Is it any wonder I’m going to drive rather than take the train?

[Dan B]

The unpleasant truth is that most of that .45 (or .36) is insurance, tax, depreciation and other fixed costs which for the most part need to be paid whether the car is actively used or is just standing there on the drive. Once you've got it, it often makes economic sense to use it.

 

[Norm]

Before we get in to a discussion on mileage rates (and I'd argue that depreciation isn't, at least in part, mileage related) cutting through the BS, 190 miles at 35mpg at £1.15 a litre works out at around £28, so the £35.80 rail ticket doesn't need to take account of too much servicing or wear and tear.

 

[Bollo]

Hi TC, have you factored in the poxy M3 at that time of the day and the bottleneck
that is the M27 ???

Should be ok if TC only has to be in Bournemouth for 11:30.

Remember to wave when you pass through the Twyford cut, TC!

 

[TwickenhamCyclist]

If you think a little bit laterally, you don't have to go to CJ or Waterloo.

You could cycle to Surbiton (about 5 miles from Twickenham) and you will avoid the London-bound restrictions. You can also get more of a lie-in, as you can get the 8:44 from Surbiton, change at Woking and Basingstoke and get to Bournemouth for 11am. Or, if you get the 8:30 from Surbiton, you only need to change at Woking and you are in Bournemouth for 10:20.

Return ticket from Surbiton is £35.80 which, by the time you've factored in your other car costs, will probably be pretty similar to the cost of driving.

Now why didn't I think of that - cheers Norm

 

[Norm]

Now why didn't I think of that - cheers Norm

No worries.

The number of lines around here have got me in the past too. For instance, trains from my local station (Maidenhead) to Kingston are a nightmare, needing 4 changes. Or, I could cycle about a mile further, to Windsor rather than Maidenhead, and just have to change once.

 

[Alan Whicker]

Going by train from Paris down to the alps for less than bloody £40 teh week after – wish the French would take over our railways…

Rail travel in the UK can be a very expensive joke.

However, the French - magnificent though their chemin de fer is - don't always get it right. £55 Lille to Paris, one way, last time I used it .