Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 21:55 28 Mar 2024
* Bus plunges off South Africa bridge, killing 45
* Easter getaways hit by travel disruption
- Where Baltimore bridge investigation goes now
- How do I renew my UK passport and what is the 10-year rule?
- Family anger at sentence on fatal crash driver, 19
- Easter travel warning as millions set to hit roads
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
28th Mar (1992)
MOD Kineton tour, branch line society (*)

Train RunningCancelled
18:36 London Paddington to Plymouth
19:33 London Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill
19:35 Exeter St Davids to London Paddington
20:54 Reading to Gatwick Airport
20:56 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington
21:30 Shalford to Reading
21:53 Newbury to Bedwyn
22:25 Bedwyn to Newbury
22:30 Gatwick Airport to Reading
22:47 Newbury to Bedwyn
Short Run
17:03 London Paddington to Penzance
18:03 London Paddington to Penzance
19:04 Paignton to London Paddington
20:03 London Paddington to Plymouth
21:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
21:20 Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach
22:10 Severn Beach to Bristol Temple Meads
23:04 Reading to Bedwyn
23:17 Bedwyn to Reading
Delayed
Additional 17:26 Castle Cary to Penzance
19:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
21:30 Gatwick Airport to Reading
21:45 Penzance to London Paddington
23:45 London Paddington to Penzance
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 28, 2024, 22:05:23 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[104] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[103] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[78] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[56] If not HS2 to Manchester, how will traffic be carried?
[41] Return of the BRUTE?
[25] Reversing Beeching - bring heritage and freight lines into the...
 
News: the Great Western Coffee Shop ... keeping you up to date with travel around the South West
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: Norwich to Swansea return? That will be £705 please  (Read 2403 times)
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40690



View Profile WWW Email
« on: January 21, 2020, 22:48:03 »

From Norwich Evening News

Quote
A Norwich academic has reacted with shock after being quoted £705 to go by train to Swansea.

Professor Alan Finlayson said the fare, which included a travel card, was for an anytime return to go to Wales and back in a day for a funeral.

He said it raised the issue of people not being able to travel across the country efficiently or at affordable prices.

On Saturday he tweeted: "For unexpected (personal) reasons I'm looking to go by train from Norwich to Swansea return, in a day, in a fortnight. For 2 adults (with railcard) the price (standard fare) is £705.40.

Goes on to say that someone got it down to £120 each splitting but he wasn't confident to "make all the changes" and in the end they drove.  Day trip for a funeral, no option but some peak trains.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12334


View Profile Email
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2020, 08:43:19 »

Go down the night before - an hotel night would still be cheaper.
Logged
Ralph Ayres
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 336


View Profile
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2020, 10:34:30 »

It's a longish journey starting at a busy time so unfortunately that's the time you do tend to get stung by higher fares. Those prices are NOT with a Railcard; most aren't valid until 0930 so wouldn't be much use. Without knowing details it's hard to be sure but it's quite likely that buying separate tickets splitting in London would have allowed the Railcard discount to be applied from Paddington onwards and that shouldn't have been too difficult for a clerk to work out. I'd certainly have been tempted to travel at least part way the previous evening if at all possible, bringing the travel cost with Railcard down to a little over £200.  You could get a very nice hotel for rather less than the difference.
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40690



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2020, 10:57:48 »

I find it very interesting to read into people's backgrounds to see where they may be coming from - look at the names behind the stories to understand the choices made - in this case between looking for / taking up better value alternatives and shouting about the high price quoted.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Finlayson
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
Clan Line
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 858



View Profile
« Reply #4 on: January 22, 2020, 15:17:53 »

"Still at least it's making money for the shareholders and sustaining ideological dogma"

.............and just whose "ideological dogma" might that be, professor ?
Logged
Robin Summerhill
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 1145


View Profile Email
« Reply #5 on: January 22, 2020, 15:41:21 »

I find it very interesting to read into people's backgrounds to see where they may be coming from - look at the names behind the stories to understand the choices made - in this case between looking for / taking up better value alternatives and shouting about the high price quoted.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Finlayson

Quite. But what especially bothers me about stories like this one. or the recently "splashed in the tabloids" Luton to Canbridge rail fare, or the "£1 per mile to go from Bristol to Paddington," and all their ilk, is that it makes the average man in the street believe that all rail fares are like this.

I had a personal example of this myself, when a school friend who has lived in Germany for 40 years wanted to go to Swindon Railway museum from Bristol. He was talking about driving rather than taking the train,including diverting to pick me up at Chippenham because, after reding nonsenses like this,  he honestly thought he'd nearly have to take out a second mortgage for an off peak day return BRI» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains)-SWI» (Swindon - next trains)

He was very pleasantly surprised when he found out the actual cost!
Logged
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page