Reply to: the cost of trains is unreal

[bogeyman]

Does anyone actually like Cybertwat?

I find I'm liking him less and less despite my best efforts to be nice.

[Bagpuss]

Does anyone actually like Cybertwat?

[bogeyman]

Then why are you such a pratt ? Get a life !!

oh!

Come on, give us a kiss cyberman.

[SantaClaus]

I moved back from the sticks to London because I didnt see why I should pay £3500 a year for a train service that doesnt work.

Didnt like the attitude of the staff either.

[Cyberman]

Tory voter all my life you pillock.

Then why are you such a pratt ? Get a life !!

[TheVoice]

Nationalise the network please! Train companies should not operate for profit they are a necessary part of the country's infrastructure.

Sorry...we're too busy nationalising the banks to give a flying feck about anything else. We're all going mad.

Gordon Brown

[NoddY]

Britain's first Michelin starred restaurant was run and operated by British Rail (Manchester's Midland Hotel run by British Transport Hotels on behalf of the BR Board).

[Fred Bloggs]

Pogle, how far in advance do you have to book to get that price? Crewe > Euston is more than that 2nd class.

[scooterscot]

Just had a look on thetrainline.co.uk site there to see how much it would be for me to travel from Glasgow to London tomorrow. £271 return.

Now compare this to my holiday across America in 2007. I traveled by train from Newark to Seattle and back again by Amtrak, a total of 6 days on a train and roughly 2700 miles. That was £250 return.

The rail companies are really taking the piss these days.

Not that long ago I missed my flight from Bristol so I took the virgin train back up to Glasgow, the last few hours I had the coach to myself - was like a graveyard on wheels.

[scooterscot]

Just had a look on thetrainline.co.uk site there to see how much it would be for me to travel from Glasgow to London tomorrow. £271 return.

Now compare this to my holiday across America in 2007. I traveled by train from Newark to Seattle and back again by Amtrak, a total of 6 days on a train and roughly 2700 miles. That was £250 return.

The rail companies are really taking the piss these days.

It is a national disgrace.

What else could I get for that money? Look I could buy a 1996 AUDI A4 1.6 4dr Auto Saloon for £125 and still have ton's of cash left.

I could use the extra cash to hire Tay as my private driver, and still have enough to put a deposit on a house in Newcastle.

[teclo]

Just had a look on thetrainline.co.uk site there to see how much it would be for me to travel from Glasgow to London tomorrow. £271 return.

Now compare this to my holiday across America in 2007. I traveled by train from Newark to Seattle and back again by Amtrak, a total of 6 days on a train and roughly 2700 miles. That was £250 return.

The rail companies are really taking the piss these days.

[Pogle]

Yes trains are expensive - especially if you have to travel during peak times.
I am currently travelling from Manchester to London on a Monday and back on a Friday. I book in advance and travel 1st, its more comfortable and I get fed! Also on the return leg I have a couple of V&T's to start the weekend.
Two singles in advance cost me about £130, but its all factored into the rate.

An on the day, one way ticket, is £198 for 1st
I do think they are expensive, but I'd much rather sit on a train watching episodes of Dr Who on my ipod touch, than sit in my car stuck on the M1/M6.
And the 7am train from Manchester gets to Euston in less than 2 hours.

[Mich the Tester]

Yes. The art of the bacon sandwich.

Deserves a thread of its own probably.

Absolutely, and is the skill of cooking on a moving train not a worthy trade in itself, deserving of protection and promotion?

The ability to handle multiple saucepans and flambé the steaks while hurtling around a bend at 125 mph is surely a great talent that should be given every opportunity for self expression, and should never be obstructed by lily livered health and safety inspectors or unimaginative bean counters.

I propose the restoration of luxury restaurant cars on all trains with a total travelling time of more than 2 hours. Don’t tell me there isn’t a market for it; I’m not the only stuck-up snob with a large appetite and a travel itinerary.

[bogeyman]

The BLT sandwiches were very much dependent on the particular staff member who was preparing them. For some time there was a rather portly gentleman, perhaps himself a connoisseur of the club sandwich, who served excellent, hot, steaming, crispy BLTs on the route from Birmingham to London. Other staff members produced lousy, squidgy efforts that one wouldn’t feed to a rat. Things really went downhill when they started selling pre-packaged sandwiches, warmed up in the microwave.

Yes. The art of the bacon sandwich.

Deserves a thread of its own probably.

[Bagpuss]

Wonderful rail network where a ticket from A to C costs £140

But 2 tickets from A to B and B to C cost £50 using exactly the same service.

This is one example I've seen today