Frigging hell! The price of train tickets to London!!

[Hellotoallmyfans]

Why have train tickets become so expensive? (I don't use public transport usually so not very aware of fluctuating prices)

Every couple of years or so I book for us to go to London as a family (2 adults, 3 dcs) to go see a show and take in some sights - the theatre tickets were £600(!) but I was expecting that as I know that's what it costs for decent seats, ditto the hotel which is £500 for two rooms for one night. But what I wasn't expecting was to then have to pay another £340 on top for train tickets from Manchester to get there! Last time we went, before covid, the train was £90 for a family ticket! There doesn't seem to be any options for family tickets and all the websites I've looked at are showing the same price.

I don't know what I'm looking for here, just having a moan really! Or maybe the name of a secret website that does cheap train tickets?

Everything is so bloody expensive isn't it? I guess I will have to suck it up and pay as I've booked the theatre tickets now which I'm sure will non-refundable. It's just gutting that I am looking at close to a grand just to get there and stay for one night. We could literally have flights/hotel for a week in Europe for that! Not taking into account the theatre tickets and the £££+ we will probably end up spending on food/drink and other attractions (wanted to maybe do a boat ride and some museums).

It's going to be at least £2k+ spent on one night in London! I don't know if it's even worth it? Grrr.

exiledfromcornwall I've honestly wondered the same.

I keep thinking maybe an automatic or possible electric car might be easier and maybe sat nav - a large part of my problems post test passing was passenger issued directions - but then I see drivers here and the junction out the estate and think I may never get back to driving.

Just don't do it?! £2000 for a day trip is absolutely crazy. How many days do you have to work to take home £2000?

Welcome to my world - train ticket to work costs £45-49. For a 55 minute journey.

Are you buying tickets in the stalls?! Definitely NOT the best seats in the house. There is no way and I mean NO WAY you need to pay that much for good seats at the theatre.

Unbelievable isnt it. I have a friend who lives 40 miles from me. We both live near a train station and it goes direct. So when I went to see her I thought get a train rather than drive. £80 for us a family of four! So we drove and it cost us £10 in petrol!

I’ve been looking too. The cheapest I have found was £181 for four adults. This included a two together railcard and 2 x16-25 years railcard. If you factor in the cost of that too it’s £270 approx.

I’ve found a premier inn for 2 rooms for £190 but it’s still nearing £500 for a trip from Manchester and that’s without the tube fare.
We were debating whether to stay on the outskirts and get the train in now. It works out at half the price but would mean one of us will need to drive back

Tell me about it! We're going to Old Trafford to see Foo Fighters next June and I priced up the train. Picked myself up off the floor and have decided that we're going to go up by coach.

@exiledfromcornwall the very lame argument for not subsidizing the railways is that the people who tend to use rail regularly esp for work tend to be wealthier- think surrey commuters. That might have been true over 20 years ago when huge swathes of London mainly had council tenants/immigrants and the white middle class tend to decamp to the Home Counties but its not as true now- most people who now move to cheaper commuter towns in Kent and Essex do so because they can't afford London,not simply because they want a 5 bedroom house and a driveway big enough for 2 cars and a lot of them can barely afford the high railway costs. The rail costs now mean that its more expensive to live in most parts of the Home Counties as opposed to a 2 bed flat in zone 3 london assuming both people are commuting ( I did the calculations when I bought in 2019), but for many people, the bank wouldn't give them a large enough mortgage.

Its obscene. But it always has been ridiculously expensive way to travel

We went from south London to Brighton in the holidays. The day before tickets with a rail card were £13 for one adult and a teen with a 16-17 saver. Went to book minutes after midnight- busy day meant to book sooner- and it was £33…. We drove instead. Cost £6 to park and about £10 on petrol if that.
Train fare is ridiculous.

I have found it difficult and expensive getting to and from London to Blackpool I have found it easier to book 12 weeks in advance and u can get the family ticket that way look at trainline as well as ur local train stn as they will have different pricing

Train fares are now astronomical

We are going away for a weekend later this month and use the train. We priced it up and it was over £300 for 2 adults and 2 children for a 3 hour journey WITH a railcard. We'll be taking the car - so much for the environment.

Hello hello
Use websites like splitticketing or raileasy. They "split" tickets and make your journey cheaper. So they'll find a cheap combo for the exact same journey!

Helped me at university but booking in advance will always help (and a Railcard!)

Slightly off topic but
Bournemouth and Southampton to Waterloo has only one MONOPOLY Operator so no discounts. They have decided not to reinstate some services that were suspended during Lockdown so we will still be crowded and have to manage with a slow stopping service.
Will resume driving to outer London.

I got returns for me and 2 teenage Dc (16 and 17) for £116 from Manchester last month, that is crazy OP. I also recommend the Premier Inn and early booking - my rooms were £344 for 2 rooms for 3 nights in August at Kings Cross....

Family and friends railcard really helps - plus booking ahead of time. Trainline is quite good and I think it is cheaper still if you use their app. The five or you with a family railcard buying online is £178 off peak return, travelling on a Saturday morning in October. The only thing to be careful of though is that Trainline don't give refunds for unused tickets.

Definitely try to buy as early as possible and keep trying. Strangely, I've found new prices come up if I try different sites at different times..

Good luck!

You can do it for significantly less if you split your journey. (Sometimes you get the same train the full way but have multiple tickets). You need to look at the rail operator map and look at splitting the journey by operator. Obviously this can give you less flexibility but if you miss a connection because yours was late but you should be fine to get the next one. I always do!

www.nationalrail.co.uk/TOCs%20v%2053NRE%20May%202021%202.pdf

For example if you go Manchester to Crewe then Crewe to London with a family rail card you can do the return for as little as £17.20 plus £65 plus the cost of the railcard (which is free with Tesco points).

Or less if you book well in advance.

Can you drive and rent a driveway nearby to park on? I did that recently and it cost £13 for a day

I booked a train ticket this morning and saved myself about £30 by booking through thetrainline rather than direct with the train company. You pay a booking fee but it still works out cheaper.

That’s appalling no wonder people choose to drive. Could you not drive to the outskirts of London, stay at say a premier inn and get the tube in?

Railcard will reduce the cost

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Madness, writ large.

@FangsForTheMemory
Booking through National Rail is exactly the same price as Trainline fares.

Get a National Express coach. Much cheaper and can get it direct to Victoria coach station.