Rail fares will treble as cheap tickets go

**Churchill** · 20 January 2006, 07:54

Originally posted by milanbenes

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...001265,00.html

"RAIL fares will more than treble for some journeys under government plans to scrap saver tickets and give private operators greater freedom to set prices, The Times has learnt.
Passengers who are unable to book ahead will have to pay a substantial premium even if they travel during off-peak hours. Many will be forced to buy a standard open return ticket, which, in the case of the London to Manchester route, will cost £202, compared with the saver price of £57.10.
"

Nice one.

Milan.

You can fly return from Manchester to London City Airport for less than £200.
Shhhh, don't tell everybody, it's our secret. OK?

**AlfredJPruffock** · 20 January 2006, 08:24

Originally posted by Churchill

You can fly return from Manchester to London City Airport for less than £200.
Shhhh, don't tell everybody, it's our secret. OK?

I flew from Barcelona Internatonal Airport to Brussels Int Airport for a total of 27 Euros including taxes.

Dont you think the UK is getting a TAD expensive ?

**darmstadt** · 20 January 2006, 08:30

And now the German Margaret Thatcher wants to privatise the railways here now. Do these people never learn?

**The Master** · 20 January 2006, 09:25

Prvitisation of railways is not bad per se, it's the model that makes all the difference. Railways in Japan have been privatised since 1987 and are a model of efficiency and affordability (because it was done geographically rather than functionally). The same model applied to Germany should do well, given that it is a federation and the lander make excellent building blocks for that sort of model.

**darmstadt** · 20 January 2006, 11:45

Railways have nothing to do with the different states. The DB is a wholly state owned entity. What they are planning on doing is splitting the passenger and goods into 2 entities and selling them off.

**The Master** · 20 January 2006, 11:55

I didn't say they did, darmstadt. It's what I reckon they should do.

**darmstadt** · 20 January 2006, 12:07

Originally posted by The Master

I didn't say they did, darmstadt. It's what I reckon they should do.

Correct, but they won't though. Motorways are done this way here which is why you've got some nice excellent ones now in the old east states as they got a lot of money (and still are via Solidaitaetszuschlagsteuer) to rebuild their infrastructure.

**The Master** · 20 January 2006, 12:09

Originally posted by darmstadt

Correct, but they won't though. Motorways are done this way here which is why you've got some nice excellent ones now in the old east states as they got a lot of money (and still are via Solidaitaetszuschlagsteuer) to rebuild their infrastructure.

Pity, the lessons of how to do it right are out there for all to see (Japan), as are the lessons for how to do it wrong (UK). Seems a pity they seem intent on following the latter example rather than the former.

**AtW** · 20 January 2006, 13:21

Its a shame really - country with such a demographics - packed long island with people - is ideal for railways, if Japanese could do it in environment where earthquakes are reality, then wtf it can't be done here? Heck, even the French have real fast trains, wtf wrong here?

Rail fares will treble as cheap tickets go