Am I falling out of love with the railways?

[mikeg]

I used to travel extensively by rail, but find myself doing this less. Part of it is because having moved, the bus is now much more convenient (I don't drive nor can I). But there is another side in which the industry really isn't helping itself, namley trying to make itself as offputting as possible to anyone who knows even a thing about the railways. The compulsory reservation flag is a big one for me, I used to commute almost exclusively on off peak day returns as this was cheaper than a season, however the TOCs are using this as a sneaky way of getting round the fares manual and buying an off peak day return at short notice has become harder, it would be even worse with single leg pricing, whereby I have to take the calculation of what ticket do I need with will I actually use it in advance, or risk not being able to buy my way home (I often would get the last train).

Then there's TOCs attitudes towards passenger rights, P-coding in particular and you can't rely on the last train anymore, something which used to be considered sacred - again my working hours mean that a change at 10pm the day before is unacceptable. Thank goodness I don't rely on trains anymore! However much I used to be critical of certain elements of the industry, at least there was always replacement transport laid on if the last train was cancelled and I could rely on being able to work my hours. Any disruption that meant I wouldn't get home was either something like a storm, in which case I could leave early and make up the hours as work would understand and would in any event be forecast or engineering work, again announced well in advance.

But the key issue for me is that the railway just doesn't seem to want passengers the way it used to, I'm pro-nationalisation by political instinct but fear we're heading down an 'Irish Rail' style route rather than a 'Nederlandse Spoorwegen' or 'Deutsche Bahn' or 'BR MK II' style one (recent DB issues notwithstanding). The other issue is the TOCs, in particular, don't seem focussed on hiring people who know and care about the railways, instead going for generic customer service types, rather than focussing on railway types with excellent customer service skills, presumably becasue this is easier? And then there's the likes of Carlisle Security who are lacking knowledge of either field, probably because they're cheap and can be used to undermine union power. It seems we now have the worst aspects of both private and public ownership.

The other reason I guess, apart from not being able to rely on the railways (which I was always willing to pay a substantial premium over coach or air for), is that now they're just becoming too expensive for most purposes. If I want to visit my parents I'd typically previously get the train for a day return. Now, I get two buses and tend to spend the night if I have two days off in a row. That said the £2 bus fares help with this.

Of course it's not all bad, but something that's quite telling is that one of my previous least favourite TOCs was Northern, and along with CrossCountry, they're now my favourites. Not because they've improved, just because they haven't gotten worse in the way that TPE or Avanti have. LNER is a mixed bag but still has nothing on the previous operators, barring perhaps VTEC. Don't get me wrong, train journeys can be a good way to get around, and I intend on doing some serious rail travel around the Netherlands. There are also pockets of the UK that are still good. But I used to be able to name, for all the things that got worse over the years, something that has improved. Now I'm not so sure. I do apologise for the overly negative tone of this, I also used to like a good fight with the powers that be on the railways, especially when it came to fares and ticketing but now it seems like we've lost completely.

Sorry for the rant but does anyone feel the same? I'm sure it has to get better at some point but I just don't see it in the foreseeable future.

 

[Nicholas43]

I agree with much of this. The 'timetable of the day' scam Ought Not To Be Allowed. The obsession with advances tied to a specific train is deeply annoying, especially in a case like Oxford>Paddington when GWR does not really care which of many off-peak trains I take, and doesn't reliably announce in good time which will have 9 cars. I would prefer a transparent single-leg price, with a surcharge payable on the day if I choose to take a 'peak' train, 'peak' being defined in a readily available list, instead of myriads of restriction codes each of which takes pages to expound. And I loathe the push to get me to install some pesky 'app' to 'display' my ticket, and hope that my mobile device doesn't have a sulk on the day. And why is the National Rail website now unusable, and Onward Travel maps impossible to find?

 

[PeterY]

I used to travel extensively by rail, but find myself doing this less. Part of it is because having moved, the bus is now much more convenient (I don't drive nor can I). But there is another side in which the industry really isn't helping itself, namley trying to make itself as offputting as possible to anyone who knows even a thing about the railways. The compulsory reservation flag is a big one for me, I used to commute almost exclusively on off peak day returns as this was cheaper than a season, however the TOCs are using this as a sneaky way of getting round the fares manual and buying an off peak day return at short notice has become harder, it would be even worse with single leg pricing, whereby I have to take the calculation of what ticket do I need with will I actually use it in advance, or risk not being able to buy my way home (I often would get the last train).

