Welcome to the forum
Can anyone explain why a CDR from North Camp to Bedwyn (48m) is £9.00 but to Oxford (45m) its £13.90. That is 54% more for a shorter distance!
But Bedwyn is on a different line to Oxford. If it was on the same line, then the "more for a shorter distance" argument would kick in (and yes, it does happen occasionally!)
As it's on a different line, then the two are not comparable, as rail fares are
not priced by distance, they are market-based. The TOCs will charge as much as they can get away with.
In both cases you obviously have to change at Reading,the only difference with Oxford is that you might use XC for the Reading/Oxford sector,but that hardly explains it.
Many fares comparisons cannot be 'explained' in a way that many people would consider useful or logical.
In general, fares are expensive if there is no alternative, but if there is competition then the fares may be cheaper.
For example, we recently had a thread that pointed out that York - Scarborough was particularly expensive, but York - Whitby is cheap. That's because the train easily wins over the bus to Scarborough, but the Whitby fare has to be kept low otherwise no-one would go by train for that journey.
Fares aren't based on distance, logic, or perceived fairness. They are market-driven and sometimes they appear to be priced to put passengers off travelling, for example if the trains are often full.
Do fares anomalies interest you? If so, you may wish to attend one of our free
Fares workshops.