People do complain about the fares but the trains are full so it's questionable whether they are too high.

If I'm looking at it from an environmental perspective I'd argue the other options (cars, planes) are too cheap.

I think it's positively evil for society that someone on minimum wage can't visit family or relations because they can't afford the fare.

That hurts everyone.

Because that is the reality for the majority of rail travel. Off-peak is an afterthought.

If one has a basic right to healthcare, education, and freedom of movement, then all those things should be provided by the state.

I had to get from the West, to London, and then to the north last week.

Wiltshire to London: ~100miles, £24 London to Derbyshire: ~120miles, £158

I'd like to give the benefit of the doubt about peak times, but I started my journey at 10:30am. The prices make no sense; unless viewed through the private entities ability to gouge.

Whenever I'm in Europe and buy a ticket I spend an extra 20secs at the ticket machine thinking I've made a currency conversion badly before realising, no, European trains are great value and UK trains are an exercise in exploiting a captive market.