Changing lengths of journeys through the ages.

[whole diary]

[grahame]

How does our train use change with age?   We know that the average train journey in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) is somewhere between 20 and 30 miles, but how does this vary with age?  Would you expect a typical senior citizens journey  to be above or below average length, for example?  Are there statistics by age available?

[Chris from Nailsea]

I'm getting too old to remember ... 

[eightf48544]

Not sure how you'd calculate it I suppose you need the average journey length for all passengers then could that be broken down by average length of journies made by holders of Young Persons and Senior Railcar holders.

Although that might give a distorted view as both are likely to make longer journies with the discount. Lomdon might also distort the National picture with lots of short jounies within Zones 1-6.

[trainer]

A relevant item in the December 2013 edition of Today's Railways UK^▸ (United Kingdom), page 12 reports that in 2012 50% of under-17s were reported as using surface rail 'less than once a year or never' (quoting the Department for Transport's Rail Statistics Factsheet).  This is seen as a marketing opportunity for railway companies.  Presumably these stats may hold other information relevant to Graham's question.

My own rail use has varied from 'nil' in my mid-teens (poor rail service from a difficult to access station) to frequent as a student, and varying thereafter depending on where I was living and accessability (no car before I was 31).

Privatisation of bus and rail improved my ability to use rail exponentially in the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) area and in the past 10 years I have used rail (in combination with the car and bus) wherever possible.  It seems to me that age is only one factor that may have an effect on rail usage.

[Chris from Nailsea]

On a slightly more serious note ... may I offer a fairly simplistic set of examples:

Young / teenagers: May use trains to travel to school (so likely to be relatively short local journeys only, during term time only); or may be rail enthusiasts, so may instead / also travel longer distances at weekends / during holidays, particularly when line bashing!

Working adult: Probably use trains for their daily commute (so more likely to be weekdays only) and distances could be relatively considerable (Nailsea & Backwell to Swindon, or even Reading or Paddington, for example).

Retired: More likely to use trains for travel off-peak, for recreation or visiting family, for example. As time is less of a factor, their journeys are likely to be more individual and perhaps random in terms of timing and distance travelled.

Hope this helps to encourage the debate! CfN 

[grahame]

Please keep these thoughts coming - they are valuable.   I have a very particular reason for looking at the train journey length, and also the changing metrics of how people get to the station based on an age (and reason so time of day) basis.     Don't want to say too much more - don't want to colour any thoughts or comments.

[4064ReadingAbbey]

Please keep these thoughts coming - they are valuable.   I have a very particular reason for looking at the train journey length, and also the changing metrics of how people get to the station based on an age (and reason so time of day) basis.     Don't want to say too much more - don't want to colour any thoughts or comments.

Now I am retired I use the train mainly to get to London (from Reading) and in most cases that is off-peak as the main reasons are visits to museums, concerts or family and friends. In these cases I/we use the bus and our 'wrinkly passes' to get to the station. In the evenings we get home by taxi or, if either of us has gone alone, then the returning passenger is collected by car. Other places visited are Oxford, Bristol and Weston super Mare but in total no more than half a dozen times a year. We also have family living in Germany so occasionally we fly from Birmingham to Hamburg (it being often cheaper than Heathrow to Hamburg even with the train ticket added) and get to Birmingham by train off-peak as a suitable flight is/was around 15.00. To get to and from Reading station on those occasions we use a taxi as then we have bags with us.

When I started working in the 1960s I used the train at weekends to get home until I bought a car. Even then I often used the train as getting from Chelmsford to Reading in the days before the M25 took the best part of half a working day...

After that I lived close to my work so I didn't need the train and when the work was elsewhere I drove. The only exceptions were years later when I had a three year contract in London and another long contract in Bracknell; in these cases I used the train during the week. In both cases I cycled the mile and a half between home and Reading station.

I hope that this gives you another data point!

[eightf48544]

4064 profile of his current travels is similar to mine. Now I'm retired it's mainly trips to London and it's usually walk to Taplow and pick up on the way back. Occasional journies are made to meet up with my Cousin on his narrow boat. Most recent to Lincoln and back from Shireoaks. Previous have included York back from Selby. Stoke on Trent  and Burton on Trent. Next year may be Huddersfield (Wakefield) back from Marple or Macclesfield.

Also visits to freinds and relatives Taplow Exmouth (Club 55) Axminister Exemouth 4 for 2 Group save plus recent trip to Cogan First Advanced..

Starting work I commuted with (Priv Season ticket from Wandsworth Common and later Wimbledon to Waterloo and East Croydon. From 1968 it was commute from Slough/Taplow ( full price, although ironically my last few annual seasons were cheaper each year due to small rise and the 5% discount for poor performance) to London or Reading bar a short spell on the 81 bus from Slough to Harmondswoth. Around 35 years. I used to make extensive use of my Gold Card to travel around London particulary on the Croydon Trams and DLR^▸ (Docklands Light Railway) (always a new branch  try) and latterly LOREL.

Editted to add more journies.

[thetrout]

I'm going to be awkward with my travel habits here.

My usual journeys are:

• Frome - Bath Spa - Around 11 miles as the crow flies - 5 Times a week - Sometimes I take the Bus up, sometimes the train up to Bath but always get the train back
• Frome - Bristol Temple Meads & Taunton - Fortnightly
• Frome/Bath Spa - Southend Victoria and return (Approx 160 Miles) - Fortnightly, sometimes more frequent or less frequent
• Frome - Trowbridge/Westbury or vice versa - Often at short notice but will use the bus going out most of the time

Then to throw my travel habbits into complete distortion: Frome - Paddington - St Pancras International - Bedford Midland - St Pancras International - York - Durham - York - Kings Cross - Liverpool Street - Southend Victoria in 24 hours! That was around 800 miles. By the time I returned to Frome I had completed 921 Miles - Not quite my record but for domestic rail travel in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) it certainly was :\

[Trowres]

From the National Travel Survey, tables NTS0605 and NTS0611 are the closest to what you are seeking.


https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/nts06-age-gender-and-modal-breakdown#table-nts0605

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks, Trowres - although I think you mean NTS0612 rather than NTS0611? 

[BerkshireBugsy]

I must admit that because I travel by train for work so much the idea of doing " pleasure journeys" doesn't appeal to me much.

Having said that if I found myself with a lot of time (and money) on my hands I would love to explore some of routes through Cornwall , the dales and lakes and Wales.

Which us why I am interested in another thread on here about 10 most beautiful railway journeys