Latest Fare Rises and Spin - Comments please

[furryfeet]

When will the goverment take action and stop this fleecing of the public ?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...in-operators-in-spin-row-over-fare-rises.html

 

[djw1981]

Scotland is doing ok - Max rise is 3%, average 0.2%

 

[mumrar]

I saw some video footage of a steam loco hauling a train out of Folkestone Harbour recently. It was from 1996 and you could see clearly a fuel station (why do we still call them petrol station, ignoring diesel and LPG?) showing a petrol price of 47p per litre. That means that in 13 years the price has increased to 229% of it's 1996 price. That's a rate of 6.6% for every year, wish my salary could do that. Trains, like cars, have to run on fuel, whether it's from a powerplant, or a diesel engine, so they've had to stomach increased fuel costs too.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

In the face of annual staff wage rises, fuel costs and the like, anyone who seriously believed TOCs would lay down and let fares fall was kidding themselves.

 

[PhilipW]

In the face of annual staff wage rises, fuel costs and the like, anyone who seriously believed TOCs would lay down and let fares fall was kidding themselves.

But there is a real world out there where there customers live too. They are subject to the recession. The RPI is low or negative. It is therefore entirely reasonable and logical to expect TOCs to bear this in mind.

Although I have not seen it in print, I understand that SWT are intoducing evening restrictions on Super Off-peak tickets from Waterloo. If true, the effect of this will be to increase the fares by some 20% in these periods. Do SWT still want to have the day out shopping trippers to London. I wonder. In a recession these optional trips are very vulnerable.

 

[LondonLarry]

Although I have not seen it in print, I understand that SWT are intoducing evening restrictions on Super Off-peak tickets from Waterloo. If true, the effect of this will be to increase the fares by some 20% in these periods. Do SWT still want to have the day out shopping trippers to London. I wonder. In a recession these optional trips are very vulnerable.

I don't see what the issue is - other operators have evening peak restrictions (e.g. commuter TOCs like London Midland, First Capital Connect and all the Intercity operators). If you want to travel in the peak, shouldn't you pay a peak fare?

People have to accept the fact that costs will continue to rise and the someone has to pay for it in the end. Why shouldn't it be those people that use the railway?

Transport for London are implementing some 20% fare increases in January and it's received less press coverage. Don't forget that TfL are putting fares up, whilst National Rail are putting many peak fares down.

How often do you see supermarkets advertising an increase in their prices?

 

[philjo]

I see that Virgin are changing the times that off-peak tickets can be used - from 2 January off-peak tickets can only be used northbound out of Euston after 09:25 (currently 09:05)

From 2 January 2010 there will also be changes to the times that Off-Peak tickets can be used, which affects a very small number of train services each day. These tickets will not be valid for arrivals in
London until 11:30 on weekdays, whereas currently arrivals until 10:55 are not permitted.
Departures from London with Off-Peak tickets will not be allowed before 09:25 (currently 09:05) and between 15:01 and 18:45 (currently 15:15 and 18:31).

http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/assets/pdf/announcements/fare-changes-2010.pdf

 

[350401]

I see that Virgin are changing the times that off-peak tickets can be used - from 2 January off-peak tickets can only be used northbound out of Euston after 09:25 (currently 09:05)

http://www.virgintrains.co.uk/assets/pdf/announcements/fare-changes-2010.pdf

Great. Such a little change can catch a fair few trains due to the way its deliberately timed, and given the massive difference between off-peak and anytime returns represents a huge fare rise - £65.40 to £123.50! A rise of 53%!!! Thats going to kill a fair few day trips to London.

If my knowledge of the timetable is correct, out of London it catches the 09.20 to Manchester and the 18.40 to Manchester via Crewe; meaning the following trains, already busy in my experience, will be worse. To London, it catches the 08.55 and 09.15 Manchester-London trains. That includes 09.11 Wilmslow-London train, which gets in at 11.04. Thats *hardly* a peak time train, and since VHF in my experience, isn't exactly heavily loaded now. Talk about shooting themselves in the foot - introduce tonnes of new capacity via VHF (screwing the local trains over the process) and then price it so it hardly gets used. I usually quite like Virgin, but this seems a stupid move.

 

[Greenback]

Great. Such a little change can catch a fair few trains due to the way its deliberately timed, and given the massive difference between off-peak and anytime returns represents a huge fare rise - £65.40 to £123.50! A rise of 53%!!! Thats going to kill a fair few day trips to London.

If my knowledge of the timetable is correct, out of London it catches the 09.20 to Manchester and the 18.40 to Manchester via Crewe; meaning the following trains, already busy in my experience, will be worse. To London, it catches the 08.55 and 09.15 Manchester-London trains. That includes 09.11 Wilmslow-London train, which gets in at 11.04. Thats *hardly* a peak time train, and since VHF in my experience, isn't exactly heavily loaded now. Talk about shooting themselves in the foot - introduce tonnes of new capacity via VHF (screwing the local trains over the process) and then price it so it hardly gets used. I usually quite like Virgin, but this seems a stupid move.

From what people say there are quite a lot of Virgin services that are very lightly loaded since the VHF timetable was introduced. I fail to see how tightening the restrictions is going to make these services more attractive to the optional traveller who can't book tickets in advance. No, I can;t see how it will actually achieve anything positive for Virgin!