Train Fares

Stoke

Biggles wrote: »

Hadn't heard about that. But they have resolutely banned Segways, as they think they're in the way on the road and too dangerous on the pavement. Or maybe too slow on the road and too fast for the pavement. We're just about the only country in the world where they can only be ridden on private property.

Because you need to buy a car..... the economy is not going to fix itself!!

martindow

Nick_C wrote: »

I am travelling from Biggleswade to Peterborough on Friday, returning on Monday. My first thought was to take the train. Then I found out it will cost £20.10. This is travelling off peak in the middle of the day. There are no return fares so buying two single tickets means no opportunity to use my railcard to get a discount.

I've tried a sample booking - £13.25 with a railcard being £6 one way and £7.25 back.

Nick_C

martindow wrote: »

I've tried a sample booking - £13.25 with a railcard being £6 one way and £7.25 back.

What railcard? I have a network railcard. Minimum fare is £13.

I'm using nationalrail.co.uk to check fares.

I can't see anything cheaper than £20.10 with any railcard!

Edit: - Look like you can get a discount if you are young, old, disabled, or unemployed, and have the appropriate railcard.

jon81uk

Nick_C wrote: »

What railcard? I have a network railcard. Minimum fare is £13.

I'm using nationalrail.co.uk to check fares.

I can't see anything cheaper than £20.10 with any railcard!

Network railcard doesn't give a discount in Peterborough. https://secure.network-railcard.co.uk/content/map.pdf

I checked using 16-25 railcard and you do get a discount after 0930.

Nick_C

jon81uk wrote: »

Network railcard doesn't give a discount in Peterborough. https://secure.network-railcard.co.uk/content/map.pdf

I checked using 16-25 railcard and you do get a discount after 0930.

Thanks. You're right. But as I'm not in the 16-25 age group, it doesn't help me. I had looked at using my Network Railcard and splitting the ticket at St Neots, but because you can't buy an open return the railcard doesn't help.

So I'll be using the car.

If the government wants to get people off the roads and onto the trains, they need to do more to make it financially attractive.

Stoke

Nick_C wrote: »

Thanks. You're right. But as I'm not in the 16-25 age group, it doesn't help me. I had looked at using my Network Railcard and splitting the ticket at St Neots, but because you can't buy an open return the railcard doesn't help.

So I'll be using the car.

If the government wants to get people off the roads and onto the trains, they need to do more to make it financially attractive.

Agreed. The car is significantly cheaper even with the tax, insurance, maintenance costs etc. It's a no brainer tbh.

yorkie2

Stoke wrote: »

Why are they so high in Britain? Always wondered. Awful trains, awfully high prices.

Is it just that we pay 'British Tax'?

Because we are a car-centric society.

As for high fares, you can get round them by "splitting" or buying cheaper fares valid via your origin and/or destination, and starting and/or finishing "short". Savvy passengers save £hundreds or even £thousands each year. So there's a bit of a tax on unsuspecting people who just ask for a ticket for their journey from A to B without doing any research or using a website that splits tickets for you.

Stoke

yorkie2 wrote: »

Because we are a car-centric society.

As for high fares, you can get round them by "splitting" or buying cheaper fares valid via your origin and/or destination, and starting and/or finishing "short". Savvy passengers save £hundreds or even £thousands each year. So there's a bit of a tax on unsuspecting people who just ask for a ticket for their journey from A to B without doing any research or using a website that splits tickets for you.

To be fair, you can also avoid high fares by not paying. I only ever paid out of courtesy truth be told.

We're a car centric society because successive governments have made it that way. The fact they've pretty much banned e bikes is a great example. Banning segways was another good example.

Mr.Generous

trains are subsidised by the taxpayer -

• Official figures show that all but one of the private train operators in the UK receive more in subsidies than they return in the form of franchise payments to the government. In 2013–14, the government contributed £3.8bn to the UK rail industry.
• The top five recipients of public subsidy alone received almost £3bn in taxpayer support between 2007 and 2011. This allowed them to make operating profits of £504m – over 90 per cent (£466m) of which was paid to shareholders.

Stoke

Mr.Generous wrote: »

trains are subsidised by the taxpayer -

• Official figures show that all but one of the private train operators in the UK receive more in subsidies than they return in the form of franchise payments to the government. In 2013–14, the government contributed £3.8bn to the UK rail industry.
• The top five recipients of public subsidy alone received almost £3bn in taxpayer support between 2007 and 2011. This allowed them to make operating profits of £504m – over 90 per cent (£466m) of which was paid to shareholders.

So what you're saying is, I should have gone into Railway operator ownership? Dang it.