I prefer travelling by train in general, but its not so convenient for commuting in the morning. If I'm travelling long distance or I'm in no great rush to get somewhere, I tend to take trains. With the exception of London, which costs too much, easier to take the Megabus.
Do people really hate trains?
- Thread starter Cloo
- Start date
_angel_
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tobyjug said:
He's right. Going anywhere by public transport is a nightmare if you have any mobility problems. Even taking kids is bad enough.
Having said that big stations *ought* to have porters who can be booked in advance and I've used that service myself plenty of times. Problems arise when something goes wrong with the journey (ie it's cancelled)
I chickened out of the last long rail journey on me own with my autistic son, I was actually sick with nerves at the prospect of it.
Having said all this I've been pleasantly surprised to get a £24 return to London from Leeds this Thursday/ Friday. Kid free so am looking forward to it!
Cloo
Banana for scale
Thought I was generally right, but I guess we are mostly younger people here and people are often objecting on account of older people, I suspect.
I also think some people still think that trains are all super-slow on Sundays, which is when the wedding will be (I've checked and very few are, excepting the bloody old bus replacement of Doom) or that they'll have to change to branch lines, and other things that are no longer the case.
I also think some people still think that trains are all super-slow on Sundays, which is when the wedding will be (I've checked and very few are, excepting the bloody old bus replacement of Doom) or that they'll have to change to branch lines, and other things that are no longer the case.
Maybe there's some embarrassment, too.
Some ridiculous proportion of people don't know how to read a train timetable - they haven't got the idea of a two-dimensional array of times
So sending out a message saying "if you decide to get the train, they leave London Euston at 9:10am and 9:40am, they leave Birmingham New Street at 8:40am and 9:05am..." might help.
Some ridiculous proportion of people don't know how to read a train timetable - they haven't got the idea of a two-dimensional array of times
So sending out a message saying "if you decide to get the train, they leave London Euston at 9:10am and 9:40am, they leave Birmingham New Street at 8:40am and 9:05am..." might help.
pogofish
Testicle Hairstyle
laptop said:Some ridiculous proportion of people don't know how to read a train timetable - they haven't got the idea of a two-dimensional array of times
Not helped of course by different regions/companies putting-out different times on the timetables either.
Fond memories of strolling into Birmingham New St once thinking I was in plenty of time, only to see my train just departing. 
Or last year, trying to work-out a time for a straightforward mainline to Edinburgh, only to find the websites denied that any trains were running, at all. It seems you had to know exctly what time your train was running before you made a timetable enquiry about it.
GNER London to Edinburgh, off peak. What a great journey that is.
Lots of it by the coast - at one point you ride a classic british railway shot... where the train whooshes past the beach, almost like the waves are lapping up to track. Get the beers in, sit back and see some wide open space.
Marginally slower than flying, but sooo much more relaxing.
(pogo... dunno what happened to you but I've never had that problem wkith looking up train times )
Lots of it by the coast - at one point you ride a classic british railway shot... where the train whooshes past the beach, almost like the waves are lapping up to track. Get the beers in, sit back and see some wide open space.
Marginally slower than flying, but sooo much more relaxing.
(pogo... dunno what happened to you but I've never had that problem wkith looking up train times
)
Mrs Miggins
Eternal
I recently had to pay £94 to get form London to Boston (Lincs)
So I am well fucked off with trains at the moment
So I am well fucked off with trains at the moment
_angel_
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Mrs Miggins said:I recently had to pay £94 to get form London to Boston (Lincs)
So I am well fucked off with trains at the moment
Good grief, was this 'peak travel' I got a standard quote from Leeds- London (off peak and including Friday travel) as £71 and managed to get an advance saver for £24. I felt quite pleased with myself.
Mrs Miggins
Eternal
Unfortunately yes. No choice on trains times. I was absolutely livid.
If I went an hour later, it would have been £67 which isn't much better and if I went 3 hours later, it would have been much less. But as I said, I had no choice but to to travel on that train. Feckin outrageous.
