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.

Just don’t leave it til the last minute.

I had a meeting in Oxford (from Newcastle) 3 months ago. Hadn’t been on a train since the pandemic. Used to do the same trip all the time, booking at the last minute. Never any problem with availability though a bit more expensive.

This time….logged on on a Friday morning for Sunday pm travel. Very few trains/ seats available. Ended up having to pay £400 for standard class return.

Don’t be me!!!

This was on Newsnight last night. Private motoring has got cheaper while public transport has got dearer.

I only go to London via the train when work are paying now.

Honestly if you can manage it I'd get the coach. Going to London in October with the DC's from Birmingham and on the train it was going to cost over 200 pounds for 90 minute journey and that was the cheap in advance option! We're now going to go on the coach, 44 pounds return for all three of us.

Blimey that's expensive. I recently booked 4 adult tickets from London to Edinburgh and they were only £280 ... I thought that was pretty good.

I’m in Manchester and just tried to get a train ticket to london and was flabbergasted that there were no advance options.
There almost always used to be some but there’s literally zero for a date next month.

Hi @Hellotoallmyfans I don't know which app you are using but Train line have 2 adults and 3 children return for £287 from any Manchester to Any London. That's leaving tomorrow and return on Monday, which I know is not it when you are going but an examplebut

My friend recently found going from Crewe gave her the best price if you could get there.

Otherwise we have driven to the edge of the tube network before, booked parking in advance and got the tube in.

My nephew and 3 friends just drove to London and back from Yorkshire, they said it was much cheaper and not that bad a drive.

Excellent graph @SwedishEdith thank you for sharing.

Seeing this my fear is that if the government did take notice, they’ll only increase the cost to drive, rather than subsidise public transport. 😕

Food being a similar example. There’s a sugar tax and talk of a tax on other ‘unhealthy’ food to encourage people to make better food choices; yet no talk of subsidies on healthy food.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m no socialist, just feels like we’re being squeezed at every angle sometimes.

Off topic I know but It’s also why I think some folks are going to get caught out by thinking they can work from anywhere these days. We are now overseas but we did live in Bath and a day return (off peak) booked 3 or 4 days in advance which is often the notice you get business wise for meetings etc is £78 to £92. A few of those a month can soon add up and you end up driving- which is 2 hours (plus any stop) . Obviously it depends on the job, but I suspect companies will often still expect people in for meetings etc and not always pay expenses, as they will say it’s your choice to move away.

I've just clocked that you are paying £120 a ticket for the theatre. Maybe ignore my advice as clearly we have different ideas about decent seats. Those must be literally the most expensive there are, surely?

We caught the train from Bolton to Blackpool. 4 of us, 1 adult, 1 disabled adult, 1child and 1 pensioner. £60. I used the train as a treat (2 of us can drive) wished I had driven. Would have taken 45 minutes and if you add up petrol and parking it would've been nowhere near. But we should all use public transport. Yeah right, make the prices cheaper than using a car.

We’re in the NE. We’ve driven down before and stayed north of London and just got the train in and out.
We also once left our car on someone’s street and just got the car in for the weekend rather than the train. Sad as I miss the local paper cheap tickets we regularly used in the past.

It's been very apparent since the govt took over that the usual cheap advance fares are no longer available as often or as cheaply.

I think it's more the case that the cheap fares are being made available later than usual due to covid uncertainty. My local operator is only releasing advance fares 6 weeks ahead at the moment. I'm sure this is leading to a lot of people assuming that the cheap fares have gone because they're booking too early.

Splitting tickets is cheaper, when are you going Op, how old are the dc. It can be done cheaper if you travel off peak, split tickets, go to the Matinee and find a cheaper hotel.

You need to book as far in advance as possible. Pre Covid we travelled from London to Edinburgh 1st class for £30 each by booking 12 weeks ahead. The earlier you buy the tickets, the cheaper they are.

I second the Premier Inn at St Pancras. Always a cheap winner and if you don’t mind walking a bit you don’t need to get the tube everywhere. There’s also a premier inn in Leicester Square and Covent Garden, also the Travelodge on Drury Lane is very good. All priced around £100-£160 a night.

I've just used £10 of my Tesco vouchers to buy a £30 family and friends rail card. I then managed to get tickets for October for £85 for 4 of us return to London, was over £300 without. We are off to see Matlida :-)

How far ahead are you booking in advance? Me and my friend are going to London in a few weeks. Cost £40 each return. Booked around 6 weeks in advance.

Sorry forgot to add. Travelling from Manchester- London Euston.

We drive (from near Birmingham) then park at Westfield in Shepherd's Bush. It's reasonably priced and close to the central line tube.

Railcard and advance fares. But yes, train tickets are expensive and go up every year. I commute from Reading to London (20 miles) and a season ticket is now £5768 a year and a peak day travel card is £57.20. I’d never pay that for a day ticket though because I have a railcard - they pay for themselves so quickly. I am expecting fares to go up sharply this year as the companies need to recoup lost income.

It is literally half the price for me to fly to London from manchester late this year then get the train. Absolutely bonkers...

We’re also staying in London kings cross travel lodge, £60 a night for the whole room

We're off to London for a weekend and are paying £300 for 2 nights at the end of the month.

We're driving and renting a car parking space near where we're staying;the cost of the space congestion charge and ULEZ charge will be over £240 cheaper than the train and back from the East Midlands.