Rail v fly - Southern England to Scottish Lowlands

[whole diary]

[Robin Summerhill]

Yes I got your PM and I fully understand now

 I'm afraid I didn't see the irony (probably because of the red mist...) because it just sounded just far too much like the sort of drivel we hear from the lips of Rees Mogg, Fox, IDS, Redwood et all, and of course the ex-Telegraph journalist who's been massaging the truth about the EU^» (European Union - about) for the last 25 years and has now managed to con himself into no.10.

There was an incident that summed the man up to me quite nicely. This was the one where he was holding a Manx kipper above his head saying that EU rules on packaging meant that the dead kipper had to have a nice little ice pillow for its head. He got a laugh, of course.

The trouble is, rules on that packaging of this nature are down to individual member states, not the EU, and actually the Isle of Man from whence this kipper came has never been in the EU. But never mind all that, why let truth get in the way of a good anti-EU sound bite?

Anyway I think we've now put that one to bed. Later on I might even post something on this thread that is on topic

One

[Robin Summerhill]

I think it's important not to regard it as a zero sum game on either side.

Totally agreed.  29% London-> Glasgow choose train over plane means that 71% choose plane over train.  And as you adjust the parameters, you effect decisions.

Parameters ...
* What does it cost?
* How long does it take?
* Is it easy to book?
* Do I have to change along the way?
* How convenient is it for my start and end points within London / Glasgow?
* How early do I need to check in?
* How much luggage (and what?) can I take with me?
* When does it depart or arrive - is it running at a good time for me?

I said I'd post something on topic

There are many factors that come into play when choices like these are being made, not the least of which are what is the actual journey being made, and what is it being made for?

I remeber discussing this matter on another forum some years ago. The transit time for each individual passenger is not "what is says on the tin" ie, plane 80 minutes train 5 hours.

In that discussion I pointed out that if you started your personal journey 5 minutes walk from Euston and ended it 5 minutes walk from Glasgow Central, then it would probably be best to take the train rather than battle out to Heathow from Euston Road and battle in to Glasgow from Paisley. But if, for example, your own personal journey was from Uxbnridge to Paisley, you would probably have landed at Glasgow before you could have battled into Euston, let alone gone anywhere on a train.

There are other factors yto take into account too, especially if you introduce "carbon footprint" into the equation.

The last contract I ever took on before I retired was a value for money review of the Maintenenace department of North Ayrshire District Council based at Irvine. There was to be the inevitable contract initiation meeting, the "get to know you" session between the officers I would be dealing with and me. Some would argue that contract initiation meetings are old hat now we've got the phone and Skype etc, but you do get a better feel for people when you are sitting across a table from them, and besides the client wanted one.

So Yours Truly had to get backside to Irvine, with the rest of himstill attached of course. The meeting was likely to take 3 hours if we went slowly; most of them were over in 2. Had I gone by train from Chippenham, I would then have to change at
Bristol and Birmingham, or do a cross London connection between Paddington and Euston. I would then need to get a local train heading for Ayr and get off the stop before. I didn't calculate the travelling time then but what shall we estimate? CPM^» (Chippenham - next trains)-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) 75 minutes by HST^▸ (High Speed Train) when this happened in 2016, PAD EUS transfer - best to allow an hour, 5 hours with Virgin belting up the WCML^▸ (West Coast Main Line), then say an hour getting out to Irvine. Going via Bristol would probably be longer because of more intermediate stops, and if I caught an XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) through train via the ECML^▸ (East Coast Main Line) it would certainly be longer

So going via Euston my total journey time would have been 8.25 hours. Each way. For a meeting that would probably last 2 hours, and certainly not much longer. An overnight stay would also have been required which would add to the carbon footprint,, because hotels would be very unwise to put new guests in dirty sheets. And of course the client (who in this case were ultimaterly the Council Tax payers of North Ayrshire) would be picking up the tab for the hotel as well as the rail fare, and no doubt some sort of subsistence allowance into the bargain.

So what actually happened? Leg it to CPM for the 0630 ex-PAD to BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) (anytime return at the time with Railcard  £7.20). On the airport shuttle bus by 0825 (£11.00) and into Lulsgate at about 0850. 0940 Easyjet flight BRS^▸ (Business Rates Supplement) GLA arriving at 1055 (£80.54 booked only six days beforehand because these things tend to get arranged at quite short notice). Then walk from the airport to Paisey Gilmour Street station (1.6 miles and the first time I'd ever simply walked away from an airport in my life!) and an off peak day return from Paisley to Irvine (£4.85 and as I said to the booking clerk at Chippenham when I bought it "you probably don't sell many of those here!").

The do the whole lot again in reverse in mid-afternoon. The only minor flaw in the plan was managing to get back to Temple Meads just in time to metaphorically see the tail lamps of the 1830 PAD leaving the end of the platfoem so I had to go to CPM on the 1930.

So, just over 12 hours out of the house (could have been 11 if the airport bus had been 5 minutes earlier). Total cost £103.59. No hotels. No not smoking for 5 hours on a Virgin train... Job done in a day.

The rail option would have been much more inconvenint and more costly when you throw in the hotel bill.

So there is a personal everday story about an airline passenger from South West England to the Scottisjh Lowlands. Other stries will be available, and each and every one will have their own different etailed circumstances attached to them.