Virgin Trains

[SneakySimon]

£7500 for train tickets?

Cheap. Buy a decent luxury motor and you'll be spending more than that on depreciation every year.

But at least I won't have to sit next to w@nkers every day who seem unable to gather basic train etiquette:

1. Placing a bag on the chair next to you is twatty. I WILL move it and take your seat.
2. The central armrest is shared. Share it.
3. If your fat, perhaps stand for the journey
4. If you need to emit from your body (cough, sneeze or fart) have the decency to either cover with hand or go to the toilet
5. I have a laptop to either do work or watch movies. Stop gawping at my screen - it is not a cinema.

That depreciation is looking cheap now.

[Arturo Bassick]

Many train companies are cracking down on people doing this. Same as getting off at a station before your ticket (e.g. buy a ticket London to Edinburgh and get off in Newcastle often works out cheaper than London to Newcastle).

Do not see how they can stop you. You have a valid ticket for the journey you are making. I can almost see the logic in the other scenario, but not quite.

[manclarky]

When I've been doing the Wigan to London Euston trip, I would find if you left at peak times 7:30 to 9:30, then it's a "bend over, and take it like a man" price... £150.00+

I do Preston - Euston Monday morning, return Friday afternoon, First class, peak time with Virgin Traveller for free!

Costs me exactly £0.00 every week.

However, to become a member of Traveller Club meant shelling out £1,600 or so, but over the year, it's well-worth it.

[TheFaQQer]

I do Preston - Euston Monday morning, return Friday afternoon, First class, peak time with Virgin Traveller for free!

Costs me exactly £0.00 every week.

However, to become a member of Traveller Club meant shelling out £1,600 or so, but over the year, it's well-worth it.

As long as you can get the booking, it's not a bad way to do it. I did it for a while some years back, but the lack of trains that I could use the freebie on meant for a long time I only ended up with a one-way freebie.

[Mich the Tester]

£7500 for train tickets?

Cheap. Buy a decent luxury motor and you'll be spending more than that on depreciation every year.

You could probably buy a 'decent luxury motor' for 7500 in the current market.

http://www.autotrack.nl/tweedehands/bmw/7-serie/8383959

[DAG]

Today I paid the eye watering amount of £183 for a single to london from Manchester. I'd always assumed that this figure was down to supply and demand and that the high ticket price was because other people had got in and bought up the cheap tickets already. As we pulled out of Manchester I was the only person in coach H. I'd already walked through G and there was nobody in there either. At Stockport 1 more got on and another 2 at Macclesfield. By Stoke we had 6 in total and then at Rugby (where the journey price is £80.50) the total in a coach with 48 seats was 12. Hardly packed like sardines. Surely they would generate more income if they had a higher degree of utilisation, either by dropping the overall price for people booking in advance and/or reducing the differential between the standard price and first. On the train this morning,

1 * 183 - Me
1 * 183 (same price from stockport - so manchester to stockport = 0!!
2 * 169
2 * 142
6 * 80.50
Total for coach H was 1471 - surley it can't be too difficult to adjust the fares to encourage more people to travel and beat that score!!

I've just paid £113 return including VAT - Manc to Gatwick with BA, might be worth considering next time?

[DimPrawn]

You could probably buy a 'decent luxury motor' for 7500 in the current market.

BMW 7-Serie 735I Aut. / Airco ECC / Leer / N - occasion

8 years old!

I change mine when it's 8 months old.

Dirty 2nd hand car!

[manclarky]

As long as you can get the booking, it's not a bad way to do it. I did it for a while some years back, but the lack of trains that I could use the freebie on meant for a long time I only ended up with a one-way freebie.

So far, I've not had a problem. I'm usually leaving Preston at the god-awful hour of 5:30am or 6:00am, and back on Friday on 15:30 / 16:30 from Euston and managed to get a ticket every time. I do book a couple of months in advance though, which doesn't leave me much room for changes in plans etc.

[CheeseSlice]

But at least I won't have to sit next to w@nkers every day who seem unable to gather basic train etiquette:

1. Placing a bag on the chair next to you is twatty. I WILL move it and take your seat.
2. The central armrest is shared. Share it.
3. If your fat, perhaps stand for the journey
4. If you need to emit from your body (cough, sneeze or fart) have the decency to either cover with hand or go to the toilet
5. I have a laptop to either do work or watch movies. Stop gawping at my screen - it is not a cinema.

Spoken like a true train commuter. I did this for 9 months a few years back and I swear I became more bitter and twisted towards other humans as a result.

1) is an absolute no no. I asked this one guy to move his bag because there was a serious lack of seats, and he had all of his paperwork out on the chair too. He acted all huffy puffy so I would know that he was annoyed at me. Thing is there were another dozen people coming down the aisle from each direction who would have done exactly the same thing if I didn't get there first. If you need an office on the train, pay 1st class

3) a fat person sprawling into your private space (because they can't help it) can often be solved by lowering the arm rest. It is incredibly uncomfortable for them, but they can't do nowt about it. Also works on sleepy people who had an all night bender before getting the train, the ones that try to curl up on their seat digging their arse and feet into you. Lower the arm rest and they'll soon be sitting up straight and will definitely fall asleep at their meeting.

You missed one. When there is a rugby scrum to get on the train and get the last few remaining seats at a busy station, when you find a chair don't leisurely take off your coat and get your laptop out whilst blocking the aisle...Sit the feck down so others behind you can get a chair before the mob coming from the other direction get them all.

[Fandango]

I just used TheTrainLine.com for 2 adults and 2 children return fare Sheffield to London no changes (direct train) for this coming Saturday and total cost (return fares) is £190 for all four people. That's a Super Off Peak ticket with return within one month.

looks like its come down a bit then but i searched every train site around (including TheTrainLine.com )for the cheapest fair and there was nothing below £130 per adult for a return journey (even buying singles in either direction)