TPE Transpennine claiming car users transferring as car costs rising

[Snow1964]

TPE has issued press release about research showing to to motoring cost increases, drivers switching to train. Not clear though what the reasoning for choosing to announce this is. If this is just info, or PR team saying how good they are, or an indirect grovel to Governments to increase capacity to absorb the extra motorists

Car insurance quotes have risen by £348 on average this year alone and now more than half of UK drivers (56%) say they cannot afford to continue running their car with the increase in costs.
New research from TransPennine Express (TPE) found that half (49%) of drivers are seriously worried about the increase in petrol, car insurance and car tax.
In fact, more than a third (38%) say that if these costs continue to rise they will be forced to stop driving.
Shockingly, five per cent of UK drivers – two million car owners – have already stopped driving this year because they simply cannot afford to get behind the wheel.
The new research was revealed by the rail operator as more than half (52%) of Brits say that their confidence in the railway is improving, a form of travel that Brits could switch to permanently if car costs increase further.
Kathryn O'Brien, Customer Experience and Transformation Director at TPE, said: “We could be on the precipice of a huge transformation in the way we travel according to our latest research. Car running costs are increasing year on year, faster than the rate of inflation and they’re that high that it’s forcing them off the road.”
With TPE offering regular journeys to fantastic northern destinations, such as Manchester to Liverpool, for as little as £3.80*, it’s not hard to see why drivers might make the switch.
Worryingly 17-24 year-olds are being impacted most, with the average car insurance quote rising by an astonishing £688.
Further research from TPE reveals that more than a quarter (28%) will now switch from driving to travel by train, and this percentage is set to increase as 13% of drivers say that if costs don’t come down they will stop driving forever.
Kathryn added: “Our affordable prices mean that if Brits want to make the switch and start travelling by train, they can sit back, relax and make the most of our modern, clean and comfortable trains without watching the pennies as they get behind the wheel.”
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) compared per passenger emission data from rail business routes in Britain with the equivalent per-passenger emission data for the same trip by car.
According to its research across 100 routes, it has been measured that the train is almost nine times greener than using a petrol or diesel car, more than four times greener than using a plug-in hybrid electric car and almost two-and-a-half times greener than using a battery electric car.

Brits turn to trains due to rising car costs | TransPennine Express News

Car insurance quotes have risen by £348 on average this year alone and now more than half of UK drivers (56%) say they cannot afford to continue running their car with the increase in costs.

mediacentre.tpexpress.co.uk

Not clear to me if this is a trend, how they intend to provide extra capacity to absorb it.

 

[800001]

TPE has issued press release about research showing to to motoring cost increases, drivers switching to train. Not clear though what the reasoning for choosing to announce this is. If this is just info, or PR team saying how good they are, or an indirect grovel to Governments to increase capacity to absorb the extra motorists

Brits turn to trains due to rising car costs | TransPennine Express News

Car insurance quotes have risen by £348 on average this year alone and now more than half of UK drivers (56%) say they cannot afford to continue running their car with the increase in costs.

mediacentre.tpexpress.co.uk

Not clear to me if this is a trend, how they intend to provide extra capacity to absorb it.

TPE are increasing there services from the December timetable.

 

[bramling]

TPE has issued press release about research showing to to motoring cost increases, drivers switching to train. Not clear though what the reasoning for choosing to announce this is. If this is just info, or PR team saying how good they are, or an indirect grovel to Governments to increase capacity to absorb the extra motorists

Brits turn to trains due to rising car costs | TransPennine Express News

Car insurance quotes have risen by £348 on average this year alone and now more than half of UK drivers (56%) say they cannot afford to continue running their car with the increase in costs.

mediacentre.tpexpress.co.uk

Not clear to me if this is a trend, how they intend to provide extra capacity to absorb it.

Must say I’m not seeing much evidence of any such trend round here (London area). Roads are as busy as ever if not more so.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Must say I’m not seeing much evidence of any such trend round here (London area). Roads are as busy as ever if not more so.