If I went an hour later, it would have been £67 which isn't much better and if I went 3 hours later, it would have been much less. But as I said, I had no choice but to to travel on that train. Feckin outrageous.
gaijingirl
Well-Known Member
I LOVE trains.. I've taken sleeper trains in 9 countries, including the UK (London - Edinburgh) and I'm hoping to get the Cornwall Rivierera one before it stops.... I wish you could go everywhere by train 'cos I hate flying.. 
dylanredefined
Not a house elf a tiger
exspensive and a pain with luggage if i had a car wouldnt bother.
moose
like some cat from Japan
Despite living on the main Manc-London line, all but one of my attempts to get the train at weekends have been in vain. Either the trains aren't running at all, there are works ongoing which mean getting off and onto buses, or the bloody station itself is closed. I love the idea of it, but in practice it's rubbish. High priced rubbish at that.
I don't object to using the train per se; driving is such a stressful hassle in this area and a journey from me into Stoke which takes 45 minutes by car takes ten by train. However, I live one stop down on the same delay-plagued line as moose, the "local" train station which carries the name of my town is a two mile walk out of it (no bus) and they just aren't regular enough at one service every two hours. The weekends are awful as moose mentions; last time there was an Urban get-together in Manchester I just couldn't face the prospect of spending three hours on buses trundling through Adlington and Cheadle Hulme to get there.
pogofish said:Or last year, trying to work-out a time for a straightforward mainline to Edinburgh, only to find the websites denied that any trains were running, at all. It seems you had to know exactly what time your train was running before you made a timetable enquiry about it.
I always use www.bahn.co.uk for weekday train times.
The Germans know how to run a UK railway (timetable)
The drawback is that it doesn't know about engineering works at weekends - and, yes, I discovered this by turning up at Paddington headed for the middle of nowhere at night and discovering that the train that damn well ought to exist, didn't.
gaijingirl said:I LOVE trains.. I've taken sleeper trains in 9 countries, including the UK (London - Edinburgh) and I'm hoping to get the Cornwall Rivierera one before it stops.... I wish you could go everywhere by train 'cos I hate flying..
Sleepers are the ultimate. Sitting in the bar carriage as you drift out of a city, proper "free" tables and chairs, relaxing with a book and a drink from table service as you watch the urban lights fade away into black. Off down the corridor to sleep and be rocked throughout the night.
Waking up occasionally to realise you are stopped in a station. Somewhere. Snug as. Wake up to a fresh cup of tea, your own sink and stuff... unhurriedly get ready whilst you can hear the hustle and bustle of the station around you. Marvellous.
Onket
Je suis [CONTENT REMOVED]
paolo999 said:Sleepers are the ultimate. Sitting in the bar carriage as you drift out of a city, proper "free" tables and chairs, relaxing with a book and a drink from table service as you watch the urban lights fade away into black. Off down the corridor to sleep and be rocked throughout the night.
Waking up occasionally to realise you are stopped in a station. Somewhere. Snug as. Wake up to a fresh cup of tea, your own sink and stuff... unhurriedly get ready whilst you can hear the hustle and bustle of the station around you. Marvellous.
I've never been on a sleeper. Nearly did coming back from Geneva to Lyon a few months ago but it turned out you had to book (of course!). So normal seats it was.
farmerbarleymow
I'm Petee's spirit animal
milesy said:i love nice long train journeys when it's not too crowded and you get a nice seat and a nice beer and a nice sandwich with nice people to have nice chats with and nice views of nice cows and nice sheep out of nice windows with a nice bit of nice rain splashing on the nice windows.
it's nice
Well said there my man.
I've always liked train travel - something very soothing about it over long distances. The new virgin trains are very comfy so very pleasant to travel on (maybe not if they are absolutely heaving like some journeys I've had and it is standing room only). And the virgin trains tilt - what more do people want
It is lovely sitting there waving to the cows and sheep out of the window as you hurtle past
Hello cows!
Hello sheep!
Bob_the_lost said:
Head on the nail and all that...
