Find solution
Why are Irish rail fares so expensive?

Why are british rail fares stupidly expensive?

  • that is the thing that bugs me about rail fares, the walk on fares are a complete rip off, they always say "book in advance" but we should not be making trains like airlines ...show more

  • Answer:

    Oh dear Luke you do like stirring it up. The railways were not privitised by Margaret Thatcher. Passenger services were franchised under John Major's government. Since then passengers carried have risen by 50 to 60%, many new trains have been introduced and frequencies doubled on many routes. I agree peak hour fares not booked in advance are too expensive but if you turn up at Heathrow tomorrow morning not having booked your flight to Madrid some weeks ahead BA or Iberia will charge you at least £400 return and Easy Jet would not be much cheaper. Profits made by rail companies average only 3% of their turnover so like airlines they must maximise passenger loads. This means if you book well ahead you can buy rail tickets for a fraction of the petrol costs. Some cheap tickets are still available just 48 hours to 72 hours before your journey particularly if you travel during the middle of the day on weekdays like London Victoria to Brighton for £5. London Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street for £6 and London Paddngton to Bath £11. Many people have railcards which give them a 34% discount. A walk on fare with a railcard from London Euston to Manchester is £46 except before 09-30am on weekdays and during the weekday evening rush hour. The fare system employed on our long distance trains and by most airlines is called Yield Management and has been adopted by most European rail networks as a way of maximising revenue. If the railways had remained in public hands, this system would probably have been adopted anyway

GS5QBBAZFCNZXROVPFAC7VBLOY at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

Was this solution helpful to you?

Other answers

There was a vile creature called Margaret Thatcher she alone is responsible for privatising BR. Tory Governments don't care about ordinary people.

Hiran

If you've ever lived overseas. You'll be amazed how brilliant the UK rail system.

Fien

I just scored tickets to London from Plymouth first class for 80 odd quid return in advance

MtotheR MIGHTY RA!

Compare it with India then see you at least get speed,Service Comfortable and better hygiene in train but we do not after shedding lots of bucks only waiting list and worst services .U are on better side.They increase fare on Cancellation from 10 to 40 directly booking also increased ,Fuel surcharge and service tax added worst government in 10 years.Hope to see change in 2014.

Rahul

To find good deals, keep in mind that: Different sites have different opportunities, so I think it's a good idea to check them all. Also search for advance booking, and avoid (if possible) weekends. And, if you find a good one, always remember to read the fare rules or terms and conditions....

George

To blame Lady Thatcher is completely wrong. Privatising the railways was a good idea, pre "British Rail" we had regional companies like G.W.R., L.N.E.R., L.M.S., S.R., G.N.R., each one making a profit, then came "B.R." and "A.S.L.E.F."BUT the privatisation was handled and set up by civil servants, (whose motto is.."you think it`s broken NOW...wait `til WE`VE fixed it !) too many different companies..Rail Track own the "Permanent Way" and charge the rail franchisees an exhobitant fee to put their trains on the track. Network Rail own the Stations and buildings and charge the francisees to use them, The franchisees get a subsidy from HMGso they can pay their shareholders a dividend, they are only in it for the short term so don`t invest in infrastructure or rolling stock Network rail and railtrack also have shareholders to pay a dividend to..the whole thing is set up badly. Not a bad idea, just poorly administered

Big H

As with most "public services"the trains are run and operated by people that do not give a toss about anything other than their next payslip. This results in a "service" that is inefficient and cannot make a profit,so fares are constantly increased and the whole system just gets worse and worse. Even the trains that are supposedly privately owned are still propped up by public money, We cannot go anywhere else,so the train companies can do whatever they like. They have us by the bollocks and they know it

The Bricklayer

Related Q & A:

Just Added Q & A:

Find solution

For every problem there is a solution! Proved by Solucija.

  • Got an issue and looking for advice?

  • Ask Solucija to search every corner of the Web for help.

  • Get workable solutions and helpful tips in a moment.

Just ask Solucija about an issue you face and immediately get a list of ready solutions, answers and tips from other Internet users. We always provide the most suitable and complete answer to your question at the top, along with a few good alternatives below.