Then there's TOCs attitudes towards passenger rights, P-coding in particular and you can't rely on the last train anymore, something which used to be considered sacred - again my working hours mean that a change at 10pm the day before is unacceptable. Thank goodness I don't rely on trains anymore! However much I used to be critical of certain elements of the industry, at least there was always replacement transport laid on if the last train was cancelled and I could rely on being able to work my hours. Any disruption that meant I wouldn't get home was either something like a storm, in which case I could leave early and make up the hours as work would understand and would in any event be forecast or engineering work, again announced well in advance.

But the key issue for me is that the railway just doesn't seem to want passengers the way it used to, I'm pro-nationalisation by political instinct but fear we're heading down an 'Irish Rail' style route rather than a 'Nederlandse Spoorwegen' or 'Deutsche Bahn' or 'BR MK II' style one (recent DB issues notwithstanding). The other issue is the TOCs, in particular, don't seem focussed on hiring people who know and care about the railways, instead going for generic customer service types, rather than focussing on railway types with excellent customer service skills, presumably becasue this is easier? And then there's the likes of Carlisle Security who are lacking knowledge of either field, probably because they're cheap and can be used to undermine union power. It seems we now have the worst aspects of both private and public ownership.

The other reason I guess, apart from not being able to rely on the railways (which I was always willing to pay a substantial premium over coach or air for), is that now they're just becoming too expensive for most purposes. If I want to visit my parents I'd typically previously get the train for a day return. Now, I get two buses and tend to spend the night if I have two days off in a row. That said the £2 bus fares help with this.

Of course it's not all bad, but something that's quite telling is that one of my previous least favourite TOCs was Northern, and along with CrossCountry, they're now my favourites. Not because they've improved, just because they haven't gotten worse in the way that TPE or Avanti have. LNER is a mixed bag but still has nothing on the previous operators, barring perhaps VTEC. Don't get me wrong, train journeys can be a good way to get around, and I intend on doing some serious rail travel around the Netherlands. There are also pockets of the UK that are still good. But I used to be able to name, for all the things that got worse over the years, something that has improved. Now I'm not so sure. I do apologise for the overly negative tone of this, I also used to like a good fight with the powers that be on the railways, especially when it came to fares and ticketing but now it seems like we've lost completely.

Sorry for the rant but does anyone feel the same? I'm sure it has to get better at some point but I just don't see it in the foreseeable future.

I tending to agree with you Mikeg. Rail travel is, for me, to much "hit and miss". I used to go by train to visit my daughter in Wokingham. Nowadays I just pick my times and drive using the dreaded M25.

Again I'm hoping to do another All Line Rover (ALR) in September but I'm beginning to think is it worth the effort, even planning one, especially with the current strikes continuing.

I recently did a 4 in 8 North East Rover but the amount of cancellations, took most of the enjoyment away.

What used to be enjoyable on the railways, travel wise as gone.

 

[Wyrleybart]

I used to travel extensively by rail, but find myself doing this less. Part of it is because having moved, the bus is now much more convenient (I don't drive nor can I). But there is another side in which the industry really isn't helping itself, namely trying to make itself as offputting as possible to anyone who knows even a thing about the railways.

Just want to stop you there. The industry isn't helping itself purely because it is largely micromanaged by the DfT / Government. There is your problem.

I have been in the industry for 45 years next month and in my view it is only really from around 2017 onwards that things have really started to go wrong, but IMHO that coincides with the political machinations in the UK. Also though rail franchising in the UK was always going to eventually come crashing down, and that is where we are. The "free market" ability of a new franchisee to order a load of new and incompatible rolling stock, which needs a huge crew and artisan training programme, whilst existing trains are handed back to the roscos. It is a very expensive exercise with very little industry logic.

There are numerous examples but the GWEP is probably a good one. Very poor control of costs have resulted in the GWR trains having to become Bimodes or not serve there destinations. You cannot run an AC train Paddington-Oxford or Paddington-Bristol, nor even Paddington - Bedwyn. Because of this extensive / continued use of diesel trains whilst electric stock is parked up or scrapped. This has resulted in ROSCOs once again mistrusting the DfT / government, the GEWR 769/9s being only the latest "white elephant" which one party can beat the other over. Everyone with any sense knows that electrification is the future for rail usage but the best England can proclaim is Kettering to South Wigston at this moment in time.

All I can say to you is, I recognise how you feel, but there is very little you can do about the situation, and maybe refocus you hobby a little. I did and have, although I stay in touch with the current scene purely for the closing years of my career.

 

[rg177]

I've done a couple of ALRs - one in 2016, one in 2017 and one in 2021. The one in 2021 I remember would just p*ss me off more than anything as I'd be spending my time dodging disruption rather than much sense of enjoyment.

