Rail Fares set to soar.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail....age-5-9-New-Year.html

Is train travel fast becoming the rich-man's mode of transport?

It is a certainty that OAPs cannot afford to travel via train, which after all is the best form of transport for them.

Having said that I see that the Queen is taking the train to Balmoral.

[ichkeria]

You get the feeling that the train companies would eventually love there to be just one - exceptionally wealthy - passenger travelling on a single route in terrific comfort and isolation. Perhaps on the high-speed London to Birmingham route.

[boxtops]

I like the train - but unfortunately my employer bears the cost of most of my travel when I ride it for work.

It's ironic really, the fares going up, when we have no trains at all down here between Christmas and New Year - there are engineering works and the whole place is running on rail replacement buses for all of next week.

[naomi24]

//It is a certainty that OAPs cannot afford to travel via train//

Very soon commuters won't be able to afford to travel on them either.

[boxtops]

I do have a senior railcard - I pay £26 for the privilege, but I get a third off all off-peak rail travel, which is helpful.

[ichkeria]

Astoundingly, I discovered that the GWR Cheltenham to Winchcombe steam train is running on Christmas Day. Must be one of very few ...

[rov1100]

They always say nationalisation is a bad thing but since the railways have been privatised the fares have shot through the roof.

The same thing happened to other privatised industries such as water or electricity.

Personally there should be a return to nationalisatrion for these important industries rather than putting profits into the hands of the mega wealthy like Richard Branson.

[Gromit]

Rov1200

The rail network is not privatised, the ladt Labour Government clawed it back. Private operates have to pay for a franchise to run on the tracks.

OAPs can generally choose when they travel and off peak the fares are cheaper than owning and doing long journeys by car (especially if you use your railcard).

So no, it is not the rich man's mode of transport.

[EDDIE51]

Boxtops, when you renew your senior rail card do it online, there is an extra 20% off the price of the card for online applications at the moment.
With my free bus pass and 1/3rd off rail fares not to mention National Express Coaches £10 anywhere fare it's great being an oldie .

[EDDIE51]

Gromit not just long journeys, my son lives just 17 miles away, £5.50 return normal fare but just £3.95 with a rail card . You can't drive there and back on £3.95 worth of petrol. I can even do it by bus for nothing but it takes over an hour against 15 Min's on the train.

[Buenchico]

A few points:

1. Passenger numbers continue to rise:
http://www.railway-te...-Journeys-2010-11.png

2. For me to travel to the nearest major town (return) costs me about £3 in fuel but around another £3 to park for an hour or two. [Total around £6]. The bus costs £4.80 (unless it's gone up during the year; I rarely use it). The train works out cheapest, at £3.60 return.

3. Those who are able to book in advance, and to travel during off-peak times, can get incredible bargains. Annie0000 has just paid £74 total return fare, for 2 adults and two children (using a Friends & Family Railcard), to travel to London from Stirling, which is over 400 miles in each direction.

4. Only a very small amount of any fare increase actually goes to the train operating company. Most of it either goes toward improving the rail infrastructure or to reducing government subsidies.

Chris

[Gromit]

Of course, when comparing a journey by train and by car, just taking the cost of petrol for the journey gives a very misleading and inaccurate result. If you drive the journey, you should also include the purchase cost of the vehicle, the cost of maintaing it, garaging/parking it, tax and insurance annually. Usually that comes to many thousands of £s to begin with, before the train fare comes in cheaper than the cost of fuelling the vehicle for the comparative journey.

And yet people who never use the train still have this false notion that it is expensive.

[ichkeria]

The train works out well for some certainly. Especially those travelling "offpeak". It's not such good news for the captive commuter.
But then that's what happens when transport is regarded purely as a commodity and not as a service (despite the new word the companies seem to have adopted for the trains) I'm afraid.

[China Doll]

I use the train daily. I pay just over £120 per month for going from south east london to central london. My trains are frequently delayed or cancelled or just too crowded to actually get on by the time they get to my station. I count myself lucky if I get a seat at London bridge station. The journey is supposed to take 20 minutes by train and quite often takes longer than that. I then have the joy of the underground in which once again, I am faced with severe overcrowding. I would LOVE to get a bus in to work in order to avoid all this nonsense but there's no bus service that would offer an alternative where I live.

I think £120 + is far too large an amount to pay for overcrowded, badly run, delayed and cancelled train journeys on a daily basis. And I just can't wait for the olympics as I can see that really improving my train experience.

Getting trains to plymouth, sleaford, penzance, reading etc... I have no problems with this, I have no problems booking in advance or any such thing. BUt my daily commute is a miserable experience and certainly not something that I feel I should be charged more for... not unless I at least occasionally get a seat at any rate.

[nannybooby]

Do you mean the tube ? My best Buddy goes by rail from Slough to Wales and it costs her £40 single in st Class ! You couldnt drive down for that. (yes shes an OAP)

[China Doll]

Are you asking me nannybooby? I get the train and the tube.

[EDDIE51]

Tube to Wales nannybooby ?

[nannybooby]

China Doll - I meant anogit , some times OAPst can get a bargin ,ie my friends ticket. I know that season tickets are mad expensive my son inlaw pays a fortune to travel into London.

[Gromit]

China Doll,

If you make that journey 5 days a week for a month, that works out at £6 return daily. Can you drive it as cheaply?

Your journey sounds bad, but is because you have no option to travel at peak. If you tried driving at peak across London, my guess is it would take you 2 or 3 times as long.