Train travel costs.....what the?

[AdamD]

So i'm looking at getting a job in London, or anywhere near a train station to be honest

I live in Worthing, on the south coast

So I see a job going at a company which is right next to Charing cross station, great
So I goto check prices for return tickets to charing cross....

I couldn't believe how expensive a simple return ticket to Charing cross was

Cheapest was £22.00 return

So I checked how much it'd be for a return on the 26th of october

Standard day return - £34.40

Why the hell is it so expensive? does anyone know if it's the same price if you get a ticket normally at the station?

[Strzelecki]

It'll be the same, it's generally cheaper the more in advance you book it and depends on the train company and if the offer special 'value tickets (Apex, VirginValue etc.). Otherwise that's what you'll have to pay, so much for trying to encourage us to use the railways!

[Graham]

Originally Posted by AdamD

I couldn't believe how expensive a simple return ticket to Charing cross was

Cheapest was £22.00 return

So I checked how much it'd be for a return on the 26th of october

Standard day return - £34.40

Why the hell is it so expensive? does anyone know if it's the same price if you get a ticket normally at the station?

Having had a look, all of the prices given there are "walk up" fares, ie buy at the station. For longer journeys you can get Apex fares (you have to book at least 3 weeks in advance IIRC and you have to travel on specific trains there and back).

The Cheap Day Return is available for £22.90 and that should be a Travelcard, ie cover you for unlimited Underground and Bus travel whilst in London.

Note, however, that those are Off Peak fares, if you're travelling before 10am then you'll pay Commuter Rates which are always more expensive, which is why the Standard Return costs extra.

If you're only travelling Off Peak (after 10am or on weekends) it's worth buying a Network Card for about £25 which gives you 1/3 off the price meaning the Cheap Day Return is only £16.50 and would pay its way within three journeys, but that doesn't help if you're getting a job and have to travel at the crack of dawn!

That's whay the train companies are making millions of pounds a year.

Originally Posted by AdamD

So i'm looking at getting a job in London, or anywhere near a train station to be honest

I live in Worthing, on the south coast

So I see a job going at a company which is right next to Charing cross station, great
So I goto check prices for return tickets to charing cross....

As someone mentioned, those are the prices you'll pay if you just turn up.

Once you get a job in London, you'll be better off with a season ticket, as that slashes the cost of travel.

I've just got an annual ticket which means I get to/from work for about £80/week, as opposed to £260/week.

And I've done my sums on this, and compared with a job where I would have to commute about the same distance by car I am actually quite a few hundred quid better off each year - not ignoring the benefit of not being totally stressed out before getting to work!

[SMHarman]

£34.40 return, lets compare to alternates.

Journey distance 62 miles at 30 mpg thats 4 gallons of petrol a day, at £4 a gallon thats £16
Congestion charge £8
Parking £10+
Maintainance of a car doing 20,000 miles a year.

Or based on a cost per mile TCO of a car at say 40ppm
120 * .4 = £48 + CC £8 + Parking £10+ so £66

Coach will probably be cheaper, but less frequent and slower.

Is £34.40 really expensive?

If taking this job you will need to weigh up the additional cost which will be around £34.40*3.5 = 120.40*** / week (a weekly season is about 3.5 times cost of std day rtn), plus tax on that amount £120* 3/2** = £180 *40(****) = £7,200

** a rough adjustment for 22% tax and 11% ni.
*** - this number needs to be confirmed as the cost of a season
**** - the multiplier to take a weekly ticket to an annual ticket.

and the time spent commuting.
__________________

Originally Posted by AdamD

Why the hell is it so expensive?

You have to compare the options, as I demonstrated above, by comparison to the options it is either quicker, or cheaper (and you can take a nap, read a book, be drunk).

Public transport in this country is not expensive, it is just more expensive than most other countries.

[patrickp]

Originally Posted by SMHarman

Public transport in this country is not expensive, it is just more expensive than most other countries.

In other words, it's expensive... ;-)

[Angua]

At least on public transport you can do something interesting. In my last permanant job I chose to catch 2 buses rather than use the car. Not because it was cheaper but at least I could spend an hour doing something other than put my foot on the acelerator occasionally.

