ANY - Why I still like the car

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Wed 3 May 2023 22:34
ANY - Why I still like the car - _

So, Booked a train ticket Colchester to Chester in advance to travel this week. Price was acceptable in advance for my theoretical journey.

But ended up 6.5 hours station to station. Ratty trains, deafening announcements, filthy toilets on trains and in stations, (vile coffee but that is possible anywhere) On return journey train delayed as no driver for the train supposed to take, so sent to other platform and then missed connection in London. Return journey should have taken 5 hours, took nearly 7..

Grrh.

Car next time . Thought i would avoid the driving and relax, but was more stressful.

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Thu 4 May 2023 06:04
ANY - Why I still like the car - paul 1963

That's a shame ORB, my last train journey, from Scotland was the exact opposite, train was spotlessly clean, on time and the food and drink available from the buffet car was excellent, the only downside was the price of the ticket,over 2 hundred pounds.

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Thu 4 May 2023 08:05
ANY - Why I still like the car - craig-pd130

I did a similar cross-country journey last autumn, from Macclesfield to near Norwich. I looked at train times and prices (5 hours each way and cheapest fare was £150 return), and then looked at the cost of getting a hire car for a weekend, as we're down to 1 car and I wanted to leave that for my wife. Hire car was £115 plus fuel for a Fiesta 1.0 for the weekend.

Driving was 4 hours each way, just over 9 gallons of fuel used (the car did around 45mpg) and of course I wasn't relying on anyone to give me lifts to and from stations.

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Thu 4 May 2023 08:58
ANY - Why I still like the car - gordonbennet
I love train travel, last time i travelled i knew a few days in advance and used www.splitticketing.com/ (other sites are available) which worked out very well for me, certainly worth a poke nose there.

For more than one person travelling the car has been the best option for a long time, enjoy it while you can before those of us of the pleb class find ourselves apparently happy in our 15 minute fully camera'd gulag.

Just a anecdotal reminder of how things have changed, in 1974/5 once every fortnight or so i used to drive up in the afternoon in a large van from Herts to Paisley, to deliver bottle tops if you can believe that to one of the better whisky brands, arriving late at night and would get a few hours kip before making the delivery in the morning, then collect some parcels from an office supplier who preferred us delivering to their London destinations than the usual parcel carriers, then drive to Glasgow station where a n other driver, would meet me to swap over, he would have caught the train from Watford Junction after leaving an Escort van in the car park.

He travelled up on a cheap day return ticket, i'd be parked outside the station and he'd come outside find me and we'd swap over van/van keys and hand me the return ticket.
In places on the A74 as was the train tracks ran alongside the carriageway for many miles, now and again i'd get a glimpse of the van making its way home.
Travelling back was excellent, becoming regulars you would get to know the catering staff who looked after me well, many happy miles spent in the buffet car, the roast dinners were superb.

Ted, my boss was a real 70's jovial character complete with Mexican moustache, sometimes he'd make the journey both ways for the sheer enjoyment of it, during which time he would consume a good number of G&Ts with ice and a slice, good days, hard work but fun.

The cost of this cheap day return ticket you might be wondering? £5 for the 5 hour each way journey.
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Thu 4 May 2023 09:02
ANY - Why I still like the car - _




www.splitticketing.com



I used them too. The only saving grace was the return fare £45.10.
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Thu 4 May 2023 14:04
ANY - Why I still like the car - Chris M

"The cost of this cheap day return ticket you might be wondering? £5 for the 5 hour each way journey."

From the days when the trains didn't have to turn a profit or even break even. When trains fell apart if there was a crash. And where each week a different section of the rail staff would be on strike. Oh the good 'ole days seen through rose tinted specs.

Edited by Chris M on 04/05/2023 at 14:05

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Thu 4 May 2023 08:58
ANY - Why I still like the car - John F

I like trains. From my village there's a choice of two circa 1hr journeys to London - Northampton and Wellingborough. Until recently N'ton was the nicest because it's a quiet civilised electric train compared to East Midland's noisy vibrating diesels which, even in so-called 1st class, was like sitting on top of a washing machine during the fast spin cycle. But the W'bgh line is now electrified and much improved - recent trip to London smooth, silent, bang on time and well under an hour - although it stops so far outside the remodelled St Pancras it's about another five minutes walk to get to the street/bus/tube.

