Hm. It is, but I'm a bit sceptical about claims like this:


An anytime day return from Didcot Parkway to Swindon, about 25 miles, is £65.20. An anytime day return from Hebden Bridge to Manchester, about 25 miles, is £15.60. Neither qualify for Network Card discounts. Not all "full fares" are the same.

Can't really answer today - offline at the moment in Tilshead ... (oops ... I seem to be here!)

I would ... suggest ... that Didcot to Swindon is something of an extreme case - perhaps not an extreme edge case, but certainly on the 95th or higher percentile.   Any time, any route (including HS1^▸ (High Speed line 1 - St Pancras to Channel Tunnel)) Tonbridge to London is £90.50, NOT HS1 is £40.70. Swindon to Salisbury is an interesting case - the most flexible ticket ("Not via London") costs £174.20 anytime return and that used to be the ticket you required on the 06:15 direct train from Swindon.   However, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) saw the logic in changing the "via Bath Spa" fare into a "via Trowbridge" fare and at current rates that's £50.70 - still above "northern rates" but a huge improvement, and thank you to GWR for helping to bring in this change.

Hebden Bridge to Manchester is a pretty standard sort of rate, I suggest, away from the South East / Home Counties. Try £11.90 Forres to Inverness, or Plymouth to Totnes at £12.60 / anytime day returns.   Brighton to Bognor Regis is £22.20 ...

Where you find astonishing inequalities is in the differenetial between anytime and restricted time fares, and between tickets from where you start to where you end versus multiple tickets bought in sections via intermediate stations.  I would suggest that there's a tendency for the anytime fares ("peak fares") to be proportionatly fare higher than "off peak" on London routes. 

Basically, the whole system has grown into an illogical morass based on local and regional issues - both in keeping fares low in the first place ( for the very people, perhaps, who are now requesting a railcard for the North ) and in increasing fares for a premium service such as Didcot to Swindon.

Close.  I would prefer a railcard to become a loyalty card.  The devil, though, would be in the detail.   At present, different railcards have differing terms and conditions.  Can you use them in the peak?  Or before 09:30? Is there a minimum fare payable?  Do you have to take a child with you? Can they be applied to paper tickets?

What exactly is "loyalty" in railway terms:
   A regular commuter with no other sensible option?
   Someone who chooses rail instead of car for a four-times-a-year leisure journey?

Not advocating for any particular approach, but many business models seem to penalise loyalty, using a cheap "bait" rate and then switching to a higher rate later on. Why would that be a bad idea for rail and a loyalty scheme good?

Personally, I'd be quite happy to pay my £60/month for the equivalent of a German D-Pass (unlimited local transport and non-Intercity trains).

Yes, the price makes it a complete bargain, but it's also a massive win not to have to muck around with bank cards, tickets etc. You just put your destination in the journey planner, walk onto the service and you are done.

On that theme, I find it astonishing that I can't just download a WECA^» (West of England Mayoral Combined Authority - about) app and subscribe to local transport. Again, how much more attractive would it be to just flash a barcode to get onto a bus or train, particularly for infrequent users and for parents to buy for their kids? 

I am surprised at the number of people that do not read the Ts&Cs for the Network Railcard and assume it covers the entire Network. I was in Scotland a couple of years ago and a couple in front of me in the queue at Fort William Ticket Office expected a discount on a Mallaig service with that railcard.