Likewise, here in Medway. To be honest, this this kind of media release smacks of a degree of desperation by an operator that knows that many of its users both current and past are dissatisfied with it and drumming up. New custom has become all that more complicated. As said, current and past users have told people to basically find any other possible solution as long as it doesn't involve interacting with them.

 

[PeterC]

I have made one trip this year where it was financially advantageous to use the train. Even so that meant using the bus at one end which gave an appreciable time overhead and only worked on cost thanks to ENCTS.

 

[greatkingrat]

The idea that 56% of car drivers are going to suddenly abandon their cars is just ridiculous.

 

[randyrippley]

Sounds like the beginning of an excuse to keep the mk5 sets

 

[J-2739]

The idea that 56% of car drivers are going to suddenly abandon their cars is just ridiculous.

That's not quite what they're implying.

 

[BlueLeanie]

Sounds like they'll need to increase the car park charges to mitigate against demand.

Would be nice if the Government promised a 5 year Freeze, backdated to July, for all rail, hospital, and local government controlled parking.

 

[Rail Quest]

Wait where's the "56% say they cannot afford to continue running their car with the increase in costs" coming from? They open with that headline and then go on to say "more than a third (38%) say that if these costs continue to rise they will be forced to stop driving". Have I misunderstood the statistics here or have they contradicted themselves in their own article?

 

[Energy]

The railway should attract passengers by the experience being good, not the alternative being unaffordable.

 

[nr758123]

To be honest, this this kind of media release smacks of a degree of desperation by an operator that knows that many of its users both current and past are dissatisfied with it and drumming up. New custom has become all that more complicated. As said, current and past users have told people to basically find any other possible solution as long as it doesn't involve interacting with them.

There was definitely some modal shift away from TPE in the years when their services were beyond awful. "Any other possible solution as long as it doesn't involve interacting with them" is a fair summary of commuters' attitudes towards TPE through 2022 & 2023. After a few months of providing a mostly reliable service, it's possible that some of those lost customers might now be prepared to come back to the railways.

 

[childwallblues]

TPE are increaing services between Liverpool and Manchester from December to three trains an hour with the return of the hourly service to Hull.

 

[12LDA28C]

Sounds like the beginning of an excuse to keep the mk5 sets

No chance of that

 

[twpsaesneg]

The railway should attract passengers by the experience being good, not the alternative being unaffordable.

I'm not sure it will ever do that though. I can put loads of luggage in my car, without worrying about it being stolen during the journey, I am guaranteed a (comfortable) seat, I get to choose what music I listen to and can set the temperature to my liking.

If the train was cheaper or faster or, preferably, both for the journey I want to do then realistically that's what would get me onto it.

 

[Starmill]

TPE are increaing services between Liverpool and Manchester from December to three trains an hour with the return of the hourly service to Hull.

The service is similar to what it was in 2014, just with the 802 instead of a single 185. It's certainly not dramatically improved.

 

[DarloRich]

Must say I’m not seeing much evidence of any such trend round here (London area). Roads are as busy as ever if not more so.

I am not sure transpennine will take many cars off the roads in London

TPE has issued press release about research showing to to motoring cost increases, drivers switching to train. Not clear though what the reasoning for choosing to announce this is. If this is just info, or PR team saying how good they are, or an indirect grovel to Governments to increase capacity to absorb the extra motorists

TPE is an attractive service - good timetable, decent trains and as reliable as anyone else. Leeds > Manchester timings must compare favourably with a M62 journey. I know the cognoscenti wont like that view,,,,,,,,,,

OF COURSE ( and one must state the obvious here) the service could be better, the trains longer and more electrified, the infrastructure more reliable etc etc e tc

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Just as a counter to this, I resumed driving last year in anticipation of the disruption due to the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade work. I still use the train for certain trips, such as visiting Leeds or Manchester city centres, but weekend journeys will usually involve bustitutions so I'd rather drive.

 

[yorksrob]

The services via Wakefield Kirkgate certainly seem popular whenever I use them, so this is one area where they are providing a better service.

In terms of the overall argument, I was under the impression that motoring costs were quite low by historical standards.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Sep 2024 ==

Sounds like they'll need to increase the car park charges to mitigate against demand.