[absthechatter]

I live just along the road in Hove, so you would use the same trains as me, they come along the coast, through Hove, then up to Victoria. For some reason our cheaper travel starts in you travel after 9 rather than 10am, something to do with when it arrives at the destination!!


It is around £34 per day, or £82 per week. But a yearly travel card is around £3,300, or it was when I bought mine last December.

I have been doing this for around 10 years now and to be honest it's not the cost of the ticket, but the time travelling that is much worse. Once I get to Victoria I have a couple of tube rides and a short walk. Door to door is about 2.5 hours each way. So about 5 hours a day, or 25 hours a week, quite often without a seat for the whole journey. You are guarenteed at least one delay a week and as soon as we get to winter, those delays can run in to hours.

I certainly earn a lot more money in London than I would down here, but if I knew what I know now, I don't think I would do it again...

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by patrickp

In other words, it's expensive... ;-)

No, say in France the same commute to Paris costs £10, but you will be paying a higher level of tax, so instead of your pocket > rail co it is your paycheck > tax man > railco (which also happens in the UK but is supposedly less).

Alternately you can drive but that will cost upwards of £60 a day and does not get cheaper if you pay differently (you cannot get 52 weeks (or 46 weeks if holiday and statutory holidays are taken into account) of petrol for the price of 40).

[bob_builder]

Originally Posted by ScaredWebWarrior

As someone mentioned, those are the prices you'll pay if you just turn up.

Once you get a job in London, you'll be better off with a season ticket, as that slashes the cost of travel.

I've just got an annual ticket which means I get to/from work for about £80/week, as opposed to £260/week.

Yes, with a season ticket the rail costs are greatly reduced. Some companies even have a scheme that lets you buy your season ticket through your wages spread over the whole year (so you effectively get a 0% interest loan).

Originally Posted by Graham

If you're only travelling Off Peak (after 10am or on weekends) it's worth buying a Network Card for about £25 which gives you 1/3 off the price meaning the Cheap Day Return is only £16.50 and would pay its way within three journeys, but that doesn't help if you're getting a job and have to travel at the crack of dawn!

Note if you get an annual season ticket this is known as a Gold card. This can be used like a free Network Railcard (with a few extra benefits) for any extra off-peak travel you do.

[cookie_365]

Originally Posted by absthechatter

I live just along the road in Hove, so you would use the same trains as me, they come along the coast, through Hove, then up to Victoria. For some reason our cheaper travel starts in you travel after 9 rather than 10am, something to do with when it arrives at the destination!!


It is around £34 per day, or £82 per week. But a yearly travel card is around £3,300, or it was when I bought mine last December.

I have been doing this for around 10 years now and to be honest it's not the cost of the ticket, but the time travelling that is much worse. Once I get to Victoria I have a couple of tube rides and a short walk. Door to door is about 2.5 hours each way. So about 5 hours a day, or 25 hours a week, quite often without a seat for the whole journey. You are guarenteed at least one delay a week and as soon as we get to winter, those delays can run in to hours.

I certainly earn a lot more money in London than I would down here, but if I knew what I know now, I don't think I would do it again...

Ouch

And I thought my hour and a half each way was bad

Can you work on the train and count it towards your time in the office ?

[Shaun]

To be fair I think Train travel is getting cheaper. Midland mainline are now doing single tickets from Leicester to London for as little as £3.95 or £6.60 first class. You have to book well in advanced but if it's something you do regularly then it's easy to do.

[absthechatter]

Originally Posted by cookie_365

Ouch

And I thought my hour and a half each way was bad

Can you work on the train and count it towards your time in the office ?

Unfortunately not. Even if I could quite often there is not a seat available and if there is you are so squashed it is almost impossible to do anything.

[cookie_365]

Originally Posted by absthechatter

Unfortunately not. Even if I could quite often there is not a seat available and if there is you are so squashed it is almost impossible to do anything.

The new Southerns aren't so bad - I have to go Thameslink every day