First Capital Connect season ticket prices (FCC)

fr56

Wow, just about to renew my annual season ticket with FCC from Peterborough to London and I'd thought I'd share this little bit of info with you:

'06 price: £3740 (as WAGN)
'07 price: £4280 (up 15%)
'08 price: £4480 (up 4.6%)
'09 price: £5000 (up 11.6%)

Over the 24 month period from the end of the '06 ticket to this latest '09 one, it is a rise of 34.2%.

Back in 2007 I wrote to FCC arguing about their 15% rise (ha, how that seems so cheap now) and they replied they raised the price because it was too cheap compared to GNER (now National Express). I also wrote to my MP that year who replied that the price was unregulated and they could charge what they like, he was however sympathetic!

I've searched this forum for any season ticket info and have posted this here simply in case anyone else out there is also tearing their hair out in frustration at a 34% rise throughout a recession. Brilliant.

But at least I get a nice £5 voucher everytime the train is over 30minutes late... :rolleyes:

Oh, and £5000 also happens to be when employer loans become taxable, oh joy.

geordieracer

they will be going down a little in january though

Altarf

fr56 wrote: »

Wow, just about to renew my annual season ticket with FCC from Peterborough to London

they replied they raised the price because it was too cheap compared to GNER (now National Express).

But that is the real issue for the season ticket prices for that route, what National Express charge.

National Express charge £5892 for a faster and nicer service. FCC price their slower and nastier service £892 below that of National Express to get the number of customers they want.

If they were £1500 cheaper than National Express, would they increase the number of season ticket holders sufficient to counter the discount.

Anyway, another way to look at it is you have the cheapest tickets on the line. A season ticket from Peterborough on FCC costs about £65 per mile, but a season ticket from Potters Bar on FCC costs £125 per mile. So your ticket is half price.

fr56

geordieracer wrote: »

they will be going down a little in january though

Thanks for the responses, do you have a link for more info on the decrease? I did read a while ago that some tickets were being reduced but didn't check what operator or when or how much by.

The extra £892 for National Express is tempting me but when I see their trains in the morning there never seems to be any spare seats.

Oh and one final gripe, for the increase in fare this year FCC also revised their timetables in May making my usual service about 7minutes longer each way AND the extra stop they added means the services are regularly crowded. Between a rock and a hard place...

westv

When I transferred my season ticket over to NXEC late September I was told the season tickets would be going down in January....by about 0.10%!!
As regards seats. I've been getting the 07:40 in the morning and for the last month have always been able to get a seat. Same thing with the 17:49 from Kings X in the evening. Anyway, if you want to, they allow season ticket holders to make free seat reservations for up to 4 weeks in advance.

Altarf

fr56 wrote: »

Oh and one final gripe, for the increase in fare this year FCC also revised their timetables in May making my usual service about 7minutes longer each way AND the extra stop they added means the services are regularly crowded. Between a rock and a hard place...

But with the extra carriages that accompanied the extra stops, it means that those people further down the line now get a seat.

fr56

westv wrote: »

When I transferred my season ticket over to NXEC late September I was told the season tickets would be going down in January....by about 0.10%!!
As regards seats. I've been getting the 07:40 in the morning and for the last month have always been able to get a seat. Same thing with the 17:49 from Kings X in the evening. Anyway, if you want to, they allow season ticket holders to make free seat reservations for up to 4 weeks in advance.

Great, many thanks for the info. However it's now making me consider spending another £892! It's a double-edged sword this season ticket game. :rolleyes:

Altarf wrote: »

But with the extra carriages that accompanied the extra stops, it means that those people further down the line now get a seat.

Yeah I know that the changes have helped a lot of people, I'm just on my high horse at the moment, letting it all out and that.

Altarf

I guessed.

£4 a day to save 1/2 hour travel time, more comfortable trains, free wifi, ...

fr56

Sorry, one more thing. I must at least acknowledge that FCC have greatly improved the service between Pboro and Kings Cross since taking over WAGN. However I feel that maybe they should at least recognise those of us who started with much cheaper season tickets on WAGN and offer a discount. After all, I moved from London and bought a house in Peterborough based on the then £3740 price of a season ticket. I remember at the time that buying a GNER ticket at £5800 was never a question that entered my head. However £5000 is just too much (£8k+ inc. income tax) and it's now a constant consideration of mine to move my work away from London to Pboro - but it's a job I love and being held to ransom is not something I appreciate.

fr56

Altarf wrote: »

I guessed.

£4 a day to save 1/2 hour travel time, more comfortable trains, free wifi, ...

You don't work for National Express do you?! OK, I'm now seriously considering the extra ticket. At least then I could write with smug satisfaction to FCC saying they're not getting their hands on my money (unless a franchise thing means they do get something or other ).

Plus National Express could seriously do with the money at the moment, time to do some serious thinking...

Altarf

No, suffer FCC like you, but from further down the line (so happy to get a seat with the May changes).

FCC would probably argue that the fares were under priced from Peterborough before with WAGN.

I think the problem is with the increase in house prices (before the crash) that there were a lot of people thinking along the same lines as you, and moved up the line to more affordable housing. Have you noticed an increase in the number of passengers on the train from Peterborough?. With the increase in customers, they can afford to push the fares up (to a level just low enough that customers don't jump to NXEC), and as the trains are full by the time they reach KX are they bothered.

The result of a privatised railway.