Transportation

Posted on 2003/10/11 13:59:15 (October 2003) by john.

I'm at a crossroads, if you'll pardon the pun.

Today, somewhat cruelly, I received a letter in the post detailing a special offer I could take advantage of with my Young Person's Railcard. This was a further reminder to me that my railcard is going to expire on 13th October, just a couple of days' time as I write, and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to renew it this time - I'm definitely over the maximum age limit.

Anyone reading this site around this time last year may be aware that I've been in this situation before, however, although last year was a bit of a grey area, I did manage to renew my card, so all was well with the world.

This time, it really is final. My trip to Inverness will probably constitue my last major blow out using that faithful little card.

I know it sounds like over-dramatising it a bit, but I think this really does constitute a major turning point in my life. I'm at something of a crossroads, and I have to decide where to go next.

From now on, trains are going to start becoming prohibitively expensive. Let me give you some examples:

Up until now, I could get a London Travelcard (that's a day return with unlimited tube use) for under a tenner. Now it's going to cost getting on for fifteen quid. I've been into London many times on a whim, and have never really considered the cost of the travel as significant. However, now that it's over the (admittedly somewhat artificial) ten pounds barrier I can imagine thinking twice in future.

Perhaps more strikingly, to go and visit my mother (Derby) for the weekend would, up until now, cost around 28 pounds. I always thought this was overpriced to start with. From now on, however, I'm looking at over 40 quid (42.80 to be precise). This is a "saver" return and therefore still carries some restrictions I believe. So, if for any reason I need to travel at a particular time of day, I could actually end up paying a staggering 60 quid for the full price ticket!!!

Similarly, to visit my grandmother (Newport) used to be about 24 quid and is now going to be 36 pounds. Finally to go and see my Dad (Bangor) would previously have cost 39 quid and is now going to set me back a whopping 59 pounds. I have, in the past, flown to Italy for about the same amount of money.

All of these prices are based on travelling on a Friday, which is admittedly more expensive, but the only way I'm going to make a decent weekend of it. I'm aware there are things like apex tickets, which can save me money if I'm prepared to book ages in advance, and travel at an obscure time. However, there have been several times in the past when I've just felt fed up, and decided to go and get on the first available train to go and see some member of my family. Or I've been phoned suddenly on a Thursday night to be told there's something going on, or it's X or Y's birthday, and can I come to visit that weekend. This seems to be a further example of how life is trying to beat the spontaneity out of me (see here for more details).

I've had a quick look at the Network Railcard. I think this might save me some money on my trips into London (and may actually pay off just for those over the space of a year), but it doesn't apply to fares outside of the South-East, so in fact won't save me any money at all on any of the trips I want to make to see my family.

Thanks to having a somewhat distributed family, I have been a regular train user all my life, through thick and thin. Since I left home in 1995, at a rough estimate, I've probably spent at least 500 pounds a year, maybe more like a thousand some years, on train travel. I have genuinely believed in the benefits, both social and environmental, of public transport during this time. But now I'm coming to a point where travel by rail is going to become prohibitively expensive, and the service is still just as terrible.

This is compounded by the downright horrible experience I had last weekend. Having boarded a train at a station where there were no facilities to buy the ticket I required, and having found no guard (or ticket collector or train manager or whatever you call them) on either of the trains I had travelled on, I arrived at London Paddington without a ticket. It's also important to mention I had gone out of my way earlier in the day, taking time out of work, to make an extra trip to the ticket office a few hours before I was intending to travel, only to find it had closed early. At Paddington I was forced to pay a full single fare (costing more than my return fare should have been) and subjected to about half an hour of intimidating, threatening and utterly contemptful behaviour from the very staff whose wages I have been paying all these years. I found this incident extremely upsetting, to say the least.

This, coupled so closely with a sudden hike in fares (and not to mention the two hour delay I suffered on Monday morning) is probably going to constitute the last straw. Perhaps now it is the time for me to just give up on train travel altogether.

Maybe now, finally, I ought to take up those driving lessons again.

Perhaps you could consider applying the tactict that you explained in the article entitled

"Respect (and Train Tickets)"

Posted by Kev at 2003/10/11 15:36:01.

I'd forgotten about that. Bloody hell, that makes the incident even more enfuriating. There was me, trying my hardest to get a ticket, but not being able to through no fault of my own, receiving utterly horrendous treatment from the staff. On the other hand, there was the bloke who just downright refused to get a ticket, never having had any intention of buying one in the first place, and was let off scot free. There is no justice in the world.

Posted by John at 2003/10/12 24:38:13.

Hmm. Remember, I have a car and an DESIRE to go to North Wales. (Just give me time to pack my walking boots...)

Posted by tom at 2003/10/12 23:31:00.

I must admit, apart from the actual age of the rolling stock, Hungary's rail system is far better than ours, in fact the whole public transport system is better. People use it because it consistantly works and doesn't cost a bomb. We really need to sort it out in the UK. I am a driver, but I'd far rather use public transport in most cases because of the reasons you mention.

Posted by Simon at 2003/10/13 07:25:45.

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