The price of train tickets!

Central and local governments have zero interest in cutting emissions or improving public transport. But you wait and see when the influential people in London introduce another charge, maybe from as far as the M25, to rip people off and stop them from 'polluting' their city. Cambridge City Council tried the same and luckily got vetoed because public transport into Cambridge from the surrounding towns and villages is abysmal / impossible without a car. Its shocking really when you think about global warming and the need to keep up with China, US, Germany and the like in terms of high technology and manufacturing. Gove wants to turn Cambridge into a Silicon Valley. Well, who is going to move there with the ridiculous prices for everything and complete lack of infrastructure?

It’s abysmal every year and they still put up prices. Not saying it’s justified as I don’t think it is at all but it’s not a shock that prices are going up again as they do every year.

The service has been so abysmal this year that it seems an absolute cheek to put the prices up.

I don’t know why you’re shocked the price is rising again. They rise every year in line with inflation I think as standard. Although last year I think due to high inflation they didn’t go up in line with the usual inflation index used.

That said you aren’t being unreasonable to complain about the cost it is absolute madness! My 35 minute commute to work costs £13.80 return each day and if I go from my parents it’s only a 10 minute train but costs me £10! It seems excessive. I’ve actually started driving and doing park and ride as it works out cheaper and quicker.

@RedSnail there are going to be thousands of people who don't qualify for a rail card. Sadly you are one of them.

If I were you I would campaign for change so that people like you (who medically cannot drive but don't meet other criteria) have access to a rail card. Doesn't have to be the disabled persons rail card. A new category could be created.

@RomeoOscarXrayXray none of the railcards would work for me as I don’t qualify for any of them. I’m 36, live in the south west, always travel alone, medically unable to drive (but not due to one of the listed conditions and no PIP).

For those saying you don’t need PIP to get a disabled railcard… epilepsy and using hearing aids are about the only exceptions. Having a letter saying you are medically unfit to drive due to other conditions doesn’t qualify you for a disabled railcard, you have to get PIP for other conditions.

Here's a way to find a card that works for you

www.railcard.co.uk

Might be an option for some - the Veteran's Railcard saves me a fortune on train travel. To the extent that it's cheaper for me to get into town by train than by bus. (£2.50 return versus £4 return) Plus I can take a named adult (my DH) and up to 4 children. There are time constraints and other ts and cs.

I can use it when alone which is fab. I work for a charity now so am able to pass the savings onto them for relevant work expenses.

Sometimes it's worth applying for something like a "two-together" even for one journey! The savings you make on the rail journey often pay for the card.

I saw an instagram video with Ian Hislop today (sheer coincidence) and he was saying that re-nationalised railways are performing exceptionally well and returning money to the exchequer.

Scotland's railway has been re-nationalised. It's not perfect but it's working well and improving.

In Scotland the young Scot card gives young people a discount on trains but many prefer the bus as that's free for them.

@SisterMichaelsHabit

Isn't that sad though.
How many families live close to London but just cannot afford to access it!

I agree, my mum finds coach seats more comfortable than train seats but there just aren't the buses.

When we were in Germany last year we used Flixbus - we could do with far more of them as well.

I am a fan of train travel but clearly if you travel with other people it's a lot cheaper. That said, trains are so often delayed you get your money back! My mum's train home was cancelled and the replacement delayed after Christmas so she'll get the whole of that leg back.

I am not sure fare evasion is massive as most stations have barriers now.

You do not need PIP to get a disabled railcard...

Family member has epilepsy no PIP and has disabled railcard .. please read the criteria carefully or talk to them ....

DD gets Exeter to Woking for £35 return. Three hours. Bargain. My ticket from rural village to local town. £6. 5 mins. NOT a bargain!

Now they’re not shutting the ticket offices, it does make me wonder where they’ll make savings instead. I understand fare evasion is massive too.

@PattyPan also I'm travelling for work so can't do the delays.

@PattyPan

One example recently

£198 return on train to Birmingham from Edinburgh which also needed 2 nights in a hotel due to timings so £400 total

Versus

£55 return on easyJet with one night in a hotel. £150 total.

Not true, you are entitled to Delay Repay for the whole journey. You may have to appeal to get it though, the first stage of Delay Repay validation is usually automated.

Trouble with split ticketing is that if one leg is delayed or cancelled, you can only claim delay repay compensation for that leg. If it means you miss a later train, you can't claim compensation for it if it ran on time.

The trick is to split your fare to avoid fares set by XC as successive governments have forced XC to hike fares instead of buying longer trains. South Wales to Crewe or Manchester is priced much cheaper by TfW and kids go free on TfW (though it's worth still paying for one of them to take advantage of the railcard discount).

Crewe to Scotland is set by Avanti and Manchester to Scotland is set by TPE. Splitting at Manchester is £438.40, splitting at Crewe is £448.35. These are walk-up tickets, no need to choose a specific date (though TfW do have a lot of cheap Advances available even up to the point of departure). The only restriction is that the journey from Scotland back to Manchester can't start before 9am M-F, whereas to Crewe the only restriction is that you just can't use the Sleeper.

Prices quoted are Carmarthen to Aberdeen. As you mentioned that the journey time is seven hours I'm guessing that you're not travelling quite that far so it would be even cheaper.

As a PP says, any journey involving Avanti or TPE is likely to end up refunded.

Ah see England to Scotland is one train journey I do find cheap - expensive up front but they are always so delayed you get your full money back!

Just wanted to say my other half has a disabled railcard and has never applied for PIP. So I don't think it is essential, in case that's helpful.

Yes, that's with family Railcard. It's the specific dates of the wedding though, I can get it for less but not on the dates we need to travel.

It's a mixed picture though isn't it! Reading up, UK advance tickets are very cheap compared to Europe, on the day and peak fares are very expensive. Yes, most if our railways are "private" but most are run by European Government owned railways, how does that work then? Network rail is government owned, still a shit show. Our track and train infrastructure, and work practices are stuck in the dark ages, Union intransigence, and the workers are the highest paid in Europe.

So, as with the NHS, it needs changing and updating. Unfortunately we were the first, but not necessarily the best.

Again do you have a Family Railcard? I've just checked the fares for Carmarthen to Aberdeen (so the longest possible journey between two population centres) and even open returns without splitting anything didn't come close to that.

Splitting at Crewe knocked £200 off of your price, again with walk-up tickets you could just buy from the Conductor, not need to book ahead.

Son has moved for work just 110 miles away in a different city. He planned to come home on Friday evenings for the weekend. Has to leave his work city at a ridiculously early 6-30 to get to the intermediary city for the last train home at 7-15 to get home for 9pm. Total journey time is 2.5 hours for just 110 miles! Over half the time, he gets to the intermediary station to find the "last" train at 7-15 is cancelled. Staff just shrug when he asks about alternatives such as a rail replacement bus, alternative route options, etc. He has to go back to his work city and give up on coming home. Once or twice fair enough, but at least twice a month is taking the piss.

He's bought a car and now drives instead!! He'll probably never try using the train again!

What fools think that the "last" train at such an early time of 7-15 is any kind of acceptable public transport system, and which fool thinks that cancelling it so often without any alternative is remotely acceptable??