To think train travel is too expensive?!

Yes, it's expensive. We use National Express coaches a lot as its cheaper. Much cheaper to uni towns. Eg. Bristol to London, Birmingham to London, Coventry to London.

massive benefit to the economy, great for the environment.

But who cares about that ? Not the people in power obviously.

Fly!

The Privatised train companies work perfectly for what they are designed for.

They are designed to funnel public money (government subsidies) into the pockets of shareholders (usually Tory donors), and they are doing a fantastic job.

They are not designed to be of any use to the consumers.

As long as I want to live an extremely limited life because I can't just pop out, well anywhere.

Most trips will take about three times as long. I need to go to my second nearest airport next week. I've just checked and I can drive there in 60-90 mins. Or go on the bus and train and walk for over half an hour and do it in 3.5 hours. On the way back, I'll need a night in a hotel because I come back after the buses and trains finish.

There are no train stations out where I go walking in the hills. There are no train stations within 2 miles of my house or anywhere near where my friends and family live.

So instead of spending £3-5k pa on running a car and being able to go out and about every day, you're suggesting I should spend the same amount of money going on the train once or twice a month and spending the other 340 days remaining within walking distance of my house. OK then.

Absolutely agree, crazy, crazy prices. I would love to see heavily subsidised train travel around the country (just like in London). This is the way to take people off the roads and encourage them to travel - massive benefit to the economy, great for the environment.

Germany decided to tackle an economic dip some months ago by selling monthly rail passes for peppercorn prices. Let's see some of that here too.

That doesn't explain 1997-2010 though.

I completely agree. There’s been numerous times I’ve wanted to get the train somewhere but it’s been markably cheaper to fly or drive.

Its because we have a Tory government that prioritises car driving above other transport options and hates the idea of cheap accessible rail travel that poor people might then use
Almost every European country does it better

If you look carefully you’ll find there are a few operators, pretty much all household names, doing the likes of MAN- JFK over the next few months charging not much more than £400 return (though you need to be careful because some are not direct).

Until recently air fares generally weren’t escalating at anything like the rate rail fares were, though there are signs of prices starting to pick up.

So that's approx 3k p/a before fuel, lot of train tickets for that

My work is next to a train station in a city centre and it’s still cheaper to drive in and pay parking than it is to get the train.

That sounds like a mega cheap flight though! I remember the first time I went to NY in 1999, we had booked the flights (return) through Trailfinders for £206. I find it hard to believe it’s only gone up £150 in 25 years.

The last time I flew economy (2005), I paid around £500 as I got a full refund for a 24 hour delay.

Yeah, it’s absolutely ridiculous how much we pay. It’s cheaper to fly half the time.

I agree op and they're so nonsensical. Getting a train from my local station to nearest major city = £55. Driving 20 mins to catch it from a different station = £20. Getting a train the other way to a further away city = £12.

Who said anything about a car costing £30k?

Mine cost £8k which is likely to work out at under £1k pa once I've finished with it. Add on insurance, servicing, MOT, road tax, breakdown cover and it's still not likely to exceed £150 pm for everything except fuel, which I can have as much as I like for about 14 p a mile. For transport that I can use to go where I want, when I want with no route or time restrictions or planning ahead or penalties if I change my mind.

£150-200 pm incl some fuel for all that, which wouldn't even buy me one return ticket to London.

Policy of government to increase rail fares whilst not increasing fuel duty or even some alternative for large 99% unnecessarily large cars. Also unfair competition for longer journeys for some given the lack of speed limit enforcement and medical standards for car drivers.

I am sure any reasonable employer or supplier would agree to a meeting later than 11am if the cost of getting there was as much as you are being asked for. Or accept a virtual meeting.

The high prices in the UK are still not caused by Unions.
Most countries recognise that public transport is a universal service and a degree of taxpayer subsidy is beneficial for a variety of reasons.
If left to the free market most UK rail fares would probably be even more insane and a lot of routes would close.

Train travel is ridiculously expensive. Id like to turn up at the station and buy a ticket knowing it was a reasonable fare. Rather than scouting round trying to get offers.

No, it isn’t, but people often say “but a car costs money to run/insure/service”.

For many people that is either not true (because they have a company car) or not relevant as they need a car so have already signed up to those costs.

Govt will never convince car owners to take often unreliable and often inconvenient public transport if you don’t make it cheaper and preferably quicker than the car.

^ This 100%

I thought state subsidies weren't allowed in the EU and that's why we had to leave ? You know - to save our steel industry.

30k on a car could buy alot of train tickets