Train fares

treeman

treeman

Suspended / Banned
Messages
4,094
Name
Mark
Edit My Images
No
I've just been checking the price of a ticket to get to the Photshow in Birmingham on Tuesday. So I check the price online, Guildford to Birmingham, return £123.00!!

But if I split the tickets, but don't actually get off the train, Guildford to Banbury return is £33.50 and then Banbury to Birmingham return, is £15.90

So one ticket, anytime travel is £123.00 or buying it as two tickets, anytime travel is £49.40....hmmm let me see which one shall buy?

What is the logic in that pricing system?
 
treeman said:
I've just been checking the price of a ticket to get to the Photshow in Birmingham on Tuesday. So I check the price online, Guildford to Birmingham, return £123.00!!

But if I split the tickets, but don't actually get off the train, Guildford to Banbury return is £33.50 and then Banbury to Birmingham return, is £15.90

So one ticket, anytime travel is £123.00 or buying it as two tickets, anytime travel is £49.40....hmmm let me see which one shall buy?

What is the logic in that pricing system?
Click to expand...

The logic is probably that most people wouldn't bother to check :eek:
 
One story from a few years back was about a man who bought a ticket for say, Station B (can't remember exactly the station name) but his stop was Station A, a few miles before it, because it was cheaper than buying a ticket for the shorter journey. However when he got off at Station A he was told his ticket was not valid for that station even though it was a shorter distance travelled and that he would have to buy another ticket for the actual journey he made even though he had a ticket for the longer journey. I believe rather than pay for the extra ticket, it was cheaper then to travel to the next station on his original ticket then get another ticket (or perhaps a taxi!) back to his required station.

I would like to say this happened in the days of British Rail but I fear not; this was with one of our wonderful franchisees. It could only happen in Britain.

My opinion of railways is that they should be there to move goods and people to other parts of the country at the cheapest possible price, even if it works at a loss. It is what happens at the destinations that should make the money for the country, not the transport system that got the goods there.

Likewise I believe that certain things should be held by a country's government -- railways (as stated), electricity, gas, water and postal services (including some telecomms). It is not good that a country's infrastructure should rely on foreign companies.
 
Yeah. I quite enjoy travelling by train when I'm in the UK, but I generally can't afford it. It's a bind getting from my wife's house in SW Scotland to Edinburgh too, but that's another debate.

I've tried splitting the journey from Dumfries to London a few times, but I've never had much luck. It either comes up with the same fare, or involves spending hours at a station en route waiting for the connection. The only reasonable fares are for trains at times which are hopelessly inconvenient, which is why they're cheaper, I suppose. Perhaps I'm missing something though?

I agree with previous posters about train travel. There's no way we're ever going to get back to the pre Beeching network - there was a station in the village where my wife lives and another one in the nearest town (3 miles away) - but bringing fares down to the point where most people can afford them would be a start. I do see the argument for state ownership too, the old private railways didn't really compete with each other on the same routes, and were often using unsustainable business models.
 
I have a mate that I visit in Inverness as often as I can, a few times a year. I live near Reading, and have found that an Easyjet flight from Bristol to Inverness is about the cheapest, easiest route to take. By the time I've driven to Bristol, parked for a few days, and done the return flights, it costs me around £150 all in. It takes me around 8 hours all in door to door.

In a couple of weeks I'm driving up there (because I want to!), and in my diesel car I will easily complete a one way stretch on one tank, so let's say £180 all in, and 9-10 hours door to door.

So then I thought, I'll have a quick look at the trains, it might be a nice change. Not allowing for the time or cost it will take me to get to central Reading to catch a train, it was around 12 hours on trains, 2 changes, and the best cost I could find (admittedly not exhaustive searching) was £336 return. That isn't an appealing option!
 
ShinySideUp said:
One story from a few years back was about a man who bought a ticket for say, Station B (can't remember exactly the station name) but his stop was Station A, a few miles before it, because it was cheaper than buying a ticket for the shorter journey. However when he got off at Station A he was told his ticket was not valid for that station even though it was a shorter distance travelled and that he would have to buy another ticket for the actual journey he made even though he had a ticket for the longer journey. I believe rather than pay for the extra ticket, it was cheaper then to travel to the next station on his original ticket then get another ticket (or perhaps a taxi!) back to his required station.
Click to expand...

