View Full Version : Is it any wonder people don't want to take the trains?
Yesterday I had to go down to London to do some maintenance on a server in Docklands then meet the CEO of the new company for dinner and a chat. I decided I'd take the train down because it's quick and easy, or so we are told.
So I was sitting at home yesterday morning and at about 10am I looked online to see what the train times were. At that time the departure board at my local train station read:
10:04 to London St.Pancras, Undefined delay
10:32 to London St.Pancras, Cancelled
11:04 to London St.Pancras, Cancelled
11:32 to London St.Pancras, Cancelled
12:04 to London St.Pancras, Cancelled
Oh fantastic! Anyway, the trains got sorted and I decided to get the 12:32 so I turned up at the station, paid £8 (!) to park the car and went to buy a ticket. I went to a ticket machine and asked it for a peak return (I didn't know what time I'd be coming back but wanted to keep my options open) to St. Pancras. It asked me for £101. Eh? I thought I'd made a mistake and asked to purchase the train rather than just borrow a seat for 45 minutes. I started the process again, still £101.
I went to the ticket office and was again told it was £101 then was sheepishly told that was excluding Tube/DLR travel. What the hell? £101? I'm not paying the bill but even so, that seems excessive.
Now admittedly I hadn't prebooked a ticket but I do think £101 for a standard return is really taking the piss.
leowyatt
10-12-2009, 11:08
Unless you book something like 3-4 months in advance train tickets are a joke! They are fine for short journeys but long distance the cost is taking the piss indeed!
Walk-up fares are often outrageous today - particularly if you go to or through a major city. Peak fares are even worse - they know people have to get to/from work so they fleece the heck out of them (even though they're so-called 'regulated' fares).
The only attempt at justification I've heard is that we get some of the cheapest advance fares in Europe. Er, WTF, so what if we do.
At least my Newbury-London-Chelmsford round-trips are still about £26 (provided I avoid peak), which they've been for years. I'm sure that won't last.
To put things into comparison, last time I went to Paris by Eurostar I turned up at St. Pancras, bought a ticket and got on a train. My return fare was about £90.
£90 return to Paris versus £101 return to London.
Mental.
Sounds about normal if you can call it that. I go from London - Leeds with my girlfriend a lot, if her brother comes too its cheaper to rent a car!
To put things into comparison, last time I went to Paris by Eurostar I turned up at St. Pancras, bought a ticket and got on a train. My return fare was about £90.
£90 return to Paris versus £101 return to London.
Mental.
I've got a friend that lives in Brussels, its cheaper and quicker to see him than it is to go to Leeds :shocked:
How on earth they can think £101 for a 45 minute each way journey is acceptable is totally beyond me.
Flibster
10-12-2009, 12:39
It's not acceptable.
We're 25 minutes from London here. Kims train ticket is over £3000 a year and thats the discount price! :shocked: It would be even more if she had the underground included. She saves a few hundred quid a year by using an oyster card instead...
Trains aren't cheap despite the fact we're all meant to dump our cars and use them more often. A train to London for us is over £20 return I think from Braintree. It's far easier and cheaper to just jump in the car, drive to Redbridge and jump straight on the tube for about £6.
Del Lardo
10-12-2009, 14:01
Went up to Newcastle the other weekend and tried to book a train ticket 4+ weeks in advance. They wanted £98 so I drove instead as even taking into account wear & tear and servicing it was cheaper. If Mrs DL has gone with me then it would have been half the cost of getting the train.
A few weeks back I was in Netherlands and bought an open first class ticket on the day that allowed me to travel anywhere in Netherlands for €36
Sinead had the same thing coming up here from Swansea. Most of the time tickets were about £80-90. Cheaper to just jump in the car.
Alternatively, I just paid £40 for a first-class return (2 x advance singles) from Paddington to Exeter, I'll get through that in tea and biscuits alone, lol
Did you book that in person, Rich? I assume that the cashier was blinded by the handsome bastard standing in front of him/her and pressed the wrong button :)
Yeah, I know you can get very good prices booking in advance. If only emergency visits could have a bit more warning!
LOL no it was an supa-advance fare through t'internet, with an extra discount through ordering from FGW direct :)
It is outrageous how much they charge though for walk-on peak fares :boggles:
But I suppose if you compare trains with planes and how much a 'walk-on' fare can be then maybe they aren't so bad!
A few years back I did London to Liverpool for £6 return with an advance booking. Bargain :)
Just a shame my line into London doesn't do advance booking and so it cost me £18 to get into london and back :angry:
Nonsensical in every sense :(
Psymonkee
10-12-2009, 15:51
Crazy prices! :(
Cracking one that I may have shared before but my Mum had to get herself down to Brum to see her brother and looked at the train as an option. I forget the prices but it was astronomical but that's not the funny bit.
I do remember she could save £80 (not a typo) if she got a single to Edinburgh then a return EDI -> New Street and finally another single home! Madness! :(
What happened to Megatrain? I used to travel Plymouth - Bristol for £1 each way; Bristol to Paddington was £5 et al.
Boo-urns. :(
vBulletin® v3.7.4, Copyright ©2000-2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.