Norwich to Swansea return? That will be £705 please

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From Norwich Evening News

A Norwich academic has reacted with shock after being quoted £705 to go by train to Swansea.

Professor Alan Finlayson said the fare, which included a travel card, was for an anytime return to go to Wales and back in a day for a funeral.

He said it raised the issue of people not being able to travel across the country efficiently or at affordable prices.

On Saturday he tweeted: "For unexpected (personal) reasons I'm looking to go by train from Norwich to Swansea return, in a day, in a fortnight. For 2 adults (with railcard) the price (standard fare) is £705.40.

Goes on to say that someone got it down to £120 each splitting but he wasn't confident to "make all the changes" and in the end they drove.  Day trip for a funeral, no option but some peak trains.

[ChrisB]

Go down the night before - an hotel night would still be cheaper.

[Ralph Ayres]

It's a longish journey starting at a busy time so unfortunately that's the time you do tend to get stung by higher fares. Those prices are NOT with a Railcard; most aren't valid until 0930 so wouldn't be much use. Without knowing details it's hard to be sure but it's quite likely that buying separate tickets splitting in London would have allowed the Railcard discount to be applied from Paddington onwards and that shouldn't have been too difficult for a clerk to work out. I'd certainly have been tempted to travel at least part way the previous evening if at all possible, bringing the travel cost with Railcard down to a little over £200.  You could get a very nice hotel for rather less than the difference.

[grahame]

I find it very interesting to read into people's backgrounds to see where they may be coming from - look at the names behind the stories to understand the choices made - in this case between looking for / taking up better value alternatives and shouting about the high price quoted.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Finlayson

[Clan Line]

"Still at least it's making money for the shareholders and sustaining ideological dogma"

.............and just whose "ideological dogma" might that be, professor ?

[Robin Summerhill]

I find it very interesting to read into people's backgrounds to see where they may be coming from - look at the names behind the stories to understand the choices made - in this case between looking for / taking up better value alternatives and shouting about the high price quoted.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Finlayson

Quite. But what especially bothers me about stories like this one. or the recently "splashed in the tabloids" Luton to Canbridge rail fare, or the "£1 per mile to go from Bristol to Paddington," and all their ilk, is that it makes the average man in the street believe that all rail fares are like this.

I had a personal example of this myself, when a school friend who has lived in Germany for 40 years wanted to go to Swindon Railway museum from Bristol. He was talking about driving rather than taking the train,including diverting to pick me up at Chippenham because, after reding nonsenses like this,  he honestly thought he'd nearly have to take out a second mortgage for an off peak day return BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains)-SWI^» (Swindon - next trains)

He was very pleasantly surprised when he found out the actual cost!