I took the train to work today....
Discussion
Had to collect my company car today so needed to use public transport to get to Rochdale from Sheffield.
So 6.13am the alarm goes off, i get up shower and feed the kittens.
6.35 i wake the missus up. - "its time for you to drive me the 3 miles to the station"
6.50 - dropped off in the rain at sheffield station.
7.00 - pay £16 for a single ticket to Manchester.
7.08 - train turns up - on time. i get a seat and a free metro newspaper.
8.03 - we arrive at manchester Piccadilly.
8.05 - I walk the 1.3 miles to Manchester Victoria. In the rain.
8.28 - i get on to what i think may have passed for a train in 1907. It looks like a doctors surgery on wheels. Horrible seats. Strange customers. Even stranger conductor. £3.10 for a single to Castleton.
8.50 - arrive at Castleton - walk a mile to the office. In the rain.
9.00 arrive wet, sweaty and almost 20 quid lighter in the office.
Thank god the compnay car is ready.
So a journey that i normally make by car in approx an hour, and costs me about a fiver in relative comfort, took 2 hours, was uncomfortable, i got wet, had to walk a lot, inconveiniced(sp) the missus and cost me £20.
Public transport. f
king marvellous.
So 6.13am the alarm goes off, i get up shower and feed the kittens.
6.35 i wake the missus up. - "its time for you to drive me the 3 miles to the station"
6.50 - dropped off in the rain at sheffield station.
7.00 - pay £16 for a single ticket to Manchester.
7.08 - train turns up - on time. i get a seat and a free metro newspaper.
8.03 - we arrive at manchester Piccadilly.
8.05 - I walk the 1.3 miles to Manchester Victoria. In the rain.
8.28 - i get on to what i think may have passed for a train in 1907. It looks like a doctors surgery on wheels. Horrible seats. Strange customers. Even stranger conductor. £3.10 for a single to Castleton.
8.50 - arrive at Castleton - walk a mile to the office. In the rain.
9.00 arrive wet, sweaty and almost 20 quid lighter in the office.
Thank god the compnay car is ready.
So a journey that i normally make by car in approx an hour, and costs me about a fiver in relative comfort, took 2 hours, was uncomfortable, i got wet, had to walk a lot, inconveiniced(sp) the missus and cost me £20.
Public transport. f

In contrast, I pay the equivalent of £20.80 a day and can get from West Berkshire to London in just over an hour with only a 10 min walk from the tube to work.
To do this in a car would take at least the same amount of time but up to 2 hours, £5-10 in fuel and at least £15-20 to park.
To do this in a car would take at least the same amount of time but up to 2 hours, £5-10 in fuel and at least £15-20 to park.
Now you see you didn't think about this at all did you?.
How it should have gone;
6:35: Wake the missus up. Its time for me to drive to the office, picking up the new company car remember, you can have a sleep on the way there.
7:15: You arrive at the local little chef for an olympic breakfast, mug of tea and a read of the paper while the missus drives the hour back. Notice its taken you less than an hour at that time of the morning.
8:15 missus arrives back intime to have a shower and go to work. You have a dump afeter your breakfast.
8:30 you arrive at the office by whatever means you decide, walk or Taxi.
How it should have gone;
6:35: Wake the missus up. Its time for me to drive to the office, picking up the new company car remember, you can have a sleep on the way there.
7:15: You arrive at the local little chef for an olympic breakfast, mug of tea and a read of the paper while the missus drives the hour back. Notice its taken you less than an hour at that time of the morning.
8:15 missus arrives back intime to have a shower and go to work. You have a dump afeter your breakfast.
8:30 you arrive at the office by whatever means you decide, walk or Taxi.
In Europe, both of those journeys would have cost less than a fiver.
I travel daily from Swindon to Farnborough. By car its 1hr 15 mins. By train probably over two hours not including the 45 mins walk to the station. Weekly ticket was around £150 about 8 years ago(probably more now).
Trams - thats the way forward for this country.
I travel daily from Swindon to Farnborough. By car its 1hr 15 mins. By train probably over two hours not including the 45 mins walk to the station. Weekly ticket was around £150 about 8 years ago(probably more now).
