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Bizarre pricing?

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Goatboy

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I quite like to do my bit and use the train where possible despite having a car.

But sometimes the ticket prices are just plain bizarre. Can anyone explain whats going on here?

Plymouth to Tiverton Parkway. 60 miles, 1 hour 20 minutes. £10 return

Great Malvern to Birmingham New Street. 40 miles. 1 hour. £10 return

Both good value.

But...

Scarborough to York. 40 miles. 50 minutes. £17.20 return?!

I can get it down to £14 return if I book in advance but it's just down the road, its hardly the sort of journey you want to be lumbered with an inflexible ticket for. I guess I'll drive - its £34 for two on the train so however much I'd prefer to visit the NRM via Train it just makes no sense.

Why is it such an expensive route on a per mile basis?
 
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calc7

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I would imagine a mixture of legacy (BR Saver Returns (now known as Off-Peak Returns) are subject to regulation), demand management and the financial attitude of the pricing TOC.
 

Goatboy

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It's such a shame and it's something that needs to be tackled. I like travelling by train and will often choose it even when the car is the same price or when the train is more inconvenient. But if even I'm driven to the car by bizarre ticket pricing then what hope for the general public?

The other bizarre one is Tiverton Parkway to Taunton. About 10 minutes. Almost as much as a ticket from Plymouth to Tiverton...
 

Failed Unit

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If you want expensive look at Scotrail! There is no way I can justify the cost of taking the train from Linlithgow to Dundee even with the family rail card.
 

Goatboy

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Expensive but not quite as bad, the journey is twice as long but isn't twice the price of the Scarborough ticket.
 

221129

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It's such a shame and it's something that needs to be tackled. I like travelling by train and will often choose it even when the car is the same price or when the train is more inconvenient. But if even I'm driven to the car by bizarre ticket pricing then what hope for the general public?

The other bizarre one is Tiverton Parkway to Taunton. About 10 minutes. Almost as much as a ticket from Plymouth to Tiverton...

And if you do the same length of journey to Exeter St Davids its Half That!!!
 

lyndhurst25

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Were York-Scarbourough fares cheaper when Northern (or its predecessors) used to run the Blackpool-Scarborough route? Now it's just TPExpress alone so the lack of competition may explain the high price.
 

All Line Rover

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If you want to do it on a pence per mile basis compared to the car, then using Off-Peak tickets where available, Scarborough to York isn't that bad!

  • Scarborough to York: £17.20 return @ 80 miles = 21.5ppm (pence per mile)
  • Linlithglow to Dundee: £27.20 return @ 120 miles = 22.5ppm
Whitchurch (Shrops) to Nantwich (£5.90 return @ 20 miles) is a very expensive 29.5ppm! Especially compared to Wrexham to Shotton (£4 return @ 30 miles) - a bargain 13.5ppm!

Long distance journeys such as Manchester to London aren't bad value. £74.20 return @ 400 miles = 18.5ppm.

A favourite of mine is Whitchurch to Wrexham. I know the train isn't ideal for this journey, and ATW don't really want you to use it, but £21 return @ 30 miles (which it is by car) makes the train a shocking 70ppm! :shock:
 
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gnolife

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If you want to do it on a pence per mile basis compared to the car, then using Off-Peak tickets where available, Scarborough to York isn't that bad!

  • Scarborough to York: £17.20 return @ 80 miles = 21.5ppm (pence per mile)
  • Linlithglow to Glasgow: £27.20 return @ 120 miles = 22.5ppm
Whitchurch (Shrops) to Nantwich (£5.90 return @ 20 miles) is a very expensive 29.5ppm! Especially compared to Wrexham to Shotton (£4 return @ 30 miles) - a bargain 13.5ppm!

Long distance journeys such as Manchester to London aren't bad value. £74.20 return @ 400 miles = 18.5ppm.

A favourite of mine is Whitchurch to Wrexham. I know the train isn't ideal for this journey, and ATW don't really want you to use it, but £21 return @ 30 miles (which it is by car) makes the train a shocking 70ppm! :shock:

Its 29.5 Miles i think by train to QUeen St.
 

