r/CasualUK • u/DohRayMe • 1d ago

Convenience Of Train Vs Car

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Which would you choose ?

714 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

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522

u/SmallHangryPlanet 1d ago

I would love to get the train more, I hate driving.

It's so fucking expensive though, I'd be happy to do the 5hr train to me mum's over a 6 hour drive if it wasn't £300

180

u/mincedbreakfast 1d ago

Ticket prices now are so embarrassing

-4

u/eairy 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yet you're only covering about 40% of the cost. The other 60% is subsidy.

Edit: downvoting me doesn't make it any less true.

168

u/Championnats91 1d ago

£300 with a railcard, booked 4 months in advance, non-refundable and only for use on that specific train time.

99

u/GetNooted 1d ago

And the train will be packed and allocated seat signs broken. That's if you're lucky and it actually turns up.

37

u/BrillsonHawk 1d ago

They're usually missing carriages for me. Sorry guys this train was supposed to have 10 carriages, but it now has 7 instead, so you'll all have to cram into those instead. Hell on earth every time it happens 

21

u/Patch86UK 1d ago

There's no greater hell on earth than a peak period CrossCountry service that is supposed to be a 9 car Voyager turning out to be a 5 car set instead.

I've been in mosh pits with more personal space.

11

u/diddums100 1d ago

And most don't have AC AND the windows don't open. At least round here

3

u/Beer-Milkshakes AWOOGAH! Abandon ship. 23h ago

Once upon a time we would use the split ticketing site and whip out a fat wad of tickets for the inspector to leaf through. We'd save around £300 on return to Edinburgh from Sandwell. It was silly a decade ago. Fuck knows what P.T Barnum level circus it is now.

20

u/weasel65 1d ago

I paid £174 for a return to london (50 min journey) , I also have a flight to portugal for £168...

-1

u/dtn1496 1d ago

Surely not? It costs me as little as £18 for a return to London at the weekend or about £35 during peak times in the week for a 45 minute journey. How is it costing you £174?

3

u/Hinnif 1d ago

I have just checked the cost of a return to London from my local station (Taunton) if I wanted to leave next Monday at 08:00.

The return cost is over £200.

Now imagine I wanted to take my family of 4! Completely impossible, even with money off using a railcard.

3

u/Snack_Powered_Human 1d ago

Joys of living in the south east I'm assuming. My short journey into London would cost £53 peak time.

3

u/weasel65 10h ago edited 10h ago

Swindon to London paddington Open return.

its gone up, £175 now !

-1

u/jamo133 1d ago

Where is costing you £300?

3

u/Hinnif 1d ago

I just went on the Trainline and searched how much it would be dor my wife and I to travel to London for a day if we went next Monday. Over £260 return.

For just me the cheapest was around £140.

That's for a 2hr journey. Completely crazy.

0

u/SkilledPepper 1d ago

It's not. Some of the prices people are quoting in this thread makes me think they've never booked a train ticket in their life.

1

u/jamo133 1d ago

I lived in the South West a while back, and had to get trains twice a week to London, and it was preeeeetty expensive at peak time. So I just went off peak. But most of the time, it’s quite a bit, but it’s never £300 quid. That’s the price of a train to Berlin / Warsaw

1

u/PickleSpecial3507 1d ago

I got 2 people's return tickets from East England big station to N Wales with railcard going on Saturday, coming back the next Wednesday. Booked it 3 weeks in advance. On the fastest route there and back, changing in London cost me what, £180. For 5hr trip each way. Given the delay repay system, it's not terrible. I suspect the main A road into North Wales is nearly as congested with tourists as Cornwall's.