MSE News: Train fares to rise by 6.2% in January

Nessie23

As much as I agree that investment is necessary, I do wonder how much of this money is actually going into new investment and how much is going into profits for the train operating companies.

This country already has some of the most expensive and overcrowded trains in Europe. We as taxpayers, custromers and travellers deserve more efficient and more accountable public transport companies.

If the government and politicians are serious about public transport they have to make sure it is efficient and affordable to the general public.

Enough said, time to get off the soap box now. :cool:

geordieracer

Nessie23 wrote: »

As much as I agree that investment is necessary, I do wonder how much of this money is actually going into new investment and how much is going into profits for the train operating companies.

This country already has some of the most expensive and overcrowded trains in Europe. We as taxpayers, custromers and travellers deserve more efficient and more accountable public transport companies.

If the government and politicians are serious about public transport they have to make sure it is efficient and affordable to the general public.

Enough said, time to get off the soap box now. :cool:

Are you aware that in Europe the government subsidise the railway so heavily that it is against EU rules regarding this? And that also they have taken many many years to open up their own lines to competition that its beyond a joke yet we have done that over here with great success.

It beggars belief how many times both the French and Germans have gotten away with breaking EU rules let alone the other countries that it shows us to be mugs..Its true to say that if they had done what we have done then their prices would be as much if not higher then ours.

chattychappy

geordieracer wrote: »

you know your train journey now is more punctual then it has been for over 20 years.

Spin. They've just added more time into the timetable to make the statistics look better. Thameslink trains can run as much as 10 minutes late through central London but still magically arrive at their destination on time. On my local line, trains run pretty much the same as they always have - but the arrival time has been extended so that fewer trains are late. A journey timetabled to take 33 minutes in 1985 is now timetabled to take 39 minutes - despite the new trains having better acceleration.

geordieracer

chattychappy wrote: »

Spin. They've just added more time into the timetable to make the statistics look better. Thameslink trains can run as much as 10 minutes late through central London but still magically arrive at their destination on time. On my local line, trains run pretty much the same as they always have - but the arrival time has been extended so that fewer trains are late. A journey timetabled to take 33 minutes in 1985 is now timetabled to take 39 minutes - despite the new trains having better acceleration.

yes i remember you making a similar comment before hand.. Yes they have built in more minutes into the timetables and this is because of the waiting time to board passengers has got greater as more and more people use the trains. so where there used to be 30 seconds to board now when you start getting closer to London it has increased somewhat to up to 2 minutes.
That all adds up. If you dont believe me spend a morning at any UP platform at clapham junction. they get in early take an age to board and then leave on or around time.

tiff

My husband cycles to the train station, then catches the train one stop to Bristol Parkway and cycles another 5 mins.

He bought a folding mountain bike so that he could take the bike on the train, they now only let 2 bikes on in the morning so he was having to wait for the next train. Its often overcrowded and he pays £3.70 return for this one stop. A monthly pass is no cheaper as he works the odd day from home so there is no saving. His only real option is to cycle all the way, and it might come to that in time.

robt_2

thriftymanc wrote: »

Can anyone answer a couple of questions for me? Sorry if these are stupid but it's always bugged me and I don't understand.

Every month or so, I go to the train station and buy a return ticket from A to B that always costs £10 every time I buy it. Not for any particular train, just a regular ticket i.e. outgoing journey must be taken on day of purchase, return journey any time within the next month. There are three different companies that run trains between A and B. I could catch any of these trains. Each of the three companies raise their prices by different percentages next year. How do 'they' (whoever 'they' are) decide what the price of this type of ticket will be next year?

They aren't stupid questions at all, railway ticketing is even more complicated within the industry than it is for passengers!

Only one of the companies will set the fare for that route - so the percentage increase will be that companies increase.

And also, I buy the ticket from a machine owned by another train company who don't do the journey I'm making. Considering they don't even know which train (and therefore which company) I'm going to use, how do they know who to give my money to?!

In extremely simple terms, the ticket revenue will be split three ways between the three companies. If for example company A provides 50% of the seats between the two stations, company B provides 30% and company C provides 20% of the seats, the revenue is split like that too.

kkpolobear

i like the way they say we only pay a half for the trains and the tax payers pay the rest, but forgive me but am wrong the tax payers are us so we pay everything

wealdroam

geordieracer wrote: »

If you dont believe me spend a morning at any UP platform at clapham junction. they get in early take an age to board and then leave on or around time.

That may well be true Geordieracer.
Of course they leave 'on or around time', there would be trouble if they left early wouldn't there?
So they wait, whether passengers are still boarding or not, to fill the padding in the timetable.

kkpolobear wrote: »

i like the way they say we only pay a half for the trains and the tax payers pay the rest, but forgive me but am wrong the tax payers are us so we pay everything

You are right Kkpolobear... as far is it goes.

But train passengers are still subsidised by those taxpayers that do not travel by train as well.

Nessie23

geordieracer wrote: »

Are you aware that in Europe the government subsidise the railway so heavily that it is against EU rules regarding this? And that also they have taken many many years to open up their own lines to competition that its beyond a joke yet we have done that over here with great success.

It beggars belief how many times both the French and Germans have gotten away with breaking EU rules let alone the other countries that it shows us to be mugs..Its true to say that if they had done what we have done then their prices would be as much if not higher then ours.

Well the UK decided to privatise and fragment their network before these EU rules you are mentioning were in place. But anyhow that is beyond the point.

Train companies should be more accountable than they currently are and they have to be properly regulated. If they are increasing fares by 6.2% (on average) I want to know where this 6.2% increase is going to. How much of it is being used for improvements (or reducing the subsidy) and how much is just profit for these private companies?

wealdroam

Nessie23 wrote: »

If they are increasing fares by 6.2% (on average)...

They are.

Nessie23 wrote: »

...I want to know where this 6.2% increase is going to.

And so do lots of people Nessie.

Nessie23 wrote: »

How much of it is being used for improvements (or reducing the subsidy) and how much is just profit for these private companies?

How do we go about getting this information? Any ideas?