Trams - thats the way forward for this country.
Dupont666 said:
Not managerial material.... I would have driven there and let the missus sleep and then let her drive the car back whilst you pick up the company car.
Not so hard is it.
I would only have done what you suggested if I had no car.
Did you not have a brolly? why did you get so wet?
You're right i shoudl have been much more forceful with the missus. She isn't exactly a confident driver though. And the m62 east bound in a morning is a nightmare. Not so hard is it.
I would only have done what you suggested if I had no car.
Did you not have a brolly? why did you get so wet?
Not an excuse of course.
And no I don't have a brolly. I have a car normally. I dash from the door of the house to the car. I don't need a brolly.
BoRED S2upid said:
Now you see you didn't think about this at all did you?.
How it should have gone;
6:35: Wake the missus up. Its time for me to drive to the office, picking up the new company car remember, you can have a sleep on the way there.
7:15: You arrive at the local little chef for an olympic breakfast, mug of tea and a read of the paper while the missus drives the hour back. Notice its taken you less than an hour at that time of the morning.
8:15 missus arrives back intime to have a shower and go to work. You have a dump afeter your breakfast.
8:30 you arrive at the office by whatever means you decide, walk or Taxi.
How it should have gone;
6:35: Wake the missus up. Its time for me to drive to the office, picking up the new company car remember, you can have a sleep on the way there.
7:15: You arrive at the local little chef for an olympic breakfast, mug of tea and a read of the paper while the missus drives the hour back. Notice its taken you less than an hour at that time of the morning.
8:15 missus arrives back intime to have a shower and go to work. You have a dump afeter your breakfast.
8:30 you arrive at the office by whatever means you decide, walk or Taxi.

Girlfriend used to study about half a mile from KingsX. Got a flat half a mile from Ely station. Took her the grand sum of just over an hour to get to work, and I reckon it'd take me over 2 hours by car. However it also cost nearly 400 quid a month on a season ticket
Alternatively it took me an hour and 15 quid return to drive the 55 mile journey to work, whereas it would have taken me an hour and a half and a bike ride.
If you sort your life out to suit it, then it works but it's not cheap, but for everything else, there's 4 wheels and no sweaty fat bloke in the seat next to you
Alternatively it took me an hour and 15 quid return to drive the 55 mile journey to work, whereas it would have taken me an hour and a half and a bike ride.
If you sort your life out to suit it, then it works but it's not cheap, but for everything else, there's 4 wheels and no sweaty fat bloke in the seat next to you
Dan_1981 said:
Republik said:
You should've got the Metro from Piccadily to Victoria. Save you getting wet.
Not working at the moment is it? Thought it had stopped because of that one that fell of the rails the other week?Dan_1981 said:
So a journey that i normally make by car in approx an hour, and costs me about a fiver in relative comfort, took 2 hours, was uncomfortable, i got wet, had to walk a lot, inconveiniced(sp) the missus and cost me £20.
Agree on the journey time thing, but if you'd booked the tickets in advance they would have been cheaper, and as for the price comparison, you've not exactly compared apples with apples, have you? I assume the fiver for the car was just fuel? What about company car tax or lease payments?Edited by Podie on Tuesday 6th October 09:55
Public transport works for some, not others.
I drive from my village to the nearest station (10 mins), get on a train to Euston (always get to sit exactly where I like that far up the line), 50 mins later it pulls into Euston after I've sat reading, relaxing, whatever. 15 minute leisurely amble into work from there - sorted. Same in reverse in the evening, if I get to Euston about 10 mins before train goes I get a seat again, no problem.
Driving would necessitate using the M1 at peak times and paying through the nose for parking in central London (never mind the CC). And take far longer. No ta.
I drive from my village to the nearest station (10 mins), get on a train to Euston (always get to sit exactly where I like that far up the line), 50 mins later it pulls into Euston after I've sat reading, relaxing, whatever. 15 minute leisurely amble into work from there - sorted. Same in reverse in the evening, if I get to Euston about 10 mins before train goes I get a seat again, no problem.
Driving would necessitate using the M1 at peak times and paying through the nose for parking in central London (never mind the CC). And take far longer. No ta.
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