Great rail "Rip-Off". Britain has the highest fares in Europe.

News Type: Event — Seeded on Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:42 AM EST

Article Source: the Mail online

travel, europe, britain, fares, railways, highest

British train passengers are victims of a "Great Rail Rip-Off" that sees them paying the most expensive fares in Europe, a damning report reveals today.

They are charged up to 14 times more than their counterparts on the Continent in a Government policy that is "pricing people off the railways", says research from the Liberal Democrats.

Published to:

Sandie Seward's Column, All of Newsvine
Groups: Rail
Regions: London

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5.9

{"commentId":1384949,"authorDomain":"seward"}

Sandie Seward

I have every reason to believe this. We British pay over the odds for almost everything.

{"commentId":1384949,"threadId":"206178","contentId":"1243219","authorDomain":"seward"}

1 vote

#1 - Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:44 AM EST

{"commentId":1385594,"authorDomain":"sokabs"}

Darrell J. Rohl

Oh yes. Rail fares were by far the biggest expense of my recent trip. I saved some money with a BritRail Flexipass, but not much, that's for sure.

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2 votes

#2 - Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:37 AM EST

{"commentId":1385614,"authorDomain":"seward"}

Sandie Seward

The British Public are being fleeced every way possible, Darrell. If we use our cars we are castigated for adding to the pollution levels, and, if we use the trains, our pockets are emptied.

Are you aware just how much some british Commuters pay per year for their Season Tickets just to go to and from work?

Some of them pay more each year than I have in total to live on.

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2 votes

#2.1 - Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:42 AM EST

{"commentId":1385656,"authorDomain":"sokabs"}

Darrell J. Rohl

Ouch. Hopefully it won't be too much of a problem for when I move there. I plan to mostly walk and take the bus but, on occasion, we'll want/need to travel around a bit. I guess we'll pay individual fares or rent a car as needed.

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2 votes

#2.2 - Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:52 AM EST

{"commentId":1385670,"authorDomain":"leveldown"}

leveldown

I actually worked out if I took the train/public transport to work instead of driving I would be paying £74.80 a week. I currently pay £38 on petrol. Bear in kind my public transport/train journey would also lose me an extra 5.5 hours per week.

I wouldn't mind traveling by train, I could do some work on my laptop, sit back and relax etc, but when I look at figures like this, it's just not financially or chronologically viable. The British Government have a funny way of encouraging me out of my car.

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1 vote

#2.3 - Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:55 AM EST

{"commentId":1385759,"authorDomain":"seward"}

Sandie Seward

Thank you for that, Leveldown. It really doesn't make much sense when you break down those costs, does it?

I feel that for many years now, the priorities are all upside down. When I was working, in my last job, I was lucky enough to be able to walk to and from work, which was a huge bonus.

I do feel for people who have very little alternative but to commute each day.

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1 vote

#2.4 - Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:15 PM EST

{"commentId":1385834,"authorDomain":"leveldown"}

leveldown

Unfortunately Sandie what it comes down to is this. Lack of infrastructure. The train companies can't make the trains faster/more reliable because their isn't enough capacity and what capacity we do have is old and out of date. This has been endemic since long before privatisation. As long as the train services are bad it gives the PLCs that now run our railways an excuse to jack up the prices under the premise of improving services whilst they don't mention that without infrastructure improvements (courtesy of Network Rail) there's not a lot they can do. In the meantime the price increases are beneficial to the train companies as they are slowing the increasing desire for train travel meaning improvements can be put off that little bit longer. In the meantime the Government get to blame the British Public for their reluctance to give up their cars because they are throwing money at the problem (see giving their industry buddies a few more billion in public subsidies) whilst avoiding making some tough decisions like a proper public investment in infrastructure (not a PPP). Then in a few years time when all this extra money from fare increases and public subsidy gets us absolutely no improvements the whole house of cards will come down but by that time the PLCs will be no more, their board of directors will have disappeared and the politicians who gave the all that money will probably be sitting along side them on the board of Directors of "Health for Britain PLC" one of the new private companies running our newly nationalised NHS. The future's bright, the futures private. (TM) ..... oh and unnecessarily expensive.

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1 vote

#3 - Mon Jan 21, 2008 12:34 PM EST

{"commentId":1386618,"authorDomain":"seward"}

Sandie Seward

Our Railways' problems started in earnest just after the Second World War. They quite literally wore themselves out during the war with extra train movements, troop specials, and armaments trains. By 1945 they were virtually worn out, and of course, had suffered losses of loco's, stock, and infrastructure.

The Big Four, namely, Great Western, Southern, L.N.E.R. and L.M.S. had struggled and were almost bankrupt, no money to build or buy new equipment, and with a new Labour government, who wanted to Nationalise everything in sight, it was inevitable that the railways would be a prime target.

British Railways was formed in 1948, and thereafter a process of Standardisation began, with Standard loco's, Standard Mk.One coaches, and the early stages of dieselisation.

The railways were slowly modernised and then came the infamous Doctor Beeching, who although having had railway experience, was, first and foremost, an Accountant, who saw duplication and waste wherever he looked.

The "Beeching Axe" fell quite indiscriminately and many lines were closed. Fares kept on rising steadily year in, year out, people started to leave the railways as cars became more affordable for the public.

Road Transport, was nationalised for a while, as "British Road Services", but Private Companies soon took over again, and freight left the railway and travelled by road.

The writing was well and truly on the wall for the railways by the time steam ended in 1967.

The rest, from then up to the Present Day, has been a mish-mash of Private Train Operators, and fares have been rising above the rate of inflation, ever since.

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1 vote

#3.1 - Mon Jan 21, 2008 4:31 PM EST

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SANDIE SEWARD

Backyard

Great rail "Rip-Off". Britain has the highest fares in Europe.

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