Re:UK Rail services to come under unified state control
by pydry on Thursday May 20, 2021 @08:06AM
(#27220072)
A fair price would be a £45 return ticket London to Manchester if I bought it at 9am tomorrow at the station.
This would bring the UK rail prices more in line with most other European countries.
£300 is gouging.
Re:UK Rail services to come under unified state control
by iso1631 on Thursday May 20, 2021 @08:27AM
(#27220257)
That's available and fine, as long as you leave Euston after 0845.
You can take the 08:46, arriving in Manchester at 12:13 - an average speed of about 60mph.
The £300 is an option that few choose, because that journey gives them major benefits. The money raised from that is plowed back into the railway and used to subsidise services to Harrogate, Holyhead and Hungerford
Re:UK Rail services to come under unified state control
by ClumsyPilot on Thursday May 20, 2021 @09:32AM
(#27220897)
Average speed of 60 mph? Is this 18th centurely where rail competes with horse carriages?
You do realise that a country needs 21st century rail service to be competitive interbationally?
Re:UK Rail services to come under unified state control
by iso1631 on Thursday May 20, 2021 @10:11AM
(#27221302)
You can pay a £20 premium each way to up that to about 100mph average. Competition and choice is great.
Re:UK Rail services to come under unified state control
by ClumsyPilot on Thursday May 20, 2021 @10:44AM
(#27221756)
Quality services and products are great, choice for the sake of choice has no value.
Otherwise we would bring back bloodletting, leeches and snakeoil salesmen to get more choice in cancer treatment.
If I look at Manchester-London in a weeks time with a non-flexible ticket it costs £45 return (actually for £45 it's pretty flexible - you are just limited to one firms trains, a bit like that BA fare, and can't travel in the morning rush hour)
https://i.imgur.com/CNCzmKu.png
That's less than 9p per mile. What do you think a fair price would be?