The Cost Of Travelling By Train....

.....is a fucking disgrace. Travelling to Manc from Glasgow in 2 weeks time. Midweek, flexible-ish on my travel times, not before 9AM or after 5PM. Don't mind changing trains, layovers in Preston etc. The cheapest return ticket?..... £48!!!! Buying two singles knocks a massive £8 off the fare. Still extortionate.

Log onto Flybe.com. Return flight, good times.........£46.97 including taxes. Bang. There's yer dinner.

How ridiculous is it that for such a pissy short journey (you can drive it in 3 hours), it can actually be cheaper to get on a plane, with all the associated costs in running those things, than get on a train?

Sort it out Branson.

Sounds like he's got it sorted to me.

I bet you can't get a seat on the train, even at those prices.

it's cheaper to go to from here to manchester than it is to go from here to stockport, despite the fact manchester is further away on the same direct train. bonkers.

Good point, Al. The train will get you straight to Piccadilly whereas the transfer from the airport to town will cost a couple of quid, and that's after you've walked from Terminal 3 to the train station, which will take the best part of 30 minutes.

Owz about that then guys and girls?

Ponyboy wrote: Good point, Al. The train will get you straight to Piccadilly whereas the transfer from the airport to town will cost a couple of quid, and that's after you've walked from Terminal 3 to the train station, which will take the best part of 30 minutes.

Owz about that then guys and girls?

I flew from Dublin to Manc last year and I remember thinking how quick (20 mins or so?) and cheap it was to get to Piccadilly from the Airport.

Anyway, yes, I too would prefer to get the train. It's more relaxing and it doesn't involve getting partially undressed at check-in though it's defineately not quicker (from Glasgow anyway) and I can get to Glasgow Airport quicker than I can to Glasgow Central Station.

My point is, worked out on a pound per mile basis, the train is fucking extortionate when compared with flying or buses. To give you another example, I flew from Glasgow to Krakow last month, a city on the other side of Europe, for less than a return train fare to Manchester.

Incidentally, I checked on National Express, £8 return for the coach on the dates I need to travel. Obviously, I'd rather poke my own eyes out than get on a National Express coach but you get my point.

Cost of travelling Glasgow to Manc Return on 22 October....

Train £48 Plane £46.97 Bus £8

GlasVegas wrote:

Cost of travelling Glasgow to Manc Return on 22 October....

Train £48 Plane £46.97 Bus £8

You going down to OT for the CL game G?

Gazman wrote:

GlasVegas wrote:

Cost of travelling Glasgow to Manc Return on 22 October....

Train £48 Plane £46.97 Bus £8

You going down to OT for the CL game G?

I wish. That's the night before. Was in Manc last year when they were playin (I think) Roma. Was with a mate who puts a lot of work Frank Stapleton's way (he's a producer for Setanta). Frank's workin as the corporate host at Old Trafford so my mate calls him up to try what should have been an easy blag....except he got told there was zero chance of anything, ever on CL nights at Old Trafford.

Think we're gonna take a doin anyway.

It is more or less the same here.

Mind, Montpellier to Paris : 874 km.

If you book your ticket 6 months in advance, you can get a return ticket in 1st class for less than 80€ by train. 3 hours something from Montpellier to Paris gare de Lyon.

If you book your ticket in the last month, you start to wonder if plane is not a better option even compared to 2nd class tickets by train.

If you book on the last week, plane is a real bargain. Cheaper, even with transport from airports to city centres.

And train has this advantage: they do not treat you like a Taliban when you get onboard. 9/11 has put an end to my delight to travel by plane. All these suspicions while boarding is overexagerated. I should better say offending.

GlasVegas wrote:

Gazman wrote:

GlasVegas wrote:

Cost of travelling Glasgow to Manc Return on 22 October....

Train £48 Plane £46.97 Bus £8

You going down to OT for the CL game G?

I wish. That's the night before. Was in Manc last year when they were playin (I think) Roma. Was with a mate who puts a lot of work Frank Stapleton's way (he's a producer for Setanta). Frank's workin as the corporate host at Old Trafford so my mate calls him up to try what should have been an easy blag....except he got told there was zero chance of anything, ever on CL nights at Old Trafford.

Think we're gonna take a doin anyway.

Probably :\ohwell:

I mis read yer post,returning on 22nd, from day before

If you think that is bad, the U.S. intercity transportation is horrible. the cheapest bus to Albany about 120 miles north of here is $69.00 right now.

To be honest I had priced up Brighton for today,about 3 weks ago,and it was about £80 return. Maybe I was lucky last time. I went down for NOOL Day,in London and if you didn't want to choose times, a Single there...£12,and back £18.

£62.60 return from Liverpool To Euston.

I'm thinking of getting the National Express. The difference will pay for our hotel for the night.

its a con. manchester piccadilly to oxford road costs 2.80 and you have to pay it b/cos of the barriers yet its only the next stop yet piccadilly to marple is a quid and rarely have had to pay that

then manchester to sheffield geez 18quid but from marple its a fiver. tsh

MONTY'S MINISTRY OF FOOD wrote: To be honest I had priced up Brighton for today,about 3 weks ago,and it was about £80 return. Maybe I was lucky last time. I went down for NOOL Day,in London and if you didn't want to choose times, a Single there...£12,and back £18.

