We wanted to book from Wigan to Edinburgh for New Year and the cost was £ 200.00 per person one way. 800 quid for 2 return, you can fly to many international destinations for 400 quid per person return . So now we going to New York instead. Only for a night and 2 days but what the hell. And people can't figure out why the UK economy is down the drain. I thought if this green scam was real then public transport would be affordable. Edinburghs loss and New Yorks gain, well done starmer.
I pay £90 for an off peak return to Inverness from just south of Glasgow and the ticket office recently tried to charge me £125 for the same ticket the week after fares were put up citing that as the reason for the price. I refused to pay it one out of principle and two I didn’t have that much money on me. After a bit of tapping away at a keyboard an £88 fare magically appeared on the screen. They’re at it! If I hadn’t refused to pay I’d be charged nearly an extra £40 for no reason.
This is the age of the plane. Years ago, when train fares were rising someone worked out that it was cheaper to fly with Concord that travel by train per mile. History just continues to repeat it'self.
Mate I travel from Birmingham to Newcastle and it's £150 return. OFF peak! Then when in Birmingham like today you can't get a taxi from 12-1pm cos all the taxi driver are praying on Fridays!!
We *had* an integrated system up to Nationalisation. The railway companies also ran buses, hotels, ferries and road freight services. There was even an airline - Railway Air Services IIRC - run jointly by the Big Four. After Nationalisation they split all these up and made them compete against each other, while tying BR’s legs together and making it hard for them. The railways had to publish their fees and stick to them but hauliers didn’t so undercut the railways on every possible occasion.
Almost every method of transport is cheaper than the train. I have to make a 23 mile journey every couple of months and it involves a mile walk, a bus, three trains and then another 2.5 mile walk. And all told that costs me £24 return and is a very long and drawn out journey with multiple waits so anything up to 3 hours one way. On the bus all the way is only a 2 bus journey that drops me off outside the door where I go so aside from my initial walk costs me £8 and it takes 80 minutes one way including my walk. Why did I ever think getting the train was a sensible thing to do. The train is a monster and is a ridiculous method of transport and I hate to think why the train drivers think they deserve their money.
Bratislava is as far west in Slovakia you can go. Košice is about as far east as you can go. Opposite sides of the country, the length of it. Train between them takes six hours. COSTS 19 EURO!
Way back in the eighties , one guy on the job had worked in Hamburg ,i think it was. He said it took him twenty minutes to get to work, That involved a tram ,a ferry , and a bus , ONE TICKET .
i flew to france for 5 pound few years ago , one way train ticket to stanstead was over 100 pounds,we have the 2 pound fair now but starlin and his greedy lot want to put it up a pound if he does it will stop me going into town as it will be to expencive ,i just been abroud and the trams buses were very cheap,25p any ware ,if it was 30 miles same price 5 miles same price , a bus trip i took cost me 5 pound 95miles return trip,we are ripped off by greed here
There was a scottish bloke a few years ago who flew to italy and bought a pizza cheaper than a train to london. I think the problem with public transport is the profiteering from private companies, every year they have to show economic growth, so when they run out of idea's they get that growth from the consumer. The result is prices that bear no relation to operating cost, the same would happen with a driverless system.
Modern 'trains' are generally horrible to ride on - dirty, overcrowded, claustrophobic, unreliable, high parking charges if you drive to the station, extortionate fares unless you book years in advance..... You could turn up for your pre-booked train, only to find it has been cancelled, so you get crammed into the next one, without your booked seat! Then there was the time the driver ran through a red signal just outside Chesterfield, when I was going to Leeds for work purposes. We eventually got to Chesterfield, transferred to another train etc. I was late for the event, and missed a talk I really wanted to hear! The DLR was built on the cheap, but has been a success. A lot of the routes used existing or abandoned routes. Driverless trains would still have some sort of 'controllers', and maintenance staff, who could still go on strike.
I don't know how you only suddenly realised this - it's been true for ages. I recall flying from London City to Edinburgh in 2012 and it was less than £100. The train fare was more.
@@davelowe1977 Up until the late eighties you could just turn up at an airport and go to the ticket desk and get what was called a 'Standby' ticket. All flights have pax who don't show up and a 'Standby' was just a reselling of the unused reservation of no-show pax immediately after check in had closed. Me and my mate were often seen hanging around the check in desks at LHR or LGW. At eighteen we'd been all over Europe and as far as Cairo of all places. The fares were literally pennies,
@GRHDA I know. I used to fly to places to fix stuff and quite often took toolboxes onto planes and put them into the overhead. Once I took a small TIG welder as carry on.
@davelowe1977 I built and repaired robotic falcons about 15 yrs ago ,had a small tool kit a pcb and a small 6v battery charger in my bag , captured by police and bomb squad 😂 😂 edinburgh
I'm not defending train drivers but I think people are forgetting how incredibly expensive rail infrastructure is to maintain. Overhead lines, points, cabling, signalling. None of this is cheap to maintain. Plane fares are cheap because once you leave the airport there is no infrastructure. I also think you should look at Deutsche Bahn and their railway "service." Last year one third of trains in Germany were late or cancelled.
