her at the weekend costs nearly £30 by train and the journey takes 2½ hours. If I drive it takes 1½ hours or less and costs me £18 in petrol (and I drive a 2.8 litre BMW!!). For me to give up my comfortable quiet and relaxing car to sit bolt upright on a rock hard seat in a noisy train full of chavs with dehumidified air that stings my eyes I'd need to be paying less than my car, not more! I've a lot of time for trains as a concept, but that's just crazy. Plus of course if I drive I can take more with me (some DVDs, a bottle of wine, maybe some flowers or even my guitar etc).
I love cars because I like driving round tracks and down twisty roads. I get rather bored on motorways so I don't mind taking the train, but I don't see what the attraction is when it costs nearly twice as much, and offers so much less in the way of comfort and convenience.
I love cars because I like driving round tracks and down twisty roads. I get rather bored on motorways so I don't mind taking the train, but I don't see what the attraction is when it costs nearly twice as much, and offers so much less in the way of comfort and convenience.
Following the thread the other week about integrated journey planners and the alleged announcement of a Heathrow train hub I checked out fares on using the train.
Ignoring the fact that I would have to take a much later flight to avoid having to set off the evening before, when I saw the train fare I sounded like one of those bloddy annoying laughing red noses that were being sold for RND.
For less than the train fare I can
Drive from home to LHR.
Stop off at Oxford services for a full English, tea and a newspaper.
Park for a week pre booked in T5 short term car park none of this transfer bus from long term malarkey
Drive home again.
And still have enough money left saved from the fare to take Mrs FiF, Miss FiF and myself out for dinner to a very decent and well above average price quality chinky.
Bear in mind that is with booking WELL in adavance and before even considering first class train fares. Give me sodding strength.
Pubic transport. (TM)
Ignoring the fact that I would have to take a much later flight to avoid having to set off the evening before, when I saw the train fare I sounded like one of those bloddy annoying laughing red noses that were being sold for RND.
For less than the train fare I can
Drive from home to LHR.
Stop off at Oxford services for a full English, tea and a newspaper.
Park for a week pre booked in T5 short term car park none of this transfer bus from long term malarkey
Drive home again.
And still have enough money left saved from the fare to take Mrs FiF, Miss FiF and myself out for dinner to a very decent and well above average price quality chinky.
Bear in mind that is with booking WELL in adavance and before even considering first class train fares. Give me sodding strength.
Pubic transport. (TM)
THe biggest mystery of train travel is why you buy a ticket in advance and it costs from £12 and you get a guaranteed seat, if you buy the ticket last minute it costs over £100 and you don't get a seat!
However always check sites like the trainline and ensure you check single prices. Was the OP planning to travel at a Bank Holiday weekend, or this weekend when it is Mothers Day. Mysteriously the trains are busy on these occasions.
However always check sites like the trainline and ensure you check single prices. Was the OP planning to travel at a Bank Holiday weekend, or this weekend when it is Mothers Day. Mysteriously the trains are busy on these occasions.
You don't have to book long in advance at all for a massive price reduction.
I have two tickets still in my wallet from London to Durham, bought the day before I was going to travel. I needed flexibility on the way up so a first open single was £185, but a 1st single coming back (for a specific train) was only £69.50, cheaper than said journey in a lot of cars, especially if driven like a PHer, and as I say that was booked two days in advance... basically they use this as a form of extreme price discrimination as almost everyone going on a long distance journey for leisure ought to be able to put some planning into it, and those who can't are probably business travellers who will take any damn price. The massive problem is that the fare structure is as clear as mud to much people, but once you understand how they think then it's easy enough to get sensibly priced rail travel.
And let's face it it's great boozing on a train!
I have two tickets still in my wallet from London to Durham, bought the day before I was going to travel. I needed flexibility on the way up so a first open single was £185, but a 1st single coming back (for a specific train) was only £69.50, cheaper than said journey in a lot of cars, especially if driven like a PHer, and as I say that was booked two days in advance... basically they use this as a form of extreme price discrimination as almost everyone going on a long distance journey for leisure ought to be able to put some planning into it, and those who can't are probably business travellers who will take any damn price. The massive problem is that the fare structure is as clear as mud to much people, but once you understand how they think then it's easy enough to get sensibly priced rail travel.
And let's face it it's great boozing on a train!
