If train prices are so ridiculous, how do people who don't drive get to other cities?

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buginarugsnug@reddit

A railcard can get you 30% off a ticket and booking in advance (I think six weeks is supposed to be the sweet spot) can make ticket prices much cheaper too. Train tickets are stupid expensive in the UK regardless - it should never cost more to take public transport than it does to drive, yet it often does.

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Jcw28@reddit

Railcards are stupidly prohibitive though. If you're a single person above the age of 30 (technically 32) but not a pensioner, outside of the south east, what cards are available to you?

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Legitimate_Impact@reddit

Two Together, if you are two of course.

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zibafu@reddit

I too would like to know, 38 here, single, not a student or disabled etc

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Jcw28@reddit

Yeah it's like they think you throw a switch and suddenly can magically afford full price fares. Honestly, the price with the Railcard reduction I could never quibble with. I'm in the north east and used to get a return to London for maybe £60-70 which I was delighted with. I'd pay that happily if that was the regular price. If I timed it right sometimes I could get first class return on LNER for less than £100! The non-railcard standard class price being north of £100 is quite a sour taste though and feels steep.

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buginarugsnug@reddit

I honestly don’t know, I haven’t taken a train in years but see them advertised all over

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Jcw28@reddit

The most galling thing as someone who has just lost access to their Railcard (no longer eligible for 26-30) is the constant emails from Trainline advertising railcards to me. Bastards should know I'm not eligible for any of them, it's almost like they're mocking me haha.

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AnOtherGuy1234567@reddit

Never ever buy a long distance ticket on the day, particularly at the station. As thry legally can't offer any discounts on the list price on the day. With the list price being the quote that you've given and it wouldn't surprise me if that was pre 9:30 and First Class. Although for today, on the Trainline App I can see tickets from £44.20-£108.40. With the £108.40 getting into Marylebone but has a Split Ticket saving of £70.60. So the cost of a a ticket from Liverpool Lime Street to Warwick Parkway and a ticket from Warwick Parkway to Marylebone is £70.60 cheaper than Lime Street to Marylebone via Warwick Parkway. Although that route is a PITA multiple changes and a walk at Birmingham. The coach is £13.90, takes 5h35 and probably isn't too busy.

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SunUsual550@reddit

I don't know where that figure has come from. I just looked for a return leaving immediately from London to Liverpool and could find a single for £50 leaving in less than 30 minutes. If you're travelling at morning rush hour you pay a premium but then that's effectively a tax on people who moved out of London for cheaper house prices. There are a finite number of seats on commuter trains so the principle of supply and demand will always apply. That said, it is always cheaper to drive which is a fundamental problem that needs addressing and even if you book months in advance you'll pay through the nose if you're travelling on certain routes or long distance.

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MattLaidlow@reddit

I love it when people say “you should book in advance.” Of course I can predict a sudden emergency or last minute plans…

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f1boogie@reddit

You can get from London to Liverpool for £44 tonight. That £340 ticket is only if you book like a retard. I assure you, it will be an open return booked on a train leaving on the day of booking. Seriously, you can get a 1st class ticket leaving in 15 minutes' time for £280. You seriously need to be retarded to pay the amount that these rage bait facebook posts say.

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Teembeau@reddit

In which case you have to suck it up. How often do you have a sudden emergency?

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100e3@reddit

..and is not cheaper in general.

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badgerandcheese@reddit

- Coach - Many, many Local buses - Domestic flight - Travel off peak with a railcard - Hitchhike and hope for the best - Fair dodge and hope for the best - Walk and hope for the best

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Teembeau@reddit

"Fly to somewhere in Europe, fly back to a closer airport. Probably cheaper!" Dublin is the best bet. I once looked at Bristol to Liverpool via Dublin. It was slightly cheaper than the train, but took longer. It would also mean I could say that I'd been to Ireland.

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AnyBug1039@reddit

Or just simply pay ridiculous fare prices.

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dewittless@reddit

Tickety Split. Look it up, will save you hundreds.

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Euphoric_Magazine856@reddit

Just fly to Spain and then fly back to Liverpool.

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TheKhaos121@reddit

More expensive to get to the airport than it is to Spain.

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Euphoric_Magazine856@reddit

Aye probably I drive everywhere as it's always cheaper with a family of 6.

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dgibbs128@reddit

Used to fly from gatwick or Southampton to Edinburgh regularly for around £30 one way flight if I booked in advance.

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LadyRhiX@reddit

Or an internal flight? Not sure how much they are but they can’t be more than what they’ve posted, surely?

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mjk97@reddit

I don’t drive and I do travel lots by train. I have never paid anywhere near that, and I often go between cities. I have just had a look and trains leaving in the next few hours mostly cost around the £50-70 mark. There are a few times that go over £100. There are also some that go below £40. If eligible, you can get a railcard and that gets you a discount. I cannot see any times where it goes over £200 for that journey. The dynamic pricing is annoying but just book in advance for longer journeys.

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Imperfect_Dark@reddit

Coach is good value and what I would do when going from Manchester to London. Yeah it takes 2 hours longer but what am I doing with that time really?