The Swiss transport system is excellent, but the fares are not really cheap. Also the currency is the Swiss Franc , which is very strong against the U.K. pound sterling !
But for the nett zero Green myth we must use public transport even though the average Euro 6 diesel hybrid can take 5 people 20 miles on every litre of fuel (50p per person) and refuel anywhere in under 3 minutes with no cancellations unless you need to use a CalMac ferry or hit a mega pot hole.
Train Driver's are going to all end up Unemployed , as Train Fares are Too expensive for People on Minimum Wage . i Had this in the 80s took my boy & myself on the Train as a matter of URGENCY Stirling to Glasgow , Came back by Bus @ a 1/3 third of the Train price.
Well I went to book a train to Inverness before Christmas ,book in advance price £16 but no my price £27 why ? Those advance tickets no longer available, the mind boggles this was 4 days before travel.
Roughly 120k PA. Now a first officer(FO) is on roughly 40k or less especially on a turboprop. Hours building for FO's is the name of the game and you won't earn decent money until you're sitting in the captain's left hand seat,
Although I never consider London as a destination for anything entertaining I object to paying £30 return on the train on top of the price of entry to whatever I went to see. You are looking at £180 per person per night and I really cannot justify that level of stupidity.
We wanted to book from Wigan to Edinburgh for New Year and the cost was £ 200.00 per person one way. 800 quid for 2 return, you can fly to many international destinations for 400 quid per person return . So now we going to New York instead. Only for a night and 2 days but what the hell. And people can't figure out why the UK economy is down the drain. I thought if this green scam was real then public transport would be affordable. Edinburghs loss and New Yorks gain, well done starmer.
It's all over bar the shouting.
I pay £90 for an off peak return to Inverness from just south of Glasgow and the ticket office recently tried to charge me £125 for the same ticket the week after fares were put up citing that as the reason for the price.
I refused to pay it one out of principle and two I didn’t have that much money on me. After a bit of tapping away at a keyboard an £88 fare magically appeared on the screen.
They’re at it! If I hadn’t refused to pay I’d be charged nearly an extra £40 for no reason.
This is the age of the plane.
Years ago, when train fares were rising someone worked out that it was cheaper to fly with Concord
that travel by train per mile.
History just continues to repeat it'self.
I live 35 miles outside of Budapest - a single ticket to the city from my town costs £2.50.
Public transport not a taxation system ...
Mate I travel from Birmingham to Newcastle and it's £150 return. OFF peak! Then when in Birmingham like today you can't get a taxi from 12-1pm cos all the taxi driver are praying on Fridays!!
😂😂😂
Sad but true.
I flew Glasgow to Heathrow 122 rtn, train 280 rtn in August
Point made perfectly.
Said this for years!! Train driver should be careful, their job is extremely sensitive to automation
We *had* an integrated system up to Nationalisation. The railway companies also ran buses, hotels, ferries and road freight services. There was even an airline - Railway Air Services IIRC - run jointly by the Big Four. After Nationalisation they split all these up and made them compete against each other, while tying BR’s legs together and making it hard for them. The railways had to publish their fees and stick to them but hauliers didn’t so undercut the railways on every possible occasion.
Almost every method of transport is cheaper than the train. I have to make a 23 mile journey every couple of months and it involves a mile walk, a bus, three trains and then another 2.5 mile walk. And all told that costs me £24 return and is a very long and drawn out journey with multiple waits so anything up to 3 hours one way. On the bus all the way is only a 2 bus journey that drops me off outside the door where I go so aside from my initial walk costs me £8 and it takes 80 minutes one way including my walk. Why did I ever think getting the train was a sensible thing to do. The train is a monster and is a ridiculous method of transport and I hate to think why the train drivers think they deserve their money.
Bratislava is as far west in Slovakia you can go. Košice is about as far east as you can go. Opposite sides of the country, the length of it. Train between them takes six hours. COSTS 19 EURO!
Way back in the eighties , one guy on the job had worked in Hamburg ,i think it was. He said it took him twenty minutes to get to work, That involved a tram ,a ferry , and a bus , ONE TICKET .
The first mistake they made is setting prices based on some arbitrary parameter like "affordable", whatever that means.
I do edinburgh to stanstead to visit family twice a year I use the car if I can't get a flight, and I wouldn't dream of the train due to cost !.
Plus they are dirty.
With 15 minute cities, it won’t be a problem...😬
There are even dearer part of the journey.... The tram from Edinburgh to Edinburgh Airport and/or the pick up set down charge at the Airport!!!!!
There are several stations North of Inverness which are request stops but few have nearby bus stops or taxis.
i flew to france for 5 pound few years ago , one way train ticket to stanstead was over 100 pounds,we have the 2 pound fair now but starlin and his greedy lot want to put it up a pound if he does it will stop me going into town as it will be to expencive ,i just been abroud and the trams buses were very cheap,25p any ware ,if it was 30 miles same price 5 miles same price , a bus trip i took cost me 5 pound 95miles return trip,we are ripped off by greed here
Carparking fees are clearly putting people off as well.
everyone should stop using trains let them go bust
I haven't been on a train since 1992 so I am doing my bit 😊.
