Train Fare bonkersness

[Arch]

Normally, I buy an open return at York, to go to Manchester and back at the weekend. £26.something.

This weekend, for various reasons, NT came over for one day, and then we drove back from York to Manchester, so I bought a return at NT's local station to use the return portion next weekend, assuming I'd get back into routine eventually.

This return was £28.something.

Two pounds more to buy a ticket for the same journey, but the other way round.

Why?

I've tweeted at the National Rail twitter accounts for TPE and Northern, and they said to contact the rail companies twitter accounts. Northern have replied to say TPE set the fares. TPE replied with link to http://www.atoc.org/2013fares/fares-faqs.php, saying fares may vary according to route.

So it costs £2 more to travel via Victoria, changing at Stalybridge, than via Piccadilly, changing at Piccadilly - why? It's the same train companies - TPE between York and Manchester, then Northern between Manchester.and NT's

Checking, however, it's the same if I just travel York - Manchester Piccadilly. Buying a return at York, £26, buying one at Manchester, £28. So basically, if NT didn't drive, it would cost him more to visit me, than it costs me to visit him.

And at those prices, even taking running costs into account, it's cheaper to drive*. Quicker door-to-door too. Wonder why I don't just buy a car. Now, in order to avoid consistently spending more than needed, I'll travel over by train next weekend, but NT will drive me back to get back into routine.

This has turned into a grumble/rant, but why the difference?

*Even with advance tickets, which only bring the journey down to £21ish, and restrict me to specific trains. I don't mind paying a little extra to be flexible, but a bit extra for no reason is ridiculous!

 

[Sara_H]

Don't get me started. We have a very complicated life that involves frequent train trips to Nottingham. It's almost become a hobby trying to work out the variations of when is the best time to use the return portion versus buying a single. Bonkers indeed!

 

[BSRU]

You lucky you do not live in Swindon, the Swindon to London Paddington ticket is apparently one of the most expensive train tickets in Europe, on a pound per mile basis. What is even more confusing is that if you catch the same train from the next station along, Reading, it is alot cheaper.

 

[BSRU]

[QUOTE 2355940, member: 259"]It's probably just that demand for tickets out of Swindon is naturally so much higher than demand for tickets going into Swindon. [/quote]
You've been to Swindon then

 

[Arch]

You lucky you do not live in Swindon

I think you can stop that sentence there...

The page TPE directed me to doesn't actually say anything about different fares on the same route, so that's hopeless.

The thing is, I like using the train. Apart from the green aspect, it's just nicer than driving, especially on my own (and I think, statistically safer), I can read, or go online, or just watch the scenery go by. When things are on time (and I have to say, that's most of the time, we only remember the times it goes wrong), it's pretty efficient, and I'm lucky not to be far from the station at either end. Overcrowding is a pain on some services, but I've worked out which trains are better in that respect. I know the system operates at a very high capacity, and I can understand when the weather, or vandals, or a fault, cause a delay, even though it's annoying.

I want the train to be the better option, really, I do. But this sort of thing is so stupid!

 

[Maz]

Semi-serious answer to the OP's question...
Any chance you can get a family railcard and get an under-16 to travel with you? You get big discounts and you don't have to be related to the kid.

 

[Arch]

Oh right, now they tweet that I need to write to customer services.

I might just get round to doing that. It'll give me more characters to complain in than Twitter!

 

[ColinJ]

The more you look, the more craziness you will find!

I once did a return trip to Coventry via Leeds. I could have bought a return ticket for about £55 but discovered that I could do it for about half that price by buying 6 singles instead, travelling in the same seats on the same trains. I wasted 30 minutes of my life sorting that out, and created a big queue at the station while the poor guy had to sell me the separate tickets.

