[News] Rail fares in England and Wales to increase by up to 5.9% in March

[jackalbion]

So, with fares in mind, is "peak" really the peak now?

We left early to get to Charlton (for obvious reasons ). The 14.13 from Portslade to Brighton (started at Southampton) was absolutely rammed. My son even said he was surprised a local train was that busy in early afternoon. The 14.44 Thameslink was similarly rammed by Three Bridges. And the last two trains back from London Bridge and Vic were also busy. On the other hand I've always easily got a seat coming home from my office when I've worked in London, with the train only really busy between Clapham and East Croydon.

Would it not have made sense to have flexed the rise rather than applying 5.9% across the board, putting more on "off peak" leisure fares but holding monthly and annual STs and applying a far lower rate to morning peak tickets? People back in offices would certainly help businesses in The City and towns like Brighton and Haywards Heath.

Yes that would have helped but you’ve also got to take into account that the people have control over these things are complete morons and just do illogical things because it saves 20p in the short term. The problem is they started implementing the process to head towards the GB Rail model, which while wasn’t perfect certainly would have helped sort out the mess we currently have, instead we have a new administration in Number 10 who has decided not to continue forward with it. So we have a half finished job which if it carries on will spiral and we will just have, what it basically is now, a completely non functioning railway system. The system needs investment, and that investment is never coming. I mean the trains on the Seaford services were first in service in 1976, and the government have no interest in funding the ROSCOs to get more modern stock to lease to the new operators, it’s just a completely mental broken system.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Yes that would have helped but you’ve also got to take into account that the people have control over these things are complete morons and just do illogical things because it saves 20p in the short term. The problem is they started implementing the process to head towards the GB Rail model, which while wasn’t perfect certainly would have helped sort out the mess we currently have, instead we have a new administration in Number 10 who has decided not to continue forward with it. So we have a half finished job which if it carries on will spiral and we will just have, what it basically is now, a completely non functioning railway system. The system needs investment, and that investment is never coming. I mean the trains on the Seaford services were first in service in 1976, and the government have no interest in funding the ROSCOs to get more modern stock to lease to the new operators, it’s just a completely mental broken system.

Fair enough.

That sort of illogical thinking isn't limited to rail though. I had a work trip to Romania booked for me earlier this year, initially via Luton because it was £50 cheaper on the headline flight cost than Heathrow and that's what our metrics are against. I then pointed out that it was so early in the morning that they'd either need to get me a cab to Luton from Brighton (maybe £150?) or pay longer milage and parking or put me up near Luton Airport overnight. The flight was eventually moved to the Heathrow one but only when a director had signed off on the "more expensive" flight.....

 

[jackalbion]

Fair enough.

That sort of illogical thinking isn't limited to rail though. I had a work trip to Romania booked for me earlier this year, initially via Luton because it was £50 cheaper on the headline flight cost than Heathrow and that's what our metrics are against. I then pointed out that it was so early in the morning that they'd either need to get me a cab to Luton from Brighton (maybe £150?) or pay longer milage and parking or put me up near Luton Airport overnight. The flight was eventually moved to the Heathrow one but only when a director had signed off on the "more expensive" flight.....

Exactly its some crazy thinking, for example the class 313s were meant to be withdrawn in September and then someone at the Dft decided they would continue to may at the last minute as they had no replacements. The problem being that they told the supplier for spare parts to not bother making any beyond September. So now because theres no spares for them two are sitting in Hove Yard as dead units being stripped for spare it's ludicrous situation where someone at the DfT has just gone, that costs slightly less let's do that. Now they are running out of 313s so they'll have to reduce the base service soon again.

 

[zefarelly]

Commuting is so last century.

It reeally is not a viable option these days.

unless you're a masochist with suicidal financial tendencies.

 

[Scappa]

Commuting is so last century.

It reeally is not a viable option these days.

unless you're a masochist with suicidal financial tendencies.

And yet the last Minister for Brexit Opportunities was adamant that workers should return to the office for reasons still unclear

 

[zefarelly]

And yet the last Minister for Brexit Opportunities was adamant that workers should return to the office for reasons still unclear

The last 'minister for Brexit Opportunities' reason for existence on this planet is still unclear.

Said vetus antiquis was 'praeteritum optimum diem' before he was born!

 

[pure_white]

The state of those on the Brighton-Seaford line are beyond a joke, faded seat fabric completely worn through in places, windows you can barely see out of because they’re covered in a foggy film of cloudy grime that the depot cleaners apparently can’t remove, or it’s that the glass is so old it’s gone that way. Even worse is the ‘Leeds United Crew’ sticker that’s been on the wall of one of these trains since last year.

The Northern rail lines are even more antique!

 

[pure_white]

Commuting is so last century.

It reeally is not a viable option these days.

unless you're a masochist with suicidal financial tendencies.

Last century for more but not all. There are plenty of jobs that can't be done remotely.

