Rail: the ultimate example of crazy train ticketing? Edinburgh-London on Saturday morning. LNER says the cheapest ticket to King's Cross is £200. Avanti West Coast has a £125 fare. Yet from Haymarket, 1 mile away, you pay just £91 on either line to London. independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…
@SimonCalder Anyone who expects nationalisation to bring cheaper fares will be in for an expensive surprise. DfT/Treasury will soak every penny possible.
@SimonCalder These discrepancies exist so people like you can make a living talking about them. Also it means that those who need to can find cheaper way have a chance to do so
@SimonCalder Got a train for me and the bairn from Sandwich to Bristol cheaper than I can usually do the St Pancras leg. Remembered that when I booked Cardiff lastonth. Saved £30 by splitting the ticket at Bristol Parkway.
@SimonCalder Pricing on the rail network is a joke & has been for years. In the 00s it was cheaper to get a return Dundee-Leuchars and Leuchars-Edinburgh than Dundee-Edinburgh despite never changing trains or even moving seat. Folk shouldn't need a PhD in puzzle solving to avoid rip-offs.😡
@SimonCalder Unreal, the pricing is ridiculous. I need to get from Edinburgh to Bournemouth in November but I’ve tried some “dummy” prices, 3 months from now and it’s eye watering, hoping that’s because it’s summer but I’m going to have to look at other ways
@SimonCalder It's ridiculous isn't it? Then there's all the discount cards - it takes hours of research to book! Similarly to energy providers, trying to negotiate your way through this maze so you're not ripped off is a nightmare!
@SimonCalder I had a young lad work for me a few years ago, only just out of school. It was cheaper by far for him to fly to Scotland from southern England than to take a train. £50 or so VS £200+. Plus, more funteresting.
The biggest revolution in transport, that will offer the same liberation and style as the 1950s personal automobile revolution did young Americans, will be safe efficient autonomous electric aviation. Up, forward, down. No traffic, no pot holes, no price gauging, no searching for a posting space, no road rage, no pollution, no faff - all fun. Watch this space.
@SimonCalder You can get a super off peak single for £94.60 from Waverley (leaving at 11:08) changing at York and Stevenage - total journey time 5hrs 36mins. Just shows customers shouldn't just book on train operator sites without checking sites with different/better journey planners.