@@david-hf3dk 1'm 1982 as a Bairn i've been on Many Steam Trains Born 1952 last train ride was 1959 then one way to Glasgow 1982 i'm 72 now
Comfort is something else that in time
There was a scottish bloke a few years ago who flew to italy and bought a pizza cheaper than a train to london.
I think the problem with public transport is the profiteering from private companies, every year they have to show economic growth, so when they run out of idea's they get that growth from the consumer. The result is prices that bear no relation to operating cost, the same would happen with a driverless system.
Modern 'trains' are generally horrible to ride on - dirty, overcrowded, claustrophobic, unreliable, high parking charges if you drive to the station, extortionate fares unless you book years in advance..... You could turn up for your pre-booked train, only to find it has been cancelled, so you get crammed into the next one, without your booked seat!
Then there was the time the driver ran through a red signal just outside Chesterfield, when I was going to Leeds for work purposes. We eventually got to Chesterfield, transferred to another train etc. I was late for the event, and missed a talk I really wanted to hear!
The DLR was built on the cheap, but has been a success. A lot of the routes used existing or abandoned routes.
Driverless trains would still have some sort of 'controllers', and maintenance staff, who could still go on strike.
Back in the late 2000's I was quoted a higher price for London to Leeds by rail than from Chicago to London by air! Only in the UK!
THE ONLY SUBSIDISED IN THIS COUNTRY IS THE WAGES OF THE UNION GUYS AND CIVIL SERVICE PEOPLE
I don't know how you only suddenly realised this - it's been true for ages. I recall flying from London City to Edinburgh in 2012 and it was less than £100. The train fare was more.
Imagine if you could just arrive at the airport, walk no more than 100m, and jump on a plane like you could with a train.
@@davelowe1977 Up until the late eighties you could just turn up at an airport and go to the ticket desk and get what was called a 'Standby' ticket. All flights have pax who don't show up and a 'Standby' was just a reselling of the unused reservation of no-show pax immediately after check in had closed. Me and my mate were often seen hanging around the check in desks at LHR or LGW. At eighteen we'd been all over Europe and as far as Cairo of all places. The fares were literally pennies,
@GRHDA I know. I used to fly to places to fix stuff and quite often took toolboxes onto planes and put them into the overhead. Once I took a small TIG welder as carry on.
@davelowe1977 I built and repaired robotic falcons about 15 yrs ago ,had a small tool kit a pcb and a small 6v battery charger in my bag , captured by police and bomb squad 😂 😂 edinburgh
In Holland a train Driver and a Nurse earn similar wages I am told.
It’s more greed.
I'm not defending train drivers but I think people are forgetting how incredibly expensive rail infrastructure is to maintain. Overhead lines, points, cabling, signalling. None of this is cheap to maintain. Plane fares are cheap because once you leave the airport there is no infrastructure. I also think you should look at Deutsche Bahn and their railway "service." Last year one third of trains in Germany were late or cancelled.
The Swiss transport system is excellent, but the fares are not really cheap. Also the currency is the Swiss Franc , which is very strong against the U.K. pound sterling !
You sometimes have a DLR official onboard the train in the control area, as well as do to announcements (mainly for Canning Town)
The reason travelling by train is expensive is because they have too many overpaid managers getting juicy annual bonuses
Not to mention over-paid drivers.... Thanks Keir....
But for the nett zero Green myth we must use public transport even though the average Euro 6 diesel hybrid can take 5 people 20 miles on every litre of fuel (50p per person) and refuel anywhere in under 3 minutes with no cancellations unless you need to use a CalMac ferry or hit a mega pot hole.
I've looked at flying a few times. Different towns. Can Never find one that suits my times or even returns the same day.
Train Driver's are going to all end up Unemployed , as Train Fares are Too expensive for People on Minimum Wage . i Had this in the 80s took my boy & myself on the Train as a matter of URGENCY Stirling to Glasgow , Came back by Bus @ a 1/3 third of the Train price.
Well I went to book a train to Inverness before Christmas ,book in advance price £16 but no my price £27 why ? Those advance tickets no longer available, the mind boggles this was 4 days before travel.
How much does a pilot earn? probably less than a train driver these days.
Roughly 120k PA. Now a first officer(FO) is on roughly 40k or less especially on a turboprop. Hours building for FO's is the name of the game and you won't earn decent money until you're sitting in the captain's left hand seat,
Lol, have you had a tipple 😅
Although I never consider London as a destination for anything entertaining I object to paying £30 return on the train on top of the price of entry to whatever I went to see. You are looking at £180 per person per night and I really cannot justify that level of stupidity.
So what you’re saying then that they should make the full east/west coat lines of Britain, driverless ? Sober up.
your talking to governments and unions who are not listening.
Their just making life impossible driving fines every day buses and trains to unrealiab and to expensive
Delusional.