UK Train travel costs

[Heathblue]

2 persons 1st class, Edinburgh return £612.70 😭 plus £35 for a dual coffin dodgers rail card. Split tickets, bloody loads of them 🤣 I get it, it could have been less than half cost but Jesus H why is it so damn expensive to travel by train?, are we still blaming Thatcher?

[jon1959]

Re: UK Train travel costs

2 persons 1st class, Edinburgh return £612.70 �� plus £35 for a dual coffin dodgers rail card. Split tickets, bloody loads of them �� I get it, it could have been less than half cost but Jesus H why is it so damn expensive to travel by train?, are we still blaming Thatcher?

Not totally. Others have contributed. But privatisation and deregulation of UK 'public transport' made everything worse, more fragmented, and more profit-driven. Privatised profit and socialised subsidy - what a system!

The UK has needed an integrated and properly subsidised (passengers not shareholders!) system for over 50 years. In places where it was sort of working - like South Yorkshire - Thatcher killed it. The only major place where there is anything like an integrated system - and one that is subsidised because it makes economic sense - is London. The rest of us don't count.

[Tuerto]

Re: UK Train travel costs

2 persons 1st class, Edinburgh return £612.70 😭 plus £35 for a dual coffin dodgers rail card. Split tickets, bloody loads of them 🤣 I get it, it could have been less than half cost but Jesus H why is it so damn expensive to travel by train?, are we still blaming Thatcher?

First class...... And an Ely boy as well...... :hehe:

[Wales-Bales]

Re: UK Train travel costs

What was in Edinburgh that's worth £612.70 to get there?

[JamesWales]

Re: UK Train travel costs

2 persons 1st class, Edinburgh return £612.70 😭 plus £35 for a dual coffin dodgers rail card. Split tickets, bloody loads of them 🤣 I get it, it could have been less than half cost but Jesus H why is it so damn expensive to travel by train?, are we still blaming Thatcher?

It's absolutely ridiculous. Although obviously it's also a bit mad to be moaning whilst paying for first class tickets?!

That doesn't change the obscenity of train ticket pricing in the UK of course.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Re: UK Train travel costs

2 persons 1st class, Edinburgh return £612.70 😭 plus £35 for a dual coffin dodgers rail card. Split tickets, bloody loads of them 🤣 I get it, it could have been less than half cost but Jesus H why is it so damn expensive to travel by train?, are we still blaming Thatcher?

It clearly is thatchers fault as is the rest of the privatisation nightmare

Actually makes me laugh when tories are moaning about energy and the rest of the whole shitshow that they voted for

The money needed to turn it all around would cripple us

[North Cardiff Blue]

Re: UK Train travel costs

2 persons 1st class, Edinburgh return £612.70 �� plus £35 for a dual coffin dodgers rail card. Split tickets, bloody loads of them �� I get it, it could have been less than half cost but Jesus H why is it so damn expensive to travel by train?, are we still blaming Thatcher?

Train drivers pay butt, give em a rise £75K a year is not nearly enough to pull and push a lever, and the stress of pressing the door open button when passengers turn up must be dreadful.

AI Trains will allow it to drive itself soon, so they might as well grab it while they can.

[Hilts]

Re: UK Train travel costs

Obviously its not Thatchers fault or the failure to address the failure to tax the super wealthy sufficiently. Selling off the countries assets were a great idea.

It's all those pesky immigrants fault. Change is needed. Anyone not realising we need a genuine man of the people like Nigel asap with the great patriot Stephen alongside him then you need your head testing. Please to sort this put a Union flag up outside your house and join all true patriots (not racists or far right) and vote Reform.

[Heathblue]

Re: UK Train travel costs

What was in Edinburgh that's worth £612.70 to get there?

Not been yet, in a few weeks time, we want to see the Koalas in the Zoo, cheaper than going back to Australia and we've seen the guys at Longleat 🤣

[JamesWales]

Re: UK Train travel costs

Obviously its not Thatchers fault or the failure to address the failure to tax the super wealthy sufficiently. Selling off the countries assets were a great idea.

It's all those pesky immigrants fault. Change is needed. Anyone not realising we need a genuine man of the people like Nigel asap with the great patriot Stephen alongside him then you need your head testing. Please to sort this put a Union flag up outside your house and join all true patriots (not racists or far right) and vote Reform.

Obsessed!

[Eric Cartman]

Re: UK Train travel costs

Train drivers pay butt, give em a rise £75K a year is not nearly enough to pull and push a lever, and the stress of pressing the door open button when passengers turn up must be dreadful.

AI Trains will allow it to drive itself soon, so they might as well grab it while they can.

Just worth throwing it out there that 75k a year (=experienced train driver) is the equivalent of earning 45k in 2008 and 39k in 2000.

[Eric Cartman]

Re: UK Train travel costs

Internal transport clearly shouldn't be a 'vehicle' for profit to start with and then going further than that internal transport by air (dirtier) shouldn't be magnitudes cheaper than internal transport by rail (cleaner). We are nudging people towards a) staying at home, not spending money, not creating economic activity or b) if they do go somewhere, travelling by the worst method of transport for the environment. Just as an example, its cheaper for me to take two flights from inverness to travel to another country and spend money there, than it is to travel to London by train and spend money there.

Its batshit crazy but everything has to be a way for someone to make money, that is the rule.

[JamesWales]

Re: UK Train travel costs

Internal transport clearly shouldn't be a 'vehicle' for profit to start with and then going further than that internal transport by air (dirtier) shouldn't be magnitudes cheaper than internal transport by rail (cleaner). We are nudging people towards a) staying at home, not spending money, not creating economic activity or b) if they do go somewhere, travelling by the worst method of transport for the environment. Just as an example, its cheaper for me to take two flights from inverness to travel to another country and spend money there, than it is to travel to London by train and spend money there.

Its batshit crazy but everything has to be a way for someone to make money, that is the rule.

I agree with you, and I think travel and meeting up in person etc is really important.

I do think there is a general lack of appreciation of costs of train and road travel Vs flying though. People are often shocked that train travel is more expensive than flying "I could fly to Ibiza for less!" etc, but flying actually requires remarkably little infrastructure, flying through air as opposed to miles upon miles of track and electrical, signalling works that all needs maintaining etc.

[Eric Cartman]

Re: UK Train travel costs

I agree with you, and I think travel and meeting up in person etc is really important.

I do think there is a general lack of appreciation of costs of train and road travel Vs flying though. People are often shocked that train travel is more expensive than flying "I could fly to Ibiza for less!" etc, but flying actually requires remarkably little infrastructure, flying through air as opposed to miles upon miles of track and electrical, signalling works that all needs maintaining etc.

Yep so you either make flying artificially more expensive or make train travel artificially cheaper, obviously the first option is just plain annoying so I would go with the second. Needs to be an acknowledgement that people travelling around the country is a good thing and worth the cost of massive subsidy.

You can make social arguments for it but there are plenty of economic arguments as well, people spend money when they are travelling/away from home (for business or leisure) that they wouldn't ordinarily spend.

[Wales-Bales]

Re: UK Train travel costs

Not been yet, in a few weeks time, we want to see the Koalas in the Zoo, cheaper than going back to Australia and we've seen the guys at Longleat 藍

Here you go, I've just saved you £612.70! :hehe:

https://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/animals/webcams/koala-cam