But yes, agreed, I don't go out these days very much with the intention of riding trains all day long. Maybe that's because I live up north though, so Northern (in the North West & Yorks) and TPE have a tendency to wreck people's plans on a daily basis.

I've not had many "bad" experiences on the railway, granted (I'm more likely to put in a praise than complaint) but it's more the knowledge of what 'could' happen. Eg. If I book a TPE service I might be stuck for several hours with back-to-back cancellations or have to argue the toss with another operator. A couple of weeks ago, TPE didn't run anything south of Newcastle between 0800 and 1500 - on what planet is that normal? Hopefully the overtime agreement there starts to smooth things out. I'm well aware that we have a government who are currently plating politics with unions and trying to claim nobody uses the railway anymore.

The final thing really is the cost. Travelling by train isn't as cheap as it used to be nor is accommodation. I work in London on most Fridays - so it'd be an easy springboard to go to the South West or something like that. Yet I'd rather pay £13 or so (with Railcard) to go to Stansted then £10-£20 for a Ryanair flight somewhere. Heck, I managed to spend a weekend in Denmark in April for £95 including accommodation, flights and the StanEx.

I'm lucky to work in a part of the industry (albeit not in a TOC) and love that I can produce things that might make rail travel a little easier and more interesting for some folk. As for travelling itself - only in moderation

 

[43096]

I can certainly relate to the OP's post and the reasons for it.

Last year I used the train in the UK less than any year since I-don't-know-when: that means even during 2020 I used the train more depsite the pandemic. I still regularly travel abroad for enjoyment and generally find the railways involved far better than what we have here. It usually means I get back with an increased feeling of disinterest in the UK railway. As I came back from a few days in Czech Republic and Slovakia today, that is kicking in right now.

 

[Carlisle]

And then there's the likes of Carlisle Security who are lacking knowledge of either field, probably because they're cheap and can be used to undermine union power.

They may be cheaper but don’t undermine union power as very few safety critical rail operatives actually work for these outsourcing companies. .TPE used Carlisle Group dispatchers at some stations but don’t know if they still do.

 

[Wyrleybart]

I can certainly relate to the OP's post and the reasons for it.

Last year I used the train in the UK less than any year since I-don't-know-when: that means even during 2020 I used the train more depsite the pandemic. I still regularly travel abroad for enjoyment and generally find the railways involved far better than what we have here. It usually means I get back with an increased feeling of disinterest in the UK railway. As I came back from a few days in Czech Republic and Slovakia today, that is kicking in right now.

Oh yes. Very much get that. My first serious trip "abroad" was May 1981 which started with the Speedlink Vanguard freight ferry Harwich-Zeebrugge and ended with the final Sealink steamship "Maid of Kent" Cherbouirg-Weymouth. I discovered absolutely wondrous stuff just 22 miles from Dover and it went downhill thereon. One of my highlights was the Austrian Railways 150th anniversary celebrations in 1987 which was an excuse to "convert" my very much anglophile mate onto Austrian Railways. We wanted to do "normal" but I arranged a cab pass to ride one of the last few class 2045 centre cab diesels and the driver "put me in the seat" and I got to driver it - all one coach and a luggage van along a very slow secondary line.

At this time class 40s had gone class 25s mostly gone and the writing was on the wall for the "peaks". The Scottish highland branches had pretty much lost all the loco hauled workings so there was very little of real interest left for me. So i just did what some others did Austria, Switzerland, some Germany a bit of Czech. Once you have had unsilenced OBB 2143s and unsilenced CD "Grumpies" much else fades into insignificanc.

EDIT
I omitted the rather hellfire E loks and the narrow gauge, including all th wonderful Swiss stuff

 

[yorksrob]

I have some sympathy with the OP.

On the one hand, I still prefer and enjoy the train, and when they work, the experience of train travel is still pleasurable.

On the other, train travel is in many cases poor value for money, and service reliability is the worst I've known it since I started using trains in the 1980's.

I've concluded that things will only get worse while this Government is in power.

 

[Magdalia]

I already have.

I now regard rail travel not as something to be enjoyed but something to be endured. I don't do very much of it.

 

[Techniquest]

I'm in sympathy with the OP. I haven't completely lost interest in the railway, but I'm also not as enthusiastic as I was. Back in the mid-2000s my annual mileage was huge compared to now, I don't do even close to the amount I used to do. I'd be on multiple rovers and railtours every year, and I'd be on the railway whenever I possibly could.