Failed Unit

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Its 29.5 Miles i think by train to QUeen St.

It is not even £22 from Edinburgh - Glasgow. He may be looking up Linlithgow - Dundee. I should also add journey time for the high price puts me off. Rail -v- car on this is you are paying a premium for a slower journey by rail.
 

Zoe

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Plymouth to Tiverton Parkway. 60 miles, 1 hour 20 minutes. £10 return

Great Malvern to Birmingham New Street. 40 miles. 1 hour. £10 return

Both good value.

But...

Scarborough to York. 40 miles. 50 minutes. £17.20 return?!
Swindon to Reading is even worse at £22.20 return for a 41 mile journey taking 30 minutes.
 

Harbon 1

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Burton on Trent - Peartree (just outside Derby for the Rolls-Royce plant), one return, £71.....for about 9 miles going to Derby and doubling back
 

All Line Rover

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It is not even £22 from Edinburgh - Glasgow. He may be looking up Linlithgow - Dundee. I should also add journey time for the high price puts me off. Rail -v- car on this is you are paying a premium for a slower journey by rail.

I think I messed up with that one. :lol:
 

Zoe

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If you want expensive look at Scotrail! There is no way I can justify the cost of taking the train from Linlithgow to Dundee even with the family rail card.
Linlithgow to Dundee Advance Single is £10.30. Not bad for a journey of almost 60 miles.
 

yorkie

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Burton on Trent - Peartree (just outside Derby for the Rolls-Royce plant), one return, £71.....for about 9 miles going to Derby and doubling back
According to Avantix Traveller, there is no fare for Burton on Trent - Peartree. You'd need to buy a combination of tickets for that journey, or a Derbyshire Wayfarer (£10.50 after 0900).

A return ticket is not £71 as such a ticket does not exist, however perhaps the £71 fare is for a Rover.
 

Goatboy

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I think I'm going to give up on the idea of a car-free-day-out from Scarborough, there isn't a single good value ticket available.

Most amusing is Scarborough to Whitby. By road it's 19 miles. By rail its a faff but thats not the passengers fault, but as a result it's.. £50!

I wonder if anyone has ever been daft enough to buy a Scarborough to Whitby return?

Even Hull is nearly 20 quid return. Crazy pricing. Does anyone use the train in North Yorkshire?
 

All Line Rover

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I think I'm going to give up on the idea of a car-free-day-out from Scarborough, there isn't a single good value ticket available.

Most amusing is Scarborough to Whitby. By road it's 19 miles. By rail its a faff but thats not the passengers fault, but as a result it's.. £50!

I wonder if anyone has ever been daft enough to buy a Scarborough to Whitby return?

Even Hull is nearly 20 quid return. Crazy pricing. Does anyone use the train in North Yorkshire?

Now that is staggering! But I don't think it's a problem. Just like Whitchurch to Wrexham being over £20 isn't a problem. The answer is simple: If you want to use public transport, take the bus!

The problem is that here in the UK our public transport network isn't well integrated.
 

lyndhurst25

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For day trips, York to Whitby (£12.80 CDR) is amazing value compared with York to Scarborough (£17.20 CDR).
 

Goatboy

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Is it really only £12.80? Makes the Scarborough to Whitby ticket even more hilarious, as you could split it at York and pay 30 quid rather than 50 quid.

Just what it is about Scarborough and stupid ticket prices?
 

IanD

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Cheap Day Return to Scarborough to Hull is £15.50 - nearly £20 or just over a tenner depending on how you look at it.

Or try an East Yorkshire Round Robin - vist Hull and York for only £21.50.
 
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Goatboy

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I'm sure it came up as £17.70, ah well. It's still expensive compared with the 7 quid from Exeter to Plymouth.
 

IanD

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I didn't say it was cheap, just not as expensive as you thought!

£17.70 is the Anytime Return, valid on 1 extra train (0650 ex Scarborough) but return up to a month later. But for £17.50 you could get a Yorkshire Coast Day Ranger valid all day on trains and also on the bus from Scarborough-Whitby.
 
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