commuter rail fares - impact on house prices

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

ninky wrote: »

i guess the costs of commuting by car have to be factored into to property location / future price also. .

Yes, but outside London/SE/major city centres, the costs of commuting by car are cheaper than public transport.

Aberdeen to Edinburgh/Glasgow by rail is around £70 return.

It's only around £30 in fuel by car, even at todays prices.

More to the point, it's quicker as well. From door to door, I can save about 30 - 45 minutes each way by driving to the central belt versus taking the train, bus, etc.

And it's a much more pleasant experience. Driving through beautiful countryside, able to make business phone calls in privacy, able to stop for a nice meal if you want, have a fag if you want, no screaming babies, etc etc etc.

I genuinely can't stand public transport up here. It's just so much hard work to get anywhere, and not a very nice/comfortable way to do it. Maybe it's different in London. Don't remember the tube being much fun last time I was there either though.

lostinrates

ninky wrote: »

sounds tough. dont' think i'd like that very much myself.:( presumably it's not forever though.

Its ok. Living full time with someone who works v.long and unpredictable hours is frustrating. You think you can arrange something on, say, a Thursday night, then you end up cancelling or going alone to something you accepted joint invitation too. This way, if I want to make mid week plans I can knowing how the land lies. Also, DH found it harder in evenings knowing he would otherwise be with me...this way he too, can focus. Free evenings are great for socialising for him in town...drop in jam sessions, last minute planned drinks with friends etc etc. And we still get butterflies on Fridays, which I think is pretty fab after the first few years of marriage.

It possibly suits us ''ok'' because it was an example set by both our families: we are used to it as a ''normal'' pattern of work/family life, and possibly because when I was very ill I wasn't able to be very independent. I enjoy that this is not the case in the same way these days and we have found adaptations that work well for us/my situation and have been able to have my own interests fitting in to our lifestyle again.

Things that do suffer, both a living together and part time apart and a rural lifestyle for cosmopolitan people are the regular social coupley evenings. Though I gather they suffer anyway as more and more of our coupley friends have children, and the children are reaching ages where they have to be in bed for nursery/school and not sleeping on a sofa/car seat or in their own rooms while parents entertain. Now that we are beginning to settle and get a programme for our year (and future years) I'm hoping to prioritise those areas for improvement where possible. But also balancing this with more ''cohesion'' in our new area. There is more positive for us than negative ATM, though we see areas that can still be further improved.:D I quite agree, it would suit everyone.

ninky_2

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

Yes, but outside London/SE/major city centres, the costs of commuting by car are cheaper than public transport.

Aberdeen to Edinburgh/Glasgow by rail is around £70 return.

It's only around £30 in fuel by car, even at todays prices.

.

but as you know, today's prices are not a reflection of tomorrow's prices. i seriously think if oil prices continue the way we are going homes that rely on lengthy commutes (whether by car or train) will become less desirable / financially viable.

Thrugelmir

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

Aberdeen to Edinburgh/Glasgow by rail is around £70 return.

It's only around £30 in fuel by car, even at todays prices.

That's not the true cost of using the car so the comparison is flawed.

ninky_2

lostinrates wrote: »

Things that do suffer, both a living together and part time apart and a rural lifestyle for cosmopolitan people are the regular social coupley evenings.

could you not spend some time in london? (some bits are quite leafy honest!) or are there too many home commitments your end?

chewmylegoff

Thrugelmir wrote: »

That's not the true cost of using the car so the comparison is flawed.

aberdeen to glasgow is 300 miles round trip.

according to this the running costs for a car worth £12,000 or less new, would be 21.27p/mile. Assuming 20,000 miles per annum the standing charges are 11.46p/mile.

cost of the journey = £98.19

hamish has confirmed the train is cheaper. bravo hamish.

http://www.theaa.com/allaboutcars/advice/advice_rcosts_petrol_table.jsp

Sapphire

Generali wrote: »

I used to work with a bloke who commuted from Sheffield to The City on a daily basis!!!

His rationale was that for a few hundred grand he could buy a house that would cost millions in the SE. He was in IT and excellent at his job. Contracting in London he could make a hundred grand a year net, live off his wife's wage mostly and pay off the mortgage with his. He was going to do this for about 5-6 years more to clear the mortgage and get a load of money into his pension plan. A local job with his skills paid £30,000.

Well worth it for him. I hate commuting though. I used to live in The City when I worked there and now live about 10.5km from work and cycle in.

IIRC there were 20 season ticket holders for York to London in about 2006 and extreme commuting has been on the increase for many years. My Dad commuted on a weekly basis SE England - Paris and - Dublin when I was a kid. My feeling is that's the best way to do a big commute.

And I know someone who commuted to New York on a weekly basis for many years (spent five days a week in New York and came home at weekends). Mind you, the company paid for him to do this.

lostinrates

Sapphire wrote: »

And I know someone who commuted to New York on a weekly basis for many years (spent five days a week in New York and came home at weekends). Mind you, the company paid for him to do this.

My FiL did this for a couple of years too (self funded). NYLons.

lostinrates

ninky wrote: »

could you not spend some time in london? (some bits are quite leafy honest!) or are there too many home commitments your end?

Brings us back full circle to your very sensible OP and the transport question, doesn't it?

Yes, theoretically if I had a small working car there is no reason I couldn't come to London once or twice a week for supper even, (I've done this in the past) presuming he knows he is available or I'm coming to see other people anyway. I do have a lot of commitment here, but could arrange more regular cover....but ATM its not priority and stuff here is. To stay? I'd be less willing: I have a new business start up over which I'm a control freak, personal commitments and our family home and animals...the reasons we chose this lifestyle. In the future this too might change. Inevitably, costs and work life balances changing in the future will change the solutions over our lifestyle here.

I adore London, no need to sell it to me. Its in my top five world cities. And I've lived near two, no three leafy bits and could think of umpteen places I'd very happily live in London in a different set of life circumstances and/or times of my life.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

chewmylegoff wrote: »

aberdeen to glasgow is 300 miles round trip.

according to this the running costs for a car worth £12,000 or less new, would be 21.27p/mile. Assuming 20,000 miles per annum the standing charges are 11.46p/mile.

cost of the journey = £98.19

hamish has confirmed the train is cheaper. bravo hamish.

http://www.theaa.com/allaboutcars/advice/advice_rcosts_petrol_table.jsp

LOL.... Nice try.

Those costs are split into two categories.

The standing costs are there anyway, depreciation, road tax, insurance, etc, even if you don't drive the car.

So assuming you have a car, (and if you live up here you need one as public transport just doesn't go to a lot of places) you may as well use it.

The running costs are 11p per mile. So £33 for the journey.

Way cheaper than the train.