AIBU?
To think that train companies are taking the piss??
tigerbear · 31/03/2011 10:00
Have just checked prices for 2 SINGLE train tickets from London to Winchester for DH and I - nearly fell off my chair when the price popped up as £58.60!!! This is a journey lasting less than an hour.
I just don't understand how they can get away with charging these prices.
Yet I bought a ticket for a similar length journey from London to Southend the other week and it was just £14 return - I just don't understand how they work out these mental prices!!!
Grrrr.
mypandasgotcrabs · 31/03/2011 10:06
Drive!
We took ds1 to London for the day last summer. Tickets on SWT from Portsmouth to Waterloo for 3 of us (2 adults, 1 child) were nearly £80. We took the car instead. £14 worth of diesel & £15 to park the car for the day in Wimbledon.
Plus you can come and go at whatever time you like. It took us an hour to get to Wimbledon as opposed to the 1hr 45 it would have taken on the train. And we weren't tied to the times that the trains ran.
I've never got the train, and never will take the train to London again as it's just too expensive.
Slightlyreluctantexpat · 31/03/2011 10:20
Hmmm. That is expensive, and I've just looked on thetrainline to check it. It wouldn't be much more for the return - 58.80 for an off-peak day return for the two of you, or 62.40 for an off-peak return (ie returning on a different day) for the two of you.
For this route it looks like the single is almost as expensive as the return.
The fares are confusing. Some bargains can be had if you book ahead and have a railcard, but nor for your single London to Winchester journey it would seem.
mypandasgotcrabs · 31/03/2011 10:21
How do you get the cheap advance fares? We've tried booking 12 weeks in advance like they say and it always comes up the same price as buying at the station on the day. The only time is when SOuthern do any book in advance offers and they work right up until a few hours before the train leaves. Other than that I've never found them to be cheaper booking in advance.
ajandjjmum · 31/03/2011 10:25
DS has travelled to London for 18 appointments at Great Ormond Street, since August last year.
He travels from Sheffield, I travel from the Midlands and we meet in London. It's cost me over £1,400 in rail fares. DS has the 16-25 railcard, but it's still a fortune. Then the trains are way over-crowded for parts of the journey.
Really annoys me - so much for encouraging people to use public transport.
CadleCrap · 31/03/2011 17:49
I have just had the same problem - £66 for DH and me. Our issue was exasperated by the fact we have to be in London bt 9am. If we could have waited til after 9.30, it would be £36
Booking early cheap deals etc aren't readily available on comuter trains, especially during rush hour.
flyingspaghettimonster · 31/03/2011 20:15
pmsl at blistered arseholes... I must be a total newbie here, because I still get a kick out of all the bad language on a site for mums :-)
Any advice for travelling from Sunderland to London? I could get a family railcard I guess, just wondering what the cheapest rates seem to be in others experiences, as I am not having much luck finding cheaper tickets and I am not fixed by dates since it is for sometime this summer...
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