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zibafu@reddit

Would love to go down by coach and not spend 120 quid from Manchester, but having ibs and a fairly active bladder is a no on the coach 😂🫨

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100e3@reddit

I have the suspicion that the advance ticket being cheaper is a myth and no one wants to admit that. I have switched to using trainline just before boarding the train and I am under the impression that overall I pay the same as before. The UK train system, if you want to understand it, is a ducked up nightmare, so I switched my attitude, but there seems to be no major financial consequences.

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HughWattmate9001@reddit

You get a rover ticket thats cheaper, any delay on the line at any point in the day you say you were due to travel on that train but were delayed. If its delayed by 30mins or more i think it is your get full refund on ticket price.

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cgknight1@reddit

They would book in advance and avoid peak fares. I don't because work pays but if there is delay repay I keep the money 😂

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MuchMenu2417@reddit

Exactly the same! Almost annoying if it’s only 13 minutes late…

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skifans@reddit

I've no idea where you are looking at train tickets OP but that is just completely wrong. Even the most expensive anytime day single ticket is £179 from London to Liverpool. Still astronomical - but not that astronomical. And if you book a bit in advance or use slower trains it can be a lot cheaper. Looking right now at 1700 there is an itinerary leaving at 1746 with a change at Crewe. It is a bit slower but only costs £50. Even if you do want the fast direct train that falls to £79 if you are happy to wait until 1907 departure. Train fares are too high - but they are not that bad. And most people making a journey like that would have booked a ticket valid on a specific train only in advance. Even just a few days before these often give a significant discount if you are a little flexible with the time you are traveling.

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RumJackson@reddit

A London to Liverpool train booked now for today costs £80

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throwaway1335927@reddit

I did manchester to London today for £13.90, booked it 2 weeks ago and I had to get specific trains & change at Crewe but yeah, it's not too bad if you actually plan for it and don't just turn up on the day you want to travel expecting a good price

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one_pump_chimp@reddit

An anytime single walk up fare is £179 between London and Liverpool. Very few people not being reimbursed by work would pay this Cheapest undiscounted ticket is an advance single for £25.

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scotland1112@reddit

There's a London to Liverpool train in 2 hours at 70 quid

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spidertattootim@reddit

Megabus or National Express. Much cheaper. Much less convenient. Much more stinky.

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MartyTax@reddit

I suppose people don’t unless they have a car. Other than for business I don’t know anyone that uses the train a great deal up here in Newcastle. Far cheaper to drive to Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, York etc Even cheaper to drive to London but long enough drive that it slightly tips the scales on comfort vs price.

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Neddlings55@reddit

Non driver here (lifelong). I dont go.

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WelcometotheZhongguo@reddit

The people that don’t drive also don’t pay car insurance, tax, servicing, depreciation or finance costs… But it’s unlikely they would be regularly travelling between London and Liverpool because that’s not a normal thing that most people do.

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northernmonk@reddit

Book in advance, travel at off-peak times, split tickets, or take a coach. For example, I went to university over 300 miles drive away from home. The cost of a single train ticket home (via London) at the end of term would be £228 one way without railcard if I took anytime trains. However it's only £76 if I book in advance, and with a railcard that drops to £55 (this is me checking prices today.)

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No-Jicama-6523@reddit

Most people simply don’t make those journeys. I live in Manchester. I’ve been to London once, Liverpool once, Birmingham once, in six years.

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Flat_Development6659@reddit

I got a coach from Leeds to Manchester airport last weekend with my missus. It was £14 for both of us, I booked 2 days before.

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Much-Fall-9515@reddit

That’s the best part, we don’t.

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derpyfloofus@reddit

It costs £50.90 to get from London to Liverpool at this moment in time, so nobody is paying £342 every time, no.

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AF_II@reddit

You can get it cheaper if you book in advance, but yes, people pay 100s. Part of the reason why the 'back to office' thing is being resisted by people who took jobs expecting to be wfh or 'in office 1 day a week' and are being pressured to change that. It can massively impact your effective take home (said bitterly as we're looking at a £10k train budget this year until one of us finds a new job...)

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Legitimate_Impact@reddit

I just checked and London-Liverpool return is between £46 and £108 off-peak if I leave today and return Monday. Who makes up these numbers anyway? It seems they only exist to make car drivers feel good about themselves.

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dragonetta123@reddit

Book in advance. Travel outside peak times. Split save (break the journey up). Trainline do this as standard. If travelling regularly, you can get season tickets.

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DrDoolz@reddit

Off peak is bad but not that bad. The peak time tickets have become a joke

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Jayatthemoment@reddit

We suck it up.

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DropDeadDigsy@reddit

It’s an absolute racket. Scandalous

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Relative-Dig-7321@reddit

Megabus mate.

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Equivalent_Tiger_7@reddit

Fly!!

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SerNoodles@reddit

Routes are expensive but there's a lot of ways people can save money. Advanced tickets, railcards, off peak. That price you're quoting is about as much as you can possibly pay without also going first class.

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TheKhaos121@reddit

You don't.

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alex17595@reddit

They are only that price at Peak times in the morning. You either book in advance or you take a later off peak train.

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NiceCaterpillar8745@reddit

Booking in advance, railcards, some opt to go by coach instead.

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rossburton@reddit

Tickets booked in advance will be a lot cheaper, or get a bus/coach like National Express. But yes, the tickets can be insanely expensive.

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