 

[ManOfSussex]

The last 'minister for Brexit Opportunities' reason for existence on this planet is still unclear.

Said vetus antiquis was 'praeteritum optimum diem' before he was born!

He's just got some chums from school who put some of their inherited funds that way and it's not a guaranteed winner. That's all.

 

[AstroSloth]

And better for the planet. A no-brainer.

Well that's just not true at all.

Using a train emits on average 6x less greenhouse gas emissions.

 

[AstroSloth]

All public transport should be free.

Similar to free education, there is no backside to providing it, and it would fund itself.

I was in Stockholm in May and the trains + metro were so efficient and easy.

Other countries make a mockery of our public transport.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Purely ideological. Only people who use the trains should pay for them irrespective of their positive effect on the economy.

Ok - can you pay back the portion of my taxes that pay for the roads please, because I don't own a car.

And my contribution to the nurses' salary, because I wasn't ill.

And the police, because I wasn't a victim of a crime.

And the army, because I wasn't invaded.

And so on.

For those who disagree . . . you're a socialist. Fact.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I was in Stockholm in May and the trains + metro were so efficient and easy.

Other so-called western countries make a mockery of everything we do.

Edited for you.

 

[AstroSloth]

It’s already pretty much £1+ per mile on the train in peak times to travel in cramped conditions on 30 year old train stock with unreliable levels of service. And they wonder why people stay in their cars

I have to commute from Chichester to London twice a week.

£44 a day for a return that's usually late or cancelled.

 

[AstroSloth]

Mainly Amazon over here.

From what I understand Amazon UK operate as a contractor to Amazon EU so that they fulfill the orders on behalf of the EU branch and operate at a "loss" so they don't have to pay any taxes.

 

[Swansman]

I was in Stockholm in May and the trains + metro were so efficient and easy.

Other countries make a mockery of our public transport.

Yeah when I was about to study in England (which didn't happen) this spring we had a bloke coming from England to "prepare us for life in England" who talked a lot about the differences and stuff, and the first thing he mentioned was that we might take the level of public transport/infrastructure for granted in Sweden but that we'd find a different reality in England.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Wait till the rail companies get their wish to " reassign " ticket office staff. Currently they are the only people who can work the complicated and expensive ticketing system to get cheaper tickets. Once they are gone we will be stuck with online or ticket machine prices which will inevitably lead to increased fares....

.but hey, why would a Tory government want to encourage the public to be using greener transport for the environment ? Do Green lobby groups or think tanks fund Tory MP'S? ...Probably not.

This.

Try buying an ordinary single and a super off peak return with a senior railcard (the cheapest way for me to travel before 9.00 am) without computer saying no.

The staff at Faversham station have saved me a mint. And largely saved chavs from cycling off the platform onto the track.

Tory transport? Welcome to hell.

In 2 years... begone, ye filth.

 

[AstroSloth]

So, with fares in mind, is "peak" really the peak now?

We left early to get to Charlton (for obvious reasons ). The 14.13 from Portslade to Brighton (started at Southampton) was absolutely rammed. My son even said he was surprised a local train was that busy in early afternoon. The 14.44 Thameslink was similarly rammed by Three Bridges. And the last two trains back from London Bridge and Vic were also busy. On the other hand I've always easily got a seat coming home from my office when I've worked in London, with the train only really busy between Clapham and East Croydon.

Would it not have made sense to have flexed the rise rather than applying 5.9% across the board, putting more on "off peak" leisure fares but holding monthly and annual STs and applying a far lower rate to morning peak tickets? People back in offices would certainly help businesses in The City and towns like Brighton and Haywards Heath.

No it's not at all.

I commute twice a week Chichester to London and am always able to get a seat. The trains only really start filling up at East Croydon and by then you're 20 minutes from central London anyway.

 

[AstroSloth]

Yeah when I was about to study in England (which didn't happen) this spring we had a bloke coming from England to "prepare us for life in England" who talked a lot about the differences and stuff, and the first thing he mentioned was that we might take the level of public transport/infrastructure for granted in Sweden but that we'd find a different reality in England.

To be fair the system in Sweden is also much more lax.

The train from the airport to Stockholm Central was supposed to be something like £20 each each way. We did a group thing to get it down to £15 and upon exiting the train realised there were no barriers anywhere so we hadn't used our tickets.

Managed to use the same tickets on the way back and as a group of limited budget tourists it was a lifesaver.

We did spend the difference throughout the city so it's not all a bad thing.

 

[ManOfSussex]

This.

Try buying an ordinary single and a super off peak return with a senior railcard (the cheapest way for me to travel before 9.00 am) without computer saying no.

The staff at Faversham station have saved me a mint. And largely saved chavs from cycling off the platform onto the track.

Tory transport? Welcome to hell.

In 2 years... begone, ye filth.

Every anolomy in the rail ticket system that can produce a cheaper fair for a customer, your friendly ticket office staff member will pull out of the hat for the customer in front of their counter.