The cost of train journeys

[Supersuperleeds]

It's only 300 miles, you should bike it

 

[KneesUp]

It's only 300 miles, you should bike it

With the six year old in the trailer?

 

[AndyRM]

Just being in Newcastle will offset any other considerations or costs.

Good luck finding parking for £4 though!

 

[KneesUp]

Good luck finding parking for £4 though!

Times Square is £3.60 all day at the weekend apparently?

 

[AndyRM]

Times Square is £3.60 all day at the weekend apparently?

Like I said, good luck - it gets full quickly at the weekend!

 

[KneesUp]

Like I said, good luck - it gets full quickly at the weekend!

They should charge more

 

[PK99]

It's not unreasonable to only look at the marginal cost of the journey if it's a one off. If the OP was making weekly journeys or whatever then other costs have to be considered.

If I'm travelling alone I'll often take the train as one ticket isn't too much more expensive than my marginal cost of driving in return for the utility I get in being able to relax on the train or do some work on it. Family journey.....car, unless I can get a really good advance deal

In terms of, choosing which mode to use for a specific journey, you are correct: Marginal costs rule and many of the running costs can bee seen as sunk costs.

But that was not the question posed by the OP. He has discounted all his own standing costs and included all the (priced in) standing costs of the rail journey.

 

[AndyRM]

They should charge more

Part of the problem is that the city centre is really, really small. And is currently being dug up all over the place. It's an absolute bomb-site, particularly around the station and out to the central motorway.

They may have tightened things up, but there used to be a little known car-park next to the college: free as you like and not much further from the centre than Times Square.

 

[mjr]

I'm not especially concerned about the time 'not interacting properly' with my family to be honest.

Fair enough.

And you can chat in the car. And play games (i-Spy is a bit dull, granted) And sing songs. And learn things from podcasts or Radio 4. And listen to the football. We do all of those things.

That sounds like being a distracted driver (especially fiddling with podcasts on a phone) but maybe I'm misunderstanding.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

I'd go on train more often, if they had a tow bar for my boat trailer.

 

[KneesUp]

In terms of, choosing which mode to use for a specific journey, you are correct: Marginal costs rule and many of the running costs can bee seen as sunk costs.

But that was not the question posed by the OP. He has discounted all his own standing costs and included all the (priced in) standing costs of the rail journey.

I think that is valid from an accounting perspective.

I 'need' a car in that it makes my life much easier, and as such I own a car. It's an old car, and according to this thread I bought it outright for a little over half of the average annual depreciation of a car in the UK - which considering it was absolutely immaculate when I bought it (it's not now!) represents a bit of a bargain.

I've paid my insurance and tax for the year, and their price is not affected by whether or not I drive to Newcastle. In effect I see those expenses as part of the cost of owning the car, in the same way I suppose that you could argue that part of the tax I pay is part of the cost of there being a railway.

However, for purposes of comparison I've factored in the other costs. I've added in:

Breakdown cover - £45
Depreciation £500 - this assumes that in four years the car will have scrap value
Tax £180
Insurance £300
Servicing £500
Consumables £200

The servicing figure is a bit high - it's usually about £300 - but nonetheless even with those figures the car is 76p cheaper. And more convenient.

 

[KneesUp]

Fair enough.


That sounds like being a distracted driver (especially fiddling with podcasts on a phone) but maybe I'm misunderstanding.

We have an old fashioned thing in the car called an iPod Classic. It holds all the music we own, and about a billion (roughly) podcasts. It's so simple to use that my wife does it

 

[Fnaar]

Where in Newcastle are you going to? Is there free parking available (eg visiting a friend) or will you have to use a car park?

 

[EltonFrog]

Trains are shoot, smelly and dirty they take you from where your not to where you don't want to be, if they run at all and they haven't put a bus replacement service on, surrounded by people you don't want to know. A ridiculously out moded, environmentally damaging form transport. They should have been abolished fifty years ago.

 

[KneesUp]

Where in Newcastle are you going to? Is there free parking available (eg visiting a friend) or will you have to use a car park?

Car park - was planning on Times Square but I've been told in this thread that I probably won't get in. I've never been anywhere and not been able to park and so had to give up and go home though, so I'm sure I'll find somewhere!