This still happens in Kent, Surrey etc I'm told, because some towns are just dormitories for commuters into central London. So the train operator charges more for journeys to the big commuter stops that everyone wants to go to and less to travel to the middle of nowhere that no-one wants to go to. Basic supply and demand.

I don't have a problem with it, if people want to earn London salaries they can put up with the commuting aggravation that goes with working in London. I'm happier earning (much, much) less and having a less stressful life.
 
Splitting the journey can reap significant savings. A lot of the guys I work with will split their journey into 3 parts and save a fortune.

Instead of flying up to aberdeen in a few weeks I'm taking the train. £228 single. Splitting the journey into 4 parts. £89.
 
....and a bit of forward planning pays dividends too. My mum and brother are booked on the sleeper from London to Inverness for £29 each in May.(y)
 
Watch out for clauses on the cheap tickets though, for example you often have to travel on a specific time train.

But shopping around and booking well in advance (not from the actual train company site) can save you a chunk.

Personally I've got no major beef at the moment with the trains. It's cheaper than buying diesel for a month.
 
neil_g said:
Personally I've got no major beef at the moment with the trains. It's cheaper than buying diesel for a month.
Click to expand...

Yep, it certainly works out cheaper with my new price. Diesel alone to Birmingham and back in my thirsty wagon would be £60 then a tenner to park, plus i could even get some work done on the way.
 
As has been said you can save a sizeable lump of cash if you plan your journey and buy your tickets well in advance.

I do this for when I travel home at Christmas time and will always manage to get first class travel for significantly less than standard travel simply by booking my tickets well in advance
 
Last edited:
Definitely planning a journey in advance is the way to get the cheapest tickets, but that price for a train journey from Reading to Inverness seemed way too high.

I do the King's Cross to Imverness route frequently so thought I'd have a look for this Saturday (so not exactly very much in advance)

From East Coast's website, about five minutes ago.

11:30 from King's Cross to Inverness (no changes) Saturday 8th March - £75.45 single. Reading to Paddington is £18.70, so well under £100 for the single journey.

If you are able to travel midweek you can knock about £20 off the King's Cross to Inverness price.

Dave
 
ShinySideUp said:
Likewise I believe that certain things should be held by a country's government -- railways (as stated), electricity, gas, water and postal services (including some telecomms). It is not good that a country's infrastructure should rely on foreign companies.
Click to expand...

But then when the Government take over banks they are criticised for that. While the rail companies (along with utilities etc...) do come in for some justified criticism now, things were pretty bad in the old days too.
 
New "couples" railcard launched today, third off fares for a couple travelling together, first time people over 25 and under 60 get a discount

Booking in advance is the best though if you can manage it, some really good deals to be had.
 
Riddle me this.....

I live about 60 miles by road from London. (Less by train, obvs).

HMRC says that I can claim 35p per mile because that's the cost of driving. Diesel of course is far less than that but there are other costs such as buying the car in the first place. So let's stick with 35p.

120 miles at 35p per mile is £42. Congestion charge to go right into the centre of London is £10 and parking will cost you at least another £10 - actually your best bet would be to park at Butler's Wharf, skip the congestion charge and get a travel card. That's £62 which is a lot of money. The train costs £64.70 without tube. So for one person, the TOTAL cost of driving is less than the train. With 2 of you travelling you could easily see a show and have dinner as well. I've never checked this, but I reckon if there are 4 of you then you could get a chauffeur driven limo for a lot less than the train.

And yet to go to Inverness costs about £75.

How does that work then?

It's actually cheaper for clients to hire a photographer from Manchester than to hire me.
 
Tigger.ufo said:
Sorry, but you didn't specify times! :)
Click to expand...

Sadly, my clients do.

The rules are something like you have to be scheduled arrive in London after 10:00. So the 9:51 train costs £35 each way but the 10:21 is £34 return. Now everybody knows that the 10:21 is always full and late.... Factor in the tube and you'll be lucky to hit a client's office before noon. The Victoria train is cheaper but takes a lot longer. Plus it arrives at Victoria (and leaves from a station much further from here). That adds about 3 hours on to my working day.
 
obviously you'll never beat self transport for flexibility. need to be somewhere at a specific time on public transport be prepared to pay for it.. especially at peak times.
 