On another occasion, I did the singles trick by buying a ticket from Coventry to Littleborough, and another from Littleborough to Hebden Bridge but was warned that my tickets were not valid for the train I wanted to board because it didn't stop at Littleborough. It did pass through Littleborough station, but it didn't actually stop. I needed to catch the train before or the one after. I could stay in my seat, but I had to in theory be able to get off the train and get back on! In the end. I was allowed on board the non-stopping train but they made me feel like I was being done a big favour!

 

[Arch]

Semi-serious answer to the OP's question...
Any chance you can get a family railcard and get an under-16 to travel with you? You get big discounts and you don't have to be related to the kid.

Um.

<thinks>

No.

I don't know a whole lot of under-16's, and not many of them I want to take to Manchester every weekend!

Someone I know has a partner who works at a uni, and can get forms for Young Person Railcards (actually available to full time students of any age), prestamped with the uni stamp, and keeps telling me I should use one to get a railcard. But I don't because it would be fraud (and I feel I got plenty of legit benefit from one when I was a legit student.). But it's hard to stay moral in the face of stuff like this!

Ah well, in 17 years I can get a Senior Railcard, but I'm kind of hoping NT and I will be living together by then!

 

[ColinJ]

Ah well, in 17 years I can get a Senior Railcard

I wouldn't count on it - my older sister was expecting a bus pass 18 months ago but they nobbled her retirement age and the bus pass age went up with it!

(She rang me the other day in great excitement - she had been incorrectly told that she couldn't get her pension and bus pass until May 2014, and has now discovered that it will actually be May this year!)

 

[Dayvo]

I've just booked three journeys to take place over the next two weeks: Gatwick to Reading (£16.00), Exeter to Norwich (£45.00) and Norwich to Shenfield (11.00). By booking in advance online I have saved £120. I think the whole rail network (especially pricing) in the UK is a joke.

Even the employees I have spoken to lament the passing of British Rail into the private sector.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

you should try changing your plans mid way through. I had a ticket for Preston to Stoke-on-Trent and needed to get off at Crewe instead. I was nearly not allowed out of the railway station simply because my plans had changed and was not interested in the Crewe to Stoke section of that outward ticket.
Have to confess I have pretty much given up on the trains (sorry B-I-L) but it is either quicker, cheaper or easier (and often all 3) to drive (even if it is renting a car for the day/week) than it is to go by train and when there is more than 1 adult travelling...

 

[Night Train]

Have to confess I have pretty much given up on the trains (sorry B-I-L) but it is either quicker, cheaper or easier (and often all 3) to drive (even if it is renting a car for the day/week) than it is to go by train and when there is more than 1 adult travelling...

Round trip is 2 gallons of diesel for me, maybe plus a pint some days. Works out at £14 or less? Also the journey time is around 1hr 40mins door to parking spot and maybe 5 mins cycling time to Arch's door. I can also take as much bike, trailer and bags as I want.
Other car cost don't come into it as they have to be paid whether I drive or use public transport.
I wish the cost issue wasn't the case as I'd be quite happy to not use the car when I have another option.

I can't do 'other stuff' on a train as I get travel sick if I am not looking out the window in the direction of travel.

 

[swee'pea99]

My sister had a positively kafka-esque conversation with some Nazi-telesales person one time, after discovering part way through the call that the single ticket she wanted to buy would cost more than a return ticket for the same route. Naturally she then asked to buy a return ticket, but the tele-Nazi refused to sell her one, saying she wouldn't use the return half. My sister promised she would. The woman said she didn't believe her. My sister said what bleedin' difference does it make to anyone whether she uses it or not anyway, indeed, surely it would be better for everyone if she didn't - other things being equal, that would mean one more seat for other people. The woman said that's not the point; return tickets are for people who are coming back too. My sister said she would. The woman said she didn't believe her. My sister said 'you're an idiot', rang off, re-dialled, and bought a return ticket from another tele-person.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Um.

<thinks>

No.

I don't know a whole lot of under-16's, and not many of them I want to take to Manchester every weekend!

Have you considered kidnapping one, it's extreme but if it saves on rail fares what the hey!