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Thu 4 May 2023 10:02
ANY - Why I still like the car - Crickleymal

During my last year of employment I started commuting by train (Cheltenham to Birmingham University). The cost was roughly the same as driving and parking and as my wife works near the station it was easy to get a lift most days. Plus there was no train that got me to work earlier than 8 am so I couldn't do the early shift. The snag was the actual trains operated by Cross Country Trains. In the morning it was a three coach train (Cardiff to Stansted) and there was room for everyone to sit. In the evening it was only two coaches and was absolutely rammed, I often had to stand all the way. The only solution was to leave work early and get the train to Birmingham New Street where I could hop on the train before it picked up travellers at the intervening stations. Or, if I was lucky, get on a GWR intercity train which took me directly from New Street to Cheltenham.

A friend has had to use Cross Country Trains recently and he says they're still awful.

Edited by Crickleymal on 04/05/2023 at 10:03

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Thu 4 May 2023 11:48
ANY - Why I still like the car - veloceman
Love driving and my current Alfa too however have been taking advantage of the £2 bus journeys in my area. I live in a village with an hourly bus service which is extremely reliable. Buses are only a year or 2 old with Wi-Fi, USB charging with every seat and a screen which tells you every stop approaching. Still a few years away from my bus pass but not phased at all at the prospect.
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Thu 4 May 2023 14:17
ANY - Why I still like the car - FP

Twice a year, over one weekend, SWMBO and I visit two of my kids and their families in more northern parts of the UK - we're in Hertfordshire.

To reduce the amount of driving in any one day we leave on Friday, stay the night in Darlington (or wherever we can get a good price and location) and on Saturday drive the remaining distance to our destination in Newcastle (close to, but west of the A1, so easily accessible). After leaving there we drive to (say) Wetherby, stay the night and on Sunday drive to western Leeds. We do the rest of the trip home on Sunday evening.

We did look at rail as an alternative, but that would mean a very early start from Stevenage on Saturday and a rather complicated journey by public transport from Newcastle Station. We would need a hotel somewhere for Saturday night and buses seem a bit thin on the ground in Leeds on a Sunday.

Costwise it doesn't save a lot to go by rail and would definitely be far from stress-free. At the moment it doesn't seem attractive, but as I get older I may just not want to do all that driving.

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Fri 5 May 2023 01:01
ANY - Why I still like the car - Terry W

Today we visited family, driving from just outside Bristol to Hertfordshire. Bar a few miles it was all M4 then M25.

Distance covered ~250 miles. About 22L of petrol cost £32 (I know this excludes wear and tear etc). 2 hours each way.

Had we let the train take the strain the cost would be ~£160 (2 adults with discounted return), time each way ~4 hours including getting from home to station. No cost to get to station (taxi or car parking charges.

Bluntly - unless going to the centre of a large urban area where the final destination is close to the train station - trains are a hugely costly inefficient way to get from A to B.

Unlike cars, train get a very favourable tax treatment and major public subsidies. If they paid their way on a like for like basis the comparison would be even more dire.

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Fri 5 May 2023 06:14
ANY - Why I still like the car - paul 1963

Can someone explain why train journeys are so expensive?

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Fri 5 May 2023 06:28
ANY - Why I still like the car - _

Can someone explain why train journeys are so expensive?

It's the Ryanair approach.

Book early pay less, if you don't have a discount car, (seniors etc )

Example .............today return Monday, Colchester to Chester £300 ish. Advance with senior rail card (£30 a year ) £45 ish.

My wife flew from Malaga to Stansted last night, was £23 booked months ago.

Fare if booking yesterday £200 (no baggage etc ).

But the CAA is harder on airlines than the Regulator is on the train companies,

Hence the ancient trains, filthy toilets etc

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