Would be nice if the Government promised a 5 year Freeze, backdated to July, for all rail, hospital, and local government controlled parking.

I'd rather the freeze was on fares.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Sounds like the beginning of an excuse to keep the mk5 sets

Well to me being a loco hauled enthusiast, that is good news.

 

[RailWonderer]

The services via Wakefield Kirkgate certainly seem popular whenever I use them, so this is one area where they are providing a better service.

In terms of the overall argument, I was under the impression that motoring costs were quite low by historical standards.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 3 Sep 2024 ==

Insurance has doubled and tripled for some cars. Petrol prices have fallen from their high two years ago, but car prices are still high and road tax is moving to a pay per mile basis. Servicing and parts have become more expensive, but at least we don't need winter tyres like Germany, northern and eastern Europe does.

I'd rather the freeze was on fares.

It would mean an annual fare subsidy budget be given to the railways to make up the difference, which I can't see any government doing. All policy has been in recent years is robbing Peter to pay Paul for taxes and tax relief and subsides.

 

[OhNoAPacer]

I am not sure transpennine will take many cars off the roads in London

Maybe if their service becomes hyper fantastic people will relocate from London and give up their cars.

 

[Swanley 59]

My wife uses TPE between Newcastle - Manchester two or three times a month. She notes that the trains have become busier and the service more reliable in the last year. However, before TPE get carried away into thinking they are running a good service, she is coming from a place where the service was so bad that she was on the verge of quitting her job to avoid TPE and their wretched trains.

 

[DanNCL]

I’m finding it to be the other way round. It’s cheaper to drive for many journeys now than it is to take the train.
I can drive from Durham to Lancaster in around 2 hours for about £10 each way. The train comes nowhere close to matching that for either time or cost.

Another journey I’ve recently driven that was cheaper than the train was Durham to Dorset. Used about £80 of petrol for a return trip. The train would have cost more than £100 on the dates I needed to travel and involved transiting London with luggage.

So from my point of view, no, the train isn’t financially more viable than driving.

Sounds like the beginning of an excuse to keep the mk5 sets

They’re already gone. They’re not coming back.

 

[Swanley 59]

While the cost of fuel may have fallen recently in relative terms, other costs have increased dramatically. If I were to take the car to work, I'd be faced with £4.40 in Tyne Tunnel fees and £6 in parking fees on top of fuel and the costs of running a car. The Anytime Return fare is £12.20. I'm fortunate that I can walk at either end.

Getting rid of the second car has saved us a fortune.

 

[DarloRich]

I can drive from Durham to Lancaster in around 2 hours for about £10 each way. The train comes nowhere close to matching that for either time or cost.

but that isn't a direct train. Can you drive to Manchester for that? That is a comparable road v tpe journey

 

[robbeech]

but that isn't a direct train. Can you drive to Manchester for that? That is a comparable road v tpe journey

These comparisons are still important though as it gives real world examples of journeys. There are many journeys that I make that are faster by train than by car, but if origin or destination is my home then it’s rare this still holds true. Suggesting you should only compare the timings when there’s a direct train seems to be rather biasing the results. Real world journeys are real world journeys.

On the flip side though there’s no point suggesting it takes ages to get by train between Thorne north and Thorne south and blaming the railway for it.

 

[yorksrob]

Insurance has doubled and tripled for some cars. Petrol prices have fallen from their high two years ago, but car prices are still high and road tax is moving to a pay per mile basis. Servicing and parts have become more expensive, but at least we don't need winter tyres like Germany, northern and eastern Europe does.

It would mean an annual fare subsidy budget be given to the railways to make up the difference, which I can't see any government doing. All policy has been in recent years is robbing Peter to pay Paul for taxes and tax relief and subsides.

Thanks for the info on motoring costs.

I'm not saying that a fares freeze is on anyone's agenda - just questioning why we would reduce costs for one group of rail passengers (those who drive to the station) rather than all passengers.

 

[thealexweb]

So what’s the capacity plan to accommodate all this extra expected demand?

 

[nr758123]

So what’s the capacity plan to accommodate all this extra expected demand?

Passengers to stand closer together?