£120 it was for me Monty,

was swaying whether or not to go with the mrs being due soon, but that more or less made my mind up

Manchester - Brighton return (including tube connections) - £35. It pays to book early (...and have help from a man in the know, the man like Leggy D!)

It's always the earlier the better when booking train tickets, and the timetables come out 12 weeks in advance. It's the same for buses. (National Express/Megabus (Manchester to London for a quid!)) 2 singles, rather than a return will more than likely always be cheaper too. Splitting your ticket can reduce the cost even further, if you find out where the train stops. I do this all the time when I goto Newcastle. It works best when you're travelling inbetween peak and off-peak time crossovers.

Book through the train providers website, that'll be cheaper and they also have offers. Book through Virgin 'Mobitix' and you can get between Manchester and the smoke for as little as 3 quid. (Erm...when the site works that is!)

Look at the travel section here - www.moneysavingexpert.com.

Lesson over kids!

Dry your fucking eyes the lot of you.

It's costing me (my company) £350 + to fly Aberdeen - Manchester every week. That's Business Class and I get a fucking horrible steamed brekkie with cunting mushrooms and a fucking shit seat in a crappy lounge with complementary drinks which really come in handy at 0655 on a bastard Monday, I tell you.

I'm gonna make them PAY on Friday. Turn up a couple of hours before the flight and try to drink the full ticket value in brandy

Ponyboy wrote: Dry your fucking eyes the lot of you.

It's costing me (my company) £350 + to fly Aberdeen - Manchester every week. That's Business Class and I get a fucking horrible steamed brekkie with cunting mushrooms and a fucking shit seat in a crappy lounge with complementary drinks which really come in handy at 0655 on a bastard Monday, I tell you.

I'm gonna make them PAY on Friday. Turn up a couple of hours before the flight and try to drink the full ticket value in brandy

AH COL,yer fooking OIL BARON!

GlasVegas wrote: Cost of travelling Glasgow to Manc Return on 22 October....

Available 2 mins ago for October 22nd...

08:40 Glasgow Central - Manchester Picc Direct, arrive 12:20

£11.50 Standard Class. £21.50 1st Class.

18:45 Manchester Picc - Glasgow Central Direct, arrive 22:31

£18.50 Standard Class. £35.00 1st Class.

Cheapest Flybe return available now?

£189.98

Rick Banks wrote: its a con. manchester piccadilly to oxford road costs 2.80 and you have to pay it b/cos of the barriers yet its only the next stop...

That's not a con, that's a tax on lazy bastards who can't walk 5 minutes down Whitworth St

Rick Banks wrote: then manchester to sheffield geez 18quid but from marple its a fiver. tsh

Walk up fare is £14.20

Advance tickets available (even some trains tomorrow) for £5.00 Standard and £6.00 1st Class

And you get a free tea/coffee and breakfast or lunch snack box in 1st class

If you shag a train driver you get to travel for free...

Mrs Milky wrote: If you shag a train driver you get to travel for free...

Tried that,

but my arse is still nipping from the last time...

LeggyD wrote:

GlasVegas wrote: Cost of travelling Glasgow to Manc Return on 22 October....

Available 2 mins ago for October 22nd...

08:40 Glasgow Central - Manchester Picc Direct, arrive 12:20

£11.50 Standard Class. £21.50 1st Class.

18:45 Manchester Picc - Glasgow Central Direct, arrive 22:31

£18.50 Standard Class. £35.00 1st Class.

Cheapest Flybe return available now?

£189.98

Those times are crap though, and deffo weren't available on therainline.com when I was searching the other week. What site are you using for future reference? I'm now travelling down by train on the 13.40 for £18 and flying back at 11.55 for £28.75.

They need to streamline and simplify the whole train ticket thing. When you have to book a journey in stages (as Jert suggested) just to get the cheapest price then summat is defineately wrong.

Angrificated of Glasgow.

I use East Midlands Trains website which uses the exact same booking engine as Trainline but doesn't charge you a £1 for using a Credit Card.

Those direct fares are on TransPennine Express so their website might have even better deals.

Agree that fares could be simpler but it's not all down to the Rail companies. For example, both Manchester and Glasgow have Passenger Transport Executives (or whatever they are called now) that set fares around the city areas.

And it's not as if any other form of transport has hard set prices. The Airlines certainly don't and even driving can cost different amounts depending on where you fill up.

Don't know what the fuss is all about - just bunk the bloody things, where's your bottle?

Bonzette wrote: Don't know what the fuss is all about - just bunk the bloody things, where's your bottle?

Done that before,cant be arsed typing it all out, i'll tell ye about it one day

Gazman wrote:

Bonzette wrote: Don't know what the fuss is all about - just bunk the bloody things, where's your bottle?

Done that before,cant be arsed typing it all out, i'll tell ye about it one day

Shhhhhhh - don't tell Leggy D, he did tell me off last week. Although, technically I did have a ticket......it was just on another train, literally!

Had my lies all ready in my head - and nufink! Not a sniff of an inspector. Can't get the staff these days!

I feel i must apoligise to anyone who has had difficulty getting down south and having delays/diversions by bus because of the ongoing works at Rugby station that have been going on for the last 100 years.I pass the Network rail workers nearly every day and they usually sitting around doing FUCK all.I can't get a train directly out of Rugby on a saturday at the mo, have to get bus to Cov or Northampton first.Network Rail are cunts