Things have moved on in the 2020s, and I keep my toes dipped in the water so to speak, but I'd not organise another ALR for example. The disruption on 2022's ALR was unwelcome, admittedly it could have been worse, and I left that week a bit disenchanted. I am, however, glad that it was done in First Class as that made things better! I'm also glad that I did it as I'd been wanting to see what the modern me would do.

Since early 2020, I've grown a love of cycling. I'm generally finding that I also factor in a lot of exploring on foot these days, which makes rail journeys more interesting. These days, it's not so much the railway itself but the ability to get to all these places and do my cycling/walking that keeps me 'in the game'.

The arrival of new trains in my local area with the 196s and 197s, not to mention more regular use of 67s and MK4s, has spiked my rail use somewhat this year. The 231s arriving on the scene has not impacted my rail use as much as I expected, but that'll change soon enough no doubt. The 777s, being as poor as I found them to be, certainly stopped a number of potential Merseyside visits!

What I'm slowly saying is that as much as I've lost a lot of the interest in the scene, I've managed to cling on to some of it by combining the interest with other stuff. I think a lot of people could benefit from that, equally not everyone would. This autumn marks 20 years since I fell in love with the railway, a milestone I intend to celebrate. I'm not sure how, but that's coming at the end of September. I want to say somewhere around the 25th of that month, I don't have a confirmed date for it yet. The passion has died down, but like a fire whose flames have receded, there's still life in it yet!

 

[ChrisC]

I also haven’t lost my love of rail travel, but I have slowly during these last few years got out of the habit of regular rail travel. Many of my holidays used to be based around travel in an area using a regional rover ticket. I used to travel to the destination for my holiday by train and then explore the region by train for a week whilst there. I very rarely used my car to reach my holiday destinations. I regularly used to go out for a day by rail on a Saturday.

My decrease in my amount of rail travel began in 2020 with Covid. Mask wearing on long journeys, reduced timetables, compulsory reservations and a general not wanting to travel on crowded trains or visit crowded places drastically cut down my amount of rail travel. As 2020 progressed and hotels began to open up again I had a few holidays in quieter rural areas taking my car. I enjoyed the convenience of travelling by car and the possibilities of visiting and walking in quieter remote areas not accessible by rail. I also started to use local buses more to travel both whilst on holiday and from home. Strikes over the last year, with no end in sight, frequent cancellations etc, have not enticed me back to taking holidays by train. Overcrowding, especially on Cross Country services, with nowhere to store my case within view, also puts me off rail travel. My local rail service still has a reduced timetable which results in long waits for connections and that has made some days out by train less attractive. I think I have also found myself wanting to do more exploring of places on foot and would rather travel shorter distances during a day and do more walking, instead of full days of rail travel.

All this has come at a time when I am now retired, so have more time for rail travel, and also I now have a Senior Railcard which makes rail travel more reasonably priced. I would like get back to travelling longer distances to destinations for holidays. Having to cancel a holiday up in Aberdeen a few weeks ago due to strike action does not restore my confidence in planning holidays by rail. Most of my holidays for the rest of this summer are now planned, like last year, to go by car.

 

[richa2002]

Absolutely yes. I've listed all the things that come to mind. Some of which are obviously more enthusiast minded so please no the "railway isn't run for enthusiasts" comments. I know, but it effects how much I, as an enthusiast, wishes to travel.
1) Rolling stock has become less comfortable. Hard seats, bright lighting, more open layouts.
2) Rolling stock is simply boring. It does the job but in a clinical fashion. Any feeling of character or cosyness has largely gone.
3) Used to love the sounds of the railway whether it was jointed track, big rumbly diesel engines or DC traction motors. All largely gone.
4) Apart from hot days, I miss trains with opening windows that gave you the sensation of travelling at speed.
5) Incessescant announcements. See it, say it, sorted being the worst.
6) The infrastructure of the railway is becoming increasingly ugly and cluttered. Platform end fencing, lineside palisade fencing, replacement of charming old features like wooden gates with austere modern equivalents. All small things that add up to the whole railway landscape looking rather prison like.
7) The standard of the travelling public has decreased. It really is no surprise now to have some idiot blaring something out of their phone or just generally being obnoxious.
8) It's no longer unusual to have trains cancelled. It's almost something you expect.
9) A feeling of not being able to rely on connections.

Points 1 & 7 could be largely avoided by travelling first class from around the late-2000s to 2020 at the latest but even that has gone downhill. Especially on suburban trains where it's basically unenforced and seems to attract the scrotes.

So yes, the railway is almost dead to me. It's something to mostly be endured these days rather than enjoyed. The sense of theatre/drama/romance of it is all but gone. The one remaining shining light I find is the staff. A lot of them still have the 'old railway' vