Rail should be easily competitive for journeys like Cardiff to Edinburgh against air travel.
Domestic air travel is highly damaging for the environment and produces many times the Carbon emissions of rail for the equivalent distance. The total external cost of flying is from Cardiff to Edinburgh is huge compared to that of taking the train. If the true cost of air travel were taken into account, its very unlikely that many domestic flights in a country as small as the UK would be economical.
I don't disagree with you, but to make it otherwise would require a dramatic change in government policy.
No recent government has shown any interest in involving itself too much in fares matters. It seems to be the current way of thinking that the market is supreme and that transport operators must be free to set their own fares within the constraints of the law, naturally.
Didn't Labour hold a view that it was nto going to go back tot he days when flying was only done by the rich?
If a passenger is making a return journey and can travel after 0930, the Off-Peak Return at £173.10 (£86.55 each way) is expensive per mile but not outrageous. I wouldn't want to pay that much myself but I don't believe that its uncompetitive with air. Rail has important work to do to reduce fares like this in recognition of the economic and environmental benefits of reduced air travel where rail can compete. Sadly it doesn't look like they're too interested.
The railway industry wants to maximise revenue. It has no interest in attracting business for long distance flows if it can make more money from intermediate journeys.
For instance, let's say for argument's sake that it's £180 for a return from Swansea to Perth.
Instead of selling a ticket at that price, the TOC's could easily end up making more money by selling tickets such as Swansea to Cardiff (£10), Cardiff to Bristol Parkway (£15), Bristol Parkway to Cheltenham (£8), Cheltenham to Birmingham (£15) and so on.
(All the fares I've quoted are made up and for illustrative purposes only!)
The way of doings things today is so different form those of the past, that a different fares strategy is essential. In the old day sof my youth, there were no stock shortages, carriages were lying around all over the country, sometimes used only a couple of times a week, and it was easy to match capacity to demand.
Today, as we all know, fixed formations and multiple unit operation means that demand has to be matched to capacity, rather than vice versa.