Shine On said:
I have a mate that I visit in Inverness as often as I can, a few times a year. I live near Reading, and have found that an Easyjet flight from Bristol to Inverness is about the cheapest, easiest route to take. By the time I've driven to Bristol, parked for a few days, and done the return flights, it costs me around £150 all in. It takes me around 8 hours all in door to door.

In a couple of weeks I'm driving up there (because I want to!), and in my diesel car I will easily complete a one way stretch on one tank, so let's say £180 all in, and 9-10 hours door to door.

So then I thought, I'll have a quick look at the trains, it might be a nice change. Not allowing for the time or cost it will take me to get to central Reading to catch a train, it was around 12 hours on trains, 2 changes, and the best cost I could find (admittedly not exhaustive searching) was £336 return. That isn't an appealing option!
Click to expand...

To be honest flying up to Inverness from where you are isn't much quicker than driving. By the time you drive and drop your car off, check in and all the airport rubbish and sort travel from the other end, like you said it takes you 8hours. Driving will probably take about 8-9hours.

I drive from Aviemore to the Rhondda in South Wales quite frequently and it takes me about 8-9hours during the night. That's non stop with the wife, two kids and two dogs. We go on a night so the kids sleep the whole way and I can just press on with the journey. My Passat TDI has a 75l tank and I can easily make it in one fill up and still have just under a 1/4 tank left after the journey. Not bad with being fully loaded, roof box and bikes on the back. I could go on forever about the engine modifications I have done to it, but they actually give me less MPG than I should be.

I tried to do it in my old Audi RS2 avant one time, and that will be the last. It cost me £250 in petrol just for one way...never again lol
 
I'm taking my wife and daughter to London in May

3 of us traveling early Saturday morning returning early Monday evening was £131 but if I buy a £30 railcard it drops to £79 , so £109 with a 12 month card

A few months ago a mate had to take a business trip last minute,he had to be in London for 9am

Got to warrington station at 6am, asked for a standard return and was stunned when she said £255
 
CaveDweller said:
To be honest flying up to Inverness from where you are isn't much quicker than driving. By the time you drive and drop your car off, check in and all the airport rubbish and sort travel from the other end, like you said it takes you 8hours. Driving will probably take about 8-9hours.
Click to expand...

I'd love to go from Southampton seeing as the airport is only 40 minutes from me, but Flybe are outrageously expensive for that journey, and rarely fly direct.

As for the expensive train fares, I do take on board what people are saying. That price was using one of the rail operators journey planners, and they're all in price. If I had to take the train, I'd investigate it in a lot more depth, but as I'm not particularly motivated to do so, I'll take it on advise. Ultimately, I'm looking forward to the drive, I don't actually drive my Beemer very often so it feels like a bit of a treat when I do. Some forced modifications last year (when the turbo failed and was replaced with a modified item) mean that it's got great performance, but will easily do 50+mpg on a motorway run so it's not a wallet breaker.
 
neil_g said:
Expenses :thumbs:
Click to expand...

True but when his boss said put it on your credit card and we'll reimburse you my mate was expecting it to be £80-90

£255 at 6am was a bit of a worry with nobody to ask if that's what they were expecting
 
Haha, yes I used to buy separate tickets for a regular journey as it was cheaper! Got funny looks at the ticket office.

Similarly last year we went away, the choice was Edinburgh on the train or Berlin with Easyjet. 4 of us could fly to Berlin for the same cost as one single ticket to Edinburgh. What's the incentive to use the train?
 
ShinySideUp said:
Likewise I believe that certain things should be held by a country's government -- railways (as stated), electricity, gas, water and postal services (including some telecomms). It is not good that a country's infrastructure should rely on foreign companies.
Click to expand...

I agree with you... but having experienced how well the French railway system works, I would gladly give the whole of our railway system to SNCF to run.

Hazza said:
What's the incentive to use the train?
Click to expand...

I don't think there is an incentive. I usually go by National Express instead. It takes longer but is at least half the price. Sometimes there are offers at £5 or occasionally £1 each way.

bindex said:
February 1993: "franchises will provide a better, cheaper and more effective service for the commuter." John Major

err... perhaps not :(
Click to expand...

They said the same thing about electricity, gas, water, BT, etc. Competition has really worked in our favour!!!


Steve.
 
Last edited:
I stopped bothering looking at train fares when they were more expensive than taking a car that does all of 20mpg. Now I have one that does 30+ trains are a complete joke.

Moneysaving expert fare splitter is quite useful for finding alternative routes.

Travel by car is also first class not cattle class with coughers and sneezers.
 
srichards said:
Travel by car is also first class not cattle class with coughers and sneezers.
Click to expand...

The problem with travelling by car is that you have to put it somewhere when you get there... and you need to know the way... and when you have a bit of a snooze the car crashes - this hardly ever happens in a train or a bus!

And I would much rather be in a large metal box I can walk around in than a tiny metal box.


Steve.
 
Last edited:
Trains - if you want to go where the train wants to go and if there is only 1 of you.

Return for me and my family to London on a Saturday (and travelcard) is around £65 and £4 parking at the station. Or £30 parking in Marble Arch and £10 on fuel.
 
srichards said:
I stopped bothering looking at train fares when they were more expensive than taking a car that does all of 20mpg. Now I have one that does 30+ trains are a complete joke.
Click to expand...
For short distance agreed.

However for longer distance the £200/month season ticket is comparable to the amount spent on diesel for my 47+ mpg vw.

Going back to what someone else said about odd pricing, I used to live the other side of Southampton and it was an extra £100/month. For an extra 10 mins ride.

Even more comical was it was £50/month cheaper to get off at the next stop down and walk for 30 mins. Not one for winter time and/or early mornings though lol
 
Last edited:
Was even true for longer distance. Drove to Bristol and parked for free. Used park and ride. Train was more even on a long journey then.

Anytime return for me now is £145 even if booked in advance. Cheapest singles are over £100.

Petrol cost is no more than £70 for the car now. Its a no brainer. Take the car with the comfy seats, aircon and choice of music and body odours.

Wouldn't take a car into somewhere like London though. Tried Birmingham once and that was bad enough.
 
Shine On said:
I
So then I thought, I'll have a quick look at the trains, it might be a nice change. Not allowing for the time or cost it will take me to get to central Reading to catch a train, it was around 12 hours on trains, 2 changes, and the best cost I could find (admittedly not exhaustive searching) was £336 return. That isn't an appealing option!
Click to expand...

Quick look on the train line app and Reading to Inverness booked for April 3 return 8th. Cheapest was £118 return, still 9 nod bit hours each way though.

For cheaper train travel book well in advance and travel at what are normally more inconvenient times.

Train travel always look VERY expensive if there's more than one of you going, it's just not the same as sharing the car fuel bill.
 
Last edited:
Actually for short distance for me it can be OK, I'm 24 miles from manchester and it's a £4.20 return on the train, or half that £2.10 after 18:30 ( I think ) if going alone that's cheaper than fuel and city centre parking for a day, and of course a lot less hassle.

We're talking off peak of course.
 
Last edited:
srichards said:
Was even true for longer distance. Drove to Bristol and parked for free. Used park and ride. Train was more even on a long journey then.

Anytime return for me now is £145 even if booked in advance. Cheapest singles are over £100.

Petrol cost is no more than £70 for the car now. Its a no brainer. Take the car with the comfy seats, aircon and choice of music and body odours.

Wouldn't take a car into somewhere like London though. Tried Birmingham once and that was bad enough.
Click to expand...
Fwiw I'm talking season tickets which are a touch cheaper than buying returns everyday.
 
Total cost of driving should never be less than train fare for one person. Never.
That should be the first line of the UK environmental policy. In big letters.
 
JonathanRyan said:
Total cost of driving should never be less than train fare for one person. Never.
That should be the first line of the UK environmental policy. In big letters.
Click to expand...
Yike, don't say that! That will be taken as a "solution" to increase tax on non-train transport until the train is cheaper. "More tax" is always the solution, whatever the problem.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top