Most FGW expensive fare, mile for mile

[whole diary]

[Zoe]

Hayes - Heathrow single is ^4.90
and as you say is priced by BAA

Even when Crossrail is built premium fares will still apply to this section.

[Lee]

Bedminster to Lawrence Hill won't win any awards for cheapness. Anytime fare is ^3 single = ^1.50 per mile.

Yet Parson St to Clifton Down anytime fare is ^3.10, which is "only" 54p a mile. Anyway, the connections are so bad it's quicker to walk (the same goes for the buses).

I was just thinking that there must be some fairly expensive fares mile-for-mile on the Severn beach line: the flat rate fares are dead cheap but some of the stations are very close together, e.g. Montpelier to Redland 37 chains, ^1.50 single which makes for ^3.24/mile (to my shame I did have to look up the number of chains in a mile)! This is a grossly distorted example though: by and large the Beach line is a bargain: try getting from Temple Meads to Clifton Down for just ^1.50 in 16 minutes using Bristol's bus service!

Changes to the fare structure on the Severn Beach Line formed a key part of the Severn Beach Line Development Plan (link below.)
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Documents/Custom/Severn%20Beach%20Line%20Development%20Plan.pdf

[devon_metro]

how do you get the accurate rail mileage?

Google for 'Clive's Online Routing Engine'.

To save the hassle: http://www.davros.org/rail/routeing-guide.html

Regarding Bristol Temple Meads - Paddington costing more, Bristol Parkway - Paddington is valid via Temple Meads so it would mean people would buy cheaper fares from Parkway when travelling from TM^‡(resolve). All Bristol Stations to Paddington cost the same between Temple M & Parkway.

[bemmy]

Bedminster to Lawrence Hill won't win any awards for cheapness. Anytime fare is ^3 single = ^1.50 per mile.

Yet Parson St to Clifton Down anytime fare is ^3.10, which is "only" 54p a mile. Anyway, the connections are so bad it's quicker to walk (the same goes for the buses).

I was just thinking that there must be some fairly expensive fares mile-for-mile on the Severn beach line: the flat rate fares are dead cheap but some of the stations are very close together, e.g. Montpelier to Redland 37 chains, ^1.50 single which makes for ^3.24/mile (to my shame I did have to look up the number of chains in a mile)! This is a grossly distorted example though: by and large the Beach line is a bargain: try getting from Temple Meads to Clifton Down for just ^1.50 in 16 minutes using Bristol's bus service!

Changes to the fare structure on the Severn Beach Line formed a key part of the Severn Beach Line Development Plan (link below.)
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Documents/Custom/Severn%20Beach%20Line%20Development%20Plan.pdf

I think the new Severn Beach fares are a good practical system - they're easy to understand, cheap for a day out to England's most unlikely seaside resort, and presumably more fares get collected at busy times because the guard can get through the train faster. Getting a train from Montpelier to Redland is a pretty silly thing to do, so why not have a silly rate per mile! 

It would be nice to see a zonal system all across the Bristol network..... but first we need a network.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

if the lines were electrified would the prices drop?

[Lee]

I think the new Severn Beach fares are a good practical system - they're easy to understand, cheap for a day out to England's most unlikely seaside resort

I love the place myself, I really do. I always find myself trying to add a visit to it on my travels, regardless of whether it is relevant to what I'm actually looking at.

Back in the days before a daytime weekday service was introduced for Severn Beach, Save The Train looked at a day out from Melksham to Severn Beach (link below.)
http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1889.msg4692#msg4692

Its got a great cafe as well:

Shirleys Cafe, Severn Beach :

[inspector_blakey]

I'm sure I read somewhere that Temple Meads to Severn Beach was listed by Thomas Cook as one of the best scenic railway journeys in Europe: there can't be many other journeys of just over 30 minutes where you can see cityscapes, a river gorge, heavy industry and an estuary.

I think the new Severn Beach fares are a good practical system - they're easy to understand, cheap for a day out to England's most unlikely seaside resort, and presumably more fares get collected at busy times because the guard can get through the train faster. Getting a train from Montpelier to Redland is a pretty silly thing to do, so why not have a silly rate per mile! 

Absolutely, don't get me wrong. I wasn't suggesting that the Beach line fares are high, quite the contrary: they're great value for money. Like I said, ^1.50 for Clifton Down to Temple Meads in about 15 minutes can't be beat.

Given the nature of this thread, I was just looking for (and found) an example of a silly journey that I don't suppose anyone ever makes that just ends up with a high mile-for-mile cost because of the zonal fares. And getting back to the original topic, apart from the Heathrow to Hayes fares set by BAA, am I still winning for an FGW^▸ (First Great Western)-set fare with ^3.24 per mile between Redland and Montpelier?