Indeed. That bit of the original post did somewhat give off the wrong impression, though I'm sure the OP didn't mean it to. It would be ludicrous to suggest that the cost of an Anytime ticket is the "normal" price; it's the distress purchase rate that the TOCs charge to maximise revenue. Neither they nor the government are under any illusions that this is a viable rate to charge for the entire day.This is what jumped out at me:
”…no one seems to understand how expensive train travel really is without AP tickets anymore!…”
(from the OP, can’t do a proper quote on phone)
It’s almost as if we’re being given some gracious benevolence when finding an affordable Advance ticket that meets our requirements. It’s probably just as well that cheaper tickets are visible, or no-one would ever consider using the railway unless someone else was paying.
Advance tickets have so often been touted by the industry as justification for hiking up the cost, or reducing the flexibility, of walk-up tickets. With them now being available for many short journeys of half an hour or even less, and on the day up to 10 minutes before departure, it's fair to say that they have become the new walk-up ticket in a lot of respects.