Train rant

anotheruser

lulu_92 wrote: »

I went from a two and a half hour commute each day on the train for £263.50 per month to a 40 minute commute by car which costs me about £120 per month to fuel.

Including insurance (an overestimate to account for any rises, plus that's spare funds for repairs), tax, MOT and annual service I'm a couple of hundred up every year now.

Please, feel free to show your calculations instead of posting something which is nearly meaningless without.

modsandmockers

It would of course be fair and simple to cover the cost of providing and maintaining the road system by ring-fencing an appropriate level of tax on fuel. But there would then be arguments about the differences between local streets and national highways.

Also, the railway is already operating at close to capacity, and there is little scope for any increase. There is therefore little incentive to make train travel cheaper. The success of our economy probably depends more upon a thriving motor industry than an affordable railway system.

Tobster is even better at trolling than me - he is happy to inconvenience motorists by riding his bike in front of them, whilst simultaneously celebrating his ownership of a ‘BMW 540i with a stupidly large engine’

lulu_92

anotheruser wrote: »

Please, feel free to show your calculations instead of posting something which is nearly meaningless without.

Okay so my train fare was £263.50 per month. I'd get taxis from the station to work a couple of times a week, which probably totalled £40 per month (I walked the 2 miles most of the time - in this time though I was quite unwell so didn't fancy the trek!) This would cost £3,642 per year.

I pay between £20-40 per week on fuel (but I tend to leave 1/3-1/2 tank before I fill up again just in case). My road tax is £20 per year, MOT and Service are about £150 going off the one I had last month and my insurance is about £600. Over a year that makes £2,850.

That leaves £800 for repairs to my car.

I only have a 1L Citroen C1 and I get quite good mileage.

I also consider that when I was getting the train I was still learning to drive so that was an additional £96-£120 per month in lessons which now goes in my savings pot.

brat

modsandmockers wrote: »

Tobster is even better at trolling than me ’

At last - an admission that mods is a troll, and not a good one. :T

rdwarr

I live in Stevenage and work in London. My travel (two trains each way) works out about £18 per day if I buy "month and a bit" seasons. Journey time is about 70 minutes each way door to door (40 actually on trains). I get a seat 95% of the time.
I love driving, but it would take at least two hours, cost £15 in petrol, £10 in Congestion Charge and £12+ to park (if spaces available).
For me, the train is a winner every time. And I can mess about with my phone or read the paper while I travel.

Tobster86

rdwarr wrote: »

I live in Stevenage and work in London. My travel (two trains each way) works out about £18 per day if I buy "month and a bit" seasons. Journey time is about 70 minutes each way door to door (40 actually on trains). I get a seat 95% of the time.
I love driving, but it would take at least two hours, cost £15 in petrol, £10 in Congestion Charge and £12+ to park (if spaces available).
For me, the train is a winner every time. And I can mess about with my phone or read the paper while I travel.

That's exactly how things ought to be IMO. It's a shame it doesn't extend to the rest of the country!


Does anyone reasonably disagree with the aspirational notion of public transport and cycling for getting to work, and a two seat convertible with a big V8 for countryside picnics at the weekend?

[edit] Or I suppose a big safe Volvo V70 if you've got kids.

modsandmockers

Tobster86 wrote: »

Does anyone reasonably disagree with the aspirational notion of public transport and cycling for getting to work, and a two seat convertible with a big V8 for countryside picnics at the weekend?

Tobs - you are free to do as you wish.

The thing I don’t understand is why you so frequently feel the need to mention the size (and number!) of your motor car’s pistons on a forum which is supposed to be about public transport and cycling. We are now up to about 5 in the last couple of months, including the one where you claimed that it was OK to ride your bike on the pavement because the bag of bits for your car made you unstable on the road.

Tobster86

modsandmockers wrote: »

The thing I don’t understand is why you so frequently feel the need to mention the size (and number!) of your motor car’s pistons on a forum which is supposed to be about public transport and cycling.

But I don't own a two seat convertible with a big V8?


I suppose if there's a point to be made; it's that by making use of public transport and a bicycle for day-to-day use, one can justify a more enjoyable car for less regular use.

And I suppose the other point is to refute the apparently popular opinion that everyone who rides a bicycle (to repeat myself in another post) does so in a state of lentil-fuelled Gaian rage.

TBagpuss

This is ludicrous. Clearly anyone (especially given that most people have a sensible car that would only cost about half as much) would not opt to use the train.

Possibly with the specific journey which you have picked, given hat it involves an awkward change.

However, lots of people don't much enjoy driving. If you take a train, you have the option (expect on very crowded routes/trains) of reading, working or snoozing while you travel.

I shall be travelling to London this weekend - my return rail fare is probably more expensive than it would be if I were to drive (I haven't costed the road trip, but it would include parking charges and congestion charges, as well as the immediate costs) but it would be far more stressful to drive, and more tiring.

At a local level, when I lived within walking distance of a branch-line station, I would chose to get the train in to my nearest city rather than driving in - no need to worry about the one way system, the parking restrictions or the high cost of car parks.

It isn't just a financial calculation.

I'm glad that we have both options, so we can pick the one which is most suitable for each specific journey

timbo58

£42.14 if you split the tickets on advance purchase ones for a return.

https://raileasy.trainsplit.com/fares.aspx