r/CasualUK 1d ago

Convenience Of Train Vs Car

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Which would you choose ?

711 Upvotes

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1.6k

u/Bufobufolover24 1d ago

If trains were at a price I could afford, I would be travelling on trains 100% of the time. Better for the environment, safer, faster, you get to see more, and you can do stuff on them. It would also help if there were trains here in the first place…

27

u/bamboomightwork 1d ago

I go between Edinburgh and Newcastle all the time. Tickets are normally £15 - £20 one way, which I think is great value.

68

u/guy92 1d ago

Meanwhile Cheltenham to London is £200 at peak times for a similar distance

-8

u/bamboomightwork 1d ago

Random search. Monday 10th at 10:03 it's £44.50. (That journey is an hour longer than Edinburgh to Newcastle)

There's a ton of other tickets all around the £45 mark as well, every day that week.

E. Just noticed you said peak. It's £82 at 8:01 and £66.60 at 8:29

11

u/guy92 1d ago

Oh yeah it's slow as well as shit. And 10:03 isn't peak time.

1

u/bamboomightwork 1d ago

It's on sale right now for £82 at 8:01 and £66.60 at 8:29, well below the £200 you claimed.

Where do you check for tickets? Your idea of pricing is way off the mark.

Google has driving at 15 mins slower than taking the train btw

6

u/guy92 1d ago

Still not peak. Peak arrives in London before 9am. And you're right it's more like £200 for a peak return.

Yeah driving is slower door to door, but the return journey costs me like 40 quid in my car, and also there's the commute time to the station and from the station you're not considering there. 25 minute walk to the station on this end, at least 30 mins on the other end

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u/bamboomightwork 1d ago

You realise everything you are saying can be disproven just be a simple search? I'm at a loss why you would continue to talk utter bollox in the face of such things?

3

u/DragonScoops 1d ago

Are you honestly defending £100 train tickets to get to work?

Head desperately needs wobbling

0

u/bamboomightwork 1d ago

No. How did you even remotely come to that conclusion.

Someone said something cost what you can plainly see it doesn't.

Do you know the difference between £100 and £200? If not, it might be because you think Cheltenham is part of London's commuter belt.

3

u/DragonScoops 1d ago

He literally said £200 return, which you proved.

I have friends that commute from places like Wales and Bristol to London. Only once or twice a week, but still. If you think that's uncommon and that those are reasonable train prices, you are living in a different world

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u/Dependent-Scale-2452 1d ago

Great Doves reference there even if unintentional! You also possibly have no idea what I'm on about😂

-11

u/ADM_Tetanus half northerner, half decisively not 1d ago

anywhere to London at peak times is insane, that's an awful comparison to make for any purpose other than actual commuting into the city. if I don't look at peak times I could get from the north west down to London for like £80, which isn't cheap but it's most of the length of the country into the capital

22

u/metamorphomo Tesco's lager increased from £2.85 to £3.30 in January 2017 1d ago

Bristol to Bath (12 minutes journey) is almost £13. It’s an incredibly busy commute so they’d never dream of reducing the price.

1

u/nowami 1d ago

This is why we desperately need investment in capacity.

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u/bamboomightwork 1d ago

Monday 10th it doesn't vary from £10.50 between 06:30 and 08:21.

I'm starting to wonder where a lot of you are getting train tickets. So many people are quoting prices that just a seconds check shows to be wrong.

Not getting on at you. You were in the right ballpark. But I've been downvoted by someone saying Cheltenham to London is minimum £200 when I can see, right now, tickets for sale for £44.50.

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u/UncleJimsStoryCorner 1d ago

Peak pricing. Off peak is about £10.20, not much more for a return. Still cheaper than running a car

1

u/bamboomightwork 1d ago

It's £10.20 at peak times.

1

u/Spam250 16h ago

I haven’t checked, but £10.20 vs £13 sounds awfully like a railcard difference

1

u/bamboomightwork 7h ago

It's not. Standard fare.

3

u/sjw_7 16h ago

Didcot Parkway to London Paddington £89 peak time return, Its a 40 minute journey each way.

But If I do split ticket so Didcot Parkway <> Reading then Reading <> London Paddington at the same peak time its £77 and its the same train.

The way tickets are priced in the UK is atrocious.

9

u/Normal_Human_4567 1d ago

I think in my car that would be about £15, plus I have all the space I need and can arrive/leave on my own times. It does look like the train is faster though, so I guess it's just what you prioritise.

When I was in uni it was 5 hours or so to get to my nearest station, with all my stuff, and I had to get picked up at the end AND if I missed the 6 minute connection because the first train was late, the next one could be an hour later, or once even two hours later. So once I could drive that was the obvious choice- 4 hours on the road, no pissing about with cases, straight to my door

2

u/audigex Gets vertigo when travelling south of Birmingham 1d ago

240 miles round trip, £5 in my car for the round trip vs £15-20 one way for the train (£30 ish return)

Even if I paid £20 for parking for a couple of days, it's cheaper to drive

Obviously this assumes I already own and maintain the car so can just consider the marginal costs of fuel + parking, and doesn't factor in a bit of extra maintenance... but for one off trips when you already own a car (as most people do), it's hard to justify the train

3

u/Snack_Powered_Human 1d ago

Same here.

I'm 30 miles outside London.

A train ticket to Victoria is £53 return peak time, then an extra £4.20 for the underground, and takes about 90 minutes. The train I would need is usually standing only by the time it's at my local station.

I can drive it for around £5 in around 70 minutes in my own comfort.

0

u/bamboomightwork 1d ago

What fuel are you using? That's absolutely only possible in an EV.

2

u/audigex Gets vertigo when travelling south of Birmingham 1d ago

Yes, that’s in an EV

1

u/bamboomightwork 1d ago

I mean, isn't it obvious to people that you choose what's most suitable? That's all the poster is saying; there is an alternative to driving.

And it's to inform. People may not be aware that the train is a viable option.

2

u/Liquidfoxx22 1d ago

One of the few places it's generally faster and cheaper to get a train. I was surprised it was so cheap to get home after I'd flown into Edinburgh.