I used to hate cramming on a busy SWT train 45 mins every morning and facing rush hour, delays, ticket checks everywhere but no cleaners by the look of things.
Then spent a while (with a 3x longer commute) on Southern and found the journey a pleasure of reading, smooth travel and comfort.
I think that a train journey of 1+ hours is something you expect and plan for so you have books, drinks, snaks etc.
A pleasure
geminisnake
a complex mass of conflicting ideas
I detest train travel, which is why I fly down to London.
The GNER line is crap, the trains are crap, dirty and often full of pissed up riggers going home, who stink the toilets up with their smoking The service is crap, unreliable and overpriced, I'll stop now I think 
The GNER line is crap, the trains are crap, dirty and often full of pissed up riggers going home, who stink the toilets up with their smoking
The service is crap, unreliable and overpriced, I'll stop now I think oneflewover
Following "The Tigers"
It's the only way to travel if the distance is over about 3 miles. Luckily have great service to and from and in West Yorkshire.
There are bound to be horror stories in any mode of transport, just that trains are an obvious and british target of excessive vitriol only because our expectations are so high. There is no other industry that is under such a visible performance system.
How late was your bus, your coffee, your meal, your taxi, your pizza, your plane? how crowded was the pub, the shop, the street, the road. It's public transport - you know - for the public.
All hail trains.
There are bound to be horror stories in any mode of transport, just that trains are an obvious and british target of excessive vitriol only because our expectations are so high. There is no other industry that is under such a visible performance system.
How late was your bus, your coffee, your meal, your taxi, your pizza, your plane? how crowded was the pub, the shop, the street, the road. It's public transport - you know - for the public.
All hail trains.
geminisnake
a complex mass of conflicting ideas
oneflewover said:
The few buses we get in this area are reliable. Don't drink coffee, only ever go to decent restaurants, my mate's a taxi driver so never late there, buy pizza at Lidl, and my planes are a LOT more reliable than the trains.
The public are a main part of the reason I don't like public transport
pogofish
Testicle Hairstyle
oneflewover said:
Here is the Scottish rail network:
So that's a very large part of my country off limits then, is it? Oh, the rolling-stock also tends to be the stuff considered unfit for the rest of the country.
Nope, its not high expectations, rather I'd put-up with a lot if just even the most basic aspects of a service were provided. As it is, I've had a greater percentage of shit journeys on trains than on any other form of transport.
Our buses are shit, they tend to be owned by the same companies as run the trains as well. eg, First & Stagecoach. Firms who seem to view their customers needs as an utter annoyance - Unless you are an employer with a contract of course, then you get you own ex-London Routemaster. I'd have to be able to do some interesting things with time in order to use my service-bus as daily transport, even if it ran to time & frankly, I've never seen that happen, despite being within 4 stops of a terminus.
As for taxi's, fuck that - drivers have our council by balls & know it, officially capped numbers, laughable complaints & safety procedure & an established "right" for unfit drivers to sell-on their plates to others without checks. Last Friday, three of us took a 10 min trip in one - that was £7- each! Hardly accesable?
Sorry, but for many people, "public" transport lost touch longsince & recent initiatives have only served to divorce it further from any form of practicality.
Hello Cloo, late to this thread. Haven't time to read all of it just now, but if your planned venue is within an hour's train ride from London, then most places should be well and easily served by frequent trains.
At weekends services in the Network South East area are generally pretty good, unless you're very unfortunate with the timing of engineering works.
At weekends services in the Network South East area are generally pretty good, unless you're very unfortunate with the timing of engineering works.
Skim said:
My interest in trains declines once I'm heading outside the Network South East area (which bizarrely though, includes the Waterloo to Exeter service)!!
And that's because of the cost, the difficulty of advance booking the very limited -- and increasingly limited
-- number of discount fares.But within Network South East, the Network Railcard is your friend -- a third off all offpeak fares. Pays for itself within a few journeys (the card cost £20= last June and lasts a year). Plus you can buy similarly discounted tickets for up to two (or is it three?) friends as well.
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