Im sure this will cause some debate. Usually go to Excel most years for the boat show (used to be in the industry), its a bit of a jolly and to catch up with some old friends and a bit of networking! I usually travel up with a mate who still works with boats but being excel and its a pia to drive to from Bournemouth we looked at getting the train.........£56 and some other guys i know have paid £80 by pre booking!
At the start of the week i saw some protests on the news about season tickets going up by 6%, some by 11%.
So, why would i choose to travel by train when it would cost me roughly twice than it would in a car! It wont even be quicker!
I am sure this isnt new to a lot of people but not having used the rail network for a number of years i can see no reason to tempt me out my car, i thought this was the whole point!
Can\'t really understand it. I wouldn\'t mind going to the autosport at the NEC but cheapest return from Preston is just shy of 50 quid.
Although it would probably cost that in juice and parking !
Shaun
I am unsure as to why most people would travel by train. It\'s prohibitively expensive, lengthy, often surrounded by highly undesirable travelling companions and train staff often appear to be the very definition of little Hitlers.
Case in point, when I was using my RX8 for commuting, before mortgages and the like, I used to regularly go from home (near Peterborough at the time) to Plymouth, a distance of some 290 miles or so, that\'s a tank of fuel, at the time it was about £1 a litre, we used to think that was expensive(!), so it was about £55 with the fuel light coming on as I parked in Plymouth. Return on the train was £120!
More recently I was posted to Faslane in Scotland, if you book a train the week before you travel it\'s £120, you can book return flights for that! I live about 45 minutes from Stansted Airport and Glasgow airport is an hour from Faslane. So it used to take 3 hours and cost £130 at most to fly, to take the train would cost £250 as you\'d have to spend £10 on a taxi to Helensburgh from Faslane to catch the train!
QuoteI wouldn\'t mind going to the autosport at the NEC but cheapest return from Preston is just shy of 50 quid
you could always drive and leave you car at my house and get a taxi - about 4mls
John
Quote from: shaunwil;805085Can\'t really understand it. I wouldn\'t mind going to the autosport at the NEC but cheapest return from Preston is just shy of 50 quid.
Although it would probably cost that in juice and parking !
Shaun
Excel is 121 miles from me, alledged journey time 3 hours!
6 gallons of fuel there and back £30 give or take!
Shaun, throw a mate or two in and you 3 x better off than the train!
Quote from: Will66;805086often surrounded by highly undesirable travelling companions
The last time i did train it was to Manchester, 8 years ago perhaps! It was like watching a combination of Big Brother, Border Security and a documentary on Torettes and of course yoffs that say, innit and know what i mean!
Having just had a nightmare getting home from London because of a \'person under a train\' I share your frustration but there really is no other option to get into The City.
Some journeys are a lot quicker by train for example I can get up to Birmingham in 50 mins or Glasgow in just over 4 hours on a 125mph+ Virgin Pendelino. Sometimes my other half drives to Euston and it can take hours in rush hour - 30 mins on the train (when they run on time).
The costs are so varied, there are some real bargains if you book a specific train in advance and travel off peak - just before Christmas i got a £7 return to Brum (and that wasn\'t even coming back the same day) and I\'ve had a return to Glasgow for under £60. Yet when I had to get the train back from Glasgow as my flight was cancelled last year it was nearly £200 one way.
lol @ jetpilot - my other half hates the trains and normally only travels first class if he must. If I make him sit in cattle with me he starts to get the shakes! :rollin
Quote from: AMH;805092lol @ jetpilot - my other half hates the trains and normally only travels first class if he must. If I make him sit in cattle with me he starts to get the shakes! :rollin
I did check first class prices for a giggle, £180 ish i think, lol :evillaugh
Quote from: jetpilot;805095I did check first class prices for a giggle, £180 ish i think, lol :evillaugh
I did once get an upgrade to first for £15 each way to Glasgow - well worth it for a journey that long.
Sneaked in first a few times as well - I was tempted tonight and then they de-classified it anyway. :rolleyes:
Its true. I had to go to London on Business last year. Went in Cattle Class and it was still 280 return. Just bonkers.
Shaun
Travel at weekends on South West Trains and they let you upgrade for a tenner, which is nice when you\'re on an MOD travel warrant. (Free Rail Tickets used for duty trips)
I\'ve only used trains twice in my adult life, once from Folkestone back to Nottingham, I forgot my passport for the euro tunnel. The other time from Loughborough to Batley in Leeds to pick up a van, both times was like crystal bloody maze!! Trying to find which platform to stand at to get the right train, I forget the cost of the train to Leeds, I think it was about £50 give or take. The trip back from Folkestone was about £90, i hate trains.
This is another one those posts that has relevance but is irrelevant isn\'t it?\'
Quote from: B.Martin;805151This is another one those posts that has relevance but is irrelevant isn\'t it?\'
:Giggle:Giggle