Comments on: My rant about the British rail network http://www.travel-rants.com/2009/02/25/my-rant-about-the-british-rail-network/ Sun, 29 Jan 2012 01:52:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Andrew http://www.travel-rants.com/2009/02/25/my-rant-about-the-british-rail-network/#comment-144695 Andrew Tue, 05 May 2009 09:48:19 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=3345#comment-144695 My main problem with my local provider SWT is that whenever I travel with them I feel I am being cheated in some way. I get a headache from searching through reams and reams of ticket prices often with chasms of price differences between trains travelling minutes apart from each other. I am currently looking for work and am restricted to public transport. The trains are the only direct "service" between my home and chosen work places, and these offer little value for money with a recent price hike and the cost of a single being mere pence cheaper than a return. Also the only return ticket offered is a day return so one has to pay almost the equivalent of two return tickets (give or take 60p) to travel on one day and return on another regardless of how long you spend there. Faced with a possibility of needing to travel on a daily basis for a night shift I calculated that the cost of a season ticket was almost 2/3 of my proposed weekly wage and if I bought the tickets on the day it would cost a fraction of the cost of a season tciket, which in my mind defeats the purpose of a season ticket. A rail card was another option to reduce travel costs but even this presented problems. The only card I was eligible for had so many travel restrictions that I would have to make several social trips to justify having the card. None of which would be in concordance with my travel wishes in purchasing the card. Do South West Trains care at all about securing customers or are they taking the attittude that since there are no other providers for this particular route they can treat their customers with as much contempt as they like, even patronising us to such a point as to thank us for choosing South West Trains when the aforementioned 'no other providers' statement gives us no choice whatsoever in travelling on their trains. My main problem with my local provider SWT is that whenever I travel with them I feel I am being cheated in some way.

I get a headache from searching through reams and reams of ticket prices often with chasms of price differences between trains travelling minutes apart from each other. I am currently looking for work and am restricted to public transport.

The trains are the only direct “service” between my home and chosen work places, and these offer little value for money with a recent price hike and the cost of a single being mere pence cheaper than a return. Also the only return ticket offered is a day return so one has to pay almost the equivalent of two return tickets (give or take 60p) to travel on one day and return on another regardless of how long you spend there.

Faced with a possibility of needing to travel on a daily basis for a night shift I calculated that the cost of a season ticket was almost 2/3 of my proposed weekly wage and if I bought the tickets on the day it would cost a fraction of the cost of a season tciket, which in my mind defeats the purpose of a season ticket.

A rail card was another option to reduce travel costs but even this presented problems. The only card I was eligible for had so many travel restrictions that I would have to make several social trips to justify having the card. None of which would be in concordance with my travel wishes in purchasing the card.

Do South West Trains care at all about securing customers or are they taking the attittude that since there are no other providers for this particular route they can treat their customers with as much contempt as they like, even patronising us to such a point as to thank us for choosing South West Trains when the aforementioned ‘no other providers’ statement gives us no choice whatsoever in travelling on their trains.

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]]> By: James Avery http://www.travel-rants.com/2009/02/25/my-rant-about-the-british-rail-network/#comment-140091 James Avery Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:39:50 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=3345#comment-140091 I would agree about buying two singles when booking in advance, but not when booking closer to the day. There are so many tickets where a return is only a few pence more than a single, and even if you aren't planning on using it at the time, you will get totally shafted if you then decide you do want to return on the same day. Leisure travellers should also watch out for peak-time restrictions - I saw several customers complaining about this at St Pancras yesterday, but the T's & C's are out there. I would agree about buying two singles when booking in advance, but not when booking closer to the day. There are so many tickets where a return is only a few pence more than a single, and even if you aren’t planning on using it at the time, you will get totally shafted if you then decide you do want to return on the same day. Leisure travellers should also watch out for peak-time restrictions – I saw several customers complaining about this at St Pancras yesterday, but the T’s & C’s are out there.

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]]> By: Murray Harrold http://www.travel-rants.com/2009/02/25/my-rant-about-the-british-rail-network/#comment-139386 Murray Harrold Sun, 08 Mar 2009 22:59:57 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=3345#comment-139386 Light relief (sums up British Rail) I will always remember, when we had a rail agency, receiving a missive from British Rail "Agents must remember that you cannot take bicycles on the 06:15 Manchester to Hull" ... and you thought we only had to worry about finding the cheapest fare combination! Light relief (sums up British Rail) I will always remember, when we had a rail agency, receiving a missive from British Rail “Agents must remember that you cannot take bicycles on the 06:15 Manchester to Hull” … and you thought we only had to worry about finding the cheapest fare combination!

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]]> By: Darren Cronian http://www.travel-rants.com/2009/02/25/my-rant-about-the-british-rail-network/#comment-138711 Darren Cronian Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:07:43 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=3345#comment-138711 @ TGT That sounds rather crazy. 27 domestic airports is a lot, and does not help the environment and global warming. You would think that they would put on more train services between the largest cities. @ TGT

That sounds rather crazy. 27 domestic airports is a lot, and does not help the environment and global warming. You would think that they would put on more train services between the largest cities.

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]]> By: TGT http://www.travel-rants.com/2009/02/25/my-rant-about-the-british-rail-network/#comment-138668 TGT Fri, 27 Feb 2009 18:58:48 +0000 http://www.travel-rants.com/?p=3345#comment-138668 UK and Europe have much better trains than in New Zealand. Long-distance there are just a few routes. Even between the capital city (Wellington) and the largest city (Auckland) there is less than one train a day. The few passenger services are geared to tourists (some stunning scenery on all the lines). Flying, on the other hand, is commonplace with 27 main domestic airports serving just 4 million people. UK and Europe have much better trains than in New Zealand. Long-distance there are just a few routes. Even between the capital city (Wellington) and the largest city (Auckland) there is less than one train a day. The few passenger services are geared to tourists (some stunning scenery on all the lines).

Flying, on the other hand, is commonplace with 27 main domestic airports serving just 4 million people.

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