Why I no longer travel by train

Voyager2002

However wrote: »

For travel from nr Portsmouth to Aberdeen and back in November:
Book via SouthWesternRailway: £630
Book via LNER: £290

Since this is for first class travel throughout, you should be delighted that state-owned LNER is offering such a fantastic bargain!

Voyager2002

However wrote: »

For travel from nr Portsmouth to Aberdeen and back in November:
Book via SouthWesternRailway: £630
Book via LNER: £290
Never mind split ticketing and all the hassle that that involves, never mind I could get a Senior Railcard to reduce the amount, and even never mind the actual cost itself, it's the sheer difference in the offering for the same seats on the same trains on the same dates that is ridiculous. This is the marketplace of out of control cowboys.



I want nothing to do with it.



This is why I have given up on train travel. I drive. Yes, all the way - and it's quicker too.

Baffling that you are willing to drive the entire distance, yet find standard class seats too uncomfortable.

Anyway: it is a market with competing operators and quirky prices. Rather than complaining that tickets cost more when bought one way than using other ways, why not use the system to your advantage?

However

agrinnall wrote: »

Flybe schedule connecting flights from Aberdeen to Southampton via Manchester, I picked a random date (22nd October) and there are 5 flights that day taking between 3 and 4.5 hours and costing between £64 and £116 one way with no checked luggage - probably cheaper if you can book further ahead.

Well a few seconds ago I picked the dates I need, and it's £173.22 one way at a sensible time (10.10am dep - and even that is not without risk given the M27 at that time of day) and £87.01 return at an inconvenient time (8.50am dep requiring a rather earlier Monday morning start out from the hotel than I would wish upon my old bones - otherwise have to kick one's heels until 14.30 and pay £114.01). So you can be theoretical and pick up a so-called bargain or you can be real life and find it's not as easy as you make out.



Being so keen on cheap prices, why not try National Express? £74.60 return Portsmouth to Aberdeen and back. Beats FlyBe hands down! What can possibly be the downside? Why pay more when you can pay less?

agrinnall

However wrote: »

Being so keen on cheap prices, why not try National Express? £74.60 return Portsmouth to Aberdeen and back. Beats FlyBe hands down! What can possibly be the downside? Why pay more when you can pay less?

So you acknowledge that it's not necessary (or even sensible in my view) to fly via Amsterdam?



As for travelling by bus, it's you that's asking the question not me, I tend to fly in my relatively frequent journeys from Birmingham to Aberdeen, but occasionally take the train if that's a better fit (and booking a long way ahead is likely to be cheaper than flying, I've done it for under £50 return), and very occasionally drive. It's highly unlikely that I would decide to travel by bus, my arthritic knees would not thank me.

silverwhistle

However wrote: »

Such a sweeping statement. I've just demonstrated that's not true. But if that's what you believe, don't let the facts influence you.

I would suggest that would apply to you and your moaning rather than the posters who have tried to be helpful. Why bother coming on here at all?

NaughtiusMaximus

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Baffling that you are willing to drive the entire distance, yet find standard class seats too uncomfortable.

Not really. I have a 36" inside leg measurement and find most standard class train seats incredibly cramped and uncomfortable. My car however is very comfortable for long journeys and on top of that I can be 100% certain I'm not going to be sat next to someone who is listening to music on **** sound leaking head phones, or incessantly sniffing, or has BO, or has any of the other little habits/traits which annoy me.

For these reasons, unless door to door travel time is significantly greater I always choose driving over train travel.

Owain_Moneysaver

However wrote: »

Not user error. Out Nov 9th back Nov 12th. Prices still the same this morning. I'm not giving my exact station - too specific on a public forum - but take it from me, if you can, I'm not wrong.

Fair enough if you don't want to give your exact station, but that still doesn't explain a discrepancy between ticket retailers assuming you are correctly comparing like for like ticket types.

There are a few cases where the different booking engines (WebTIS and Trainline (which is used by a lot of train companies, as well as the retail Trainline) misinterpret the routing guide over permitted routes or have some problem connecting to the rail industry back-end systems. They also present the available tickets differently and can hide differences between ticket types.

Apart from a few special offers, all train companies sell the same tickets at the same price.

is correct, it is laid down in their franchise agreements for train operators for impartial retailing, and for travel trade/resellers through their marketing agreements with Rail Delivery Group / ATOC. Resellers can't discount or load prices, which is why Trainline (retail) adds a booking fee which is outside the ticket price structure.

If you want to put your stations into brfares.com you can see all the ticket types and prices and match the prices you are seeing with the ticket types.

Mr_Singleton

However wrote: »

Never mind split ticketing and all the hassle that that involves, never mind I could get a Senior Railcard to reduce the amount, and even never mind the actual cost itself, it's the sheer difference in the offering for the same seats on the same trains on the same dates that is ridiculous.

Generally speaking....

Virgin runs trains and it runs planes.

Virgin Airways is a world class company

Virgin Trains tops customer complaints league.

It’s what happens when you have no effective competition.

martindow

Mr_Singleton wrote: »

Generally speaking....

Virgin runs trains and it runs planes.

Virgin Airways is a world class company

Virgin Trains tops customer complaints league.

It’s what happens when you have no effective competition.

Do you have a vendetta against everybody? If thought it was just TfL!

zaax

The carriages on the Norwich line are older than me, and I'm 56