My parents live in N Yorkshire (I'm now in Berkshire) and have often looked at getting the train home to Darlington, and I quite agree with the extortionate prices. Last time I was up home, back in January, National Express were keen on advertising their cheap tickets between London Kings X and Darlo or Ncl. Thinking it would be nice for my mum to come down, or even me to go up for a day trip via a cheap ticket, I log onto their website and search (months in advance) for the cheap prices. I just couldn't find any, so goodness knows where they are.
Last October I was at home in Yorkshire when my brother was in London. He lives in China and we hadn't seen him in over a year so we thought about getting the train down to meet up, but tickets were in excess of £100 each. For the few hours that we would see him (he was over on business so was working) it just wasn't worth it.
I've just been up to Birmingham today - a return ticket from Reading cost £75!
Prices don't encourage people to abandon their cars.
Last October I was at home in Yorkshire when my brother was in London. He lives in China and we hadn't seen him in over a year so we thought about getting the train down to meet up, but tickets were in excess of £100 each. For the few hours that we would see him (he was over on business so was working) it just wasn't worth it.
I've just been up to Birmingham today - a return ticket from Reading cost £75!
Prices don't encourage people to abandon their cars.
Silver993tt said:
Crikey, I booked a ticket from Hamburg to Geneva, which is a 9 hour journey and got a special in First class for 58 euros (about £50).
It seems like the UK uses a big stick to get people onto public transport while on the continent they use a carrot.
And there, ladies and gentlemen, is the differenceIt seems like the UK uses a big stick to get people onto public transport while on the continent they use a carrot.
Europe: State owned Railways – supported by central and regional government through taxation, offering affordable travel for the
UK: A privately owned railway system that exists to wring as much out of business travellers and commuters as humanly possible and BTW you're still taxed for the pleasure...
BTW: I’m not a socialist....
And I work in the rail industry, so with that in mind:
jesta1865 said:
Then one Saturday I got to st pan-crass to find the train was cancelled ….. then had an almighty row with the 'train manager' as I was on the wrong time train. she wanted me to pay full fare or get off, and I pointed out that the reason i was on 'her' train at the wrong time was because her company had cancelled mine. She finally backed down when I started asking for the telephone numbers of her superiors to ask what she should do. changed her tune very quickly.
That’s because many of the Train Operators incentivise (sp?) their staff to make on-board ticket sales: Like 50% of all revenue above £1k……Edited by Bowler on Tuesday 17th March 21:02
Bowler said:
Silver993tt said:
Crikey, I booked a ticket from Hamburg to Geneva, which is a 9 hour journey and got a special in First class for 58 euros (about £50).
It seems like the UK uses a big stick to get people onto public transport while on the continent they use a carrot.
And there, ladies and gentlemen, is the differenceIt seems like the UK uses a big stick to get people onto public transport while on the continent they use a carrot.
Europe: State owned Railways – supported by central and regional government through taxation, offering affordable travel for the
UK: A privately owned railway system that exists to wring as much out of business travellers and commuters as humanly possible and BTW you're still taxed for the pleasure...
BTW: I’m not a socialist....
And I work in the rail industry, so with that in mind:
jesta1865 said:
Then one Saturday I got to st pan-crass to find the train was cancelled ….. then had an almighty row with the 'train manager' as I was on the wrong time train. she wanted me to pay full fare or get off, and I pointed out that the reason i was on 'her' train at the wrong time was because her company had cancelled mine. She finally backed down when I started asking for the telephone numbers of her superiors to ask what she should do. changed her tune very quickly.
That’s because many of the Train Operators incentivise (sp?) their staff to make on-board ticket sales: Like 50% of all revenue above £1k……Edited by Bowler on Tuesday 17th March 21:02
zac510 said:
Last time I was in Hamburg they didn't even have gates on the inner-city trains. It was more like an honesty system 
Gates, you mean those turn-stile things at the stations around London? They must be a real danger if there is an emergency and hundreds or thousands of people need to get out of the staion fast. No, in Germany they use ticket inspectors. Talking of Hamburg, I was there a few weeks ago and a ticket to the airport, about 11-12 miles from the centre was €2.70 (£2.40), what's the price of the train from Heathrow to Paddington, about £17? Unbelievable.Edited by Silver993tt on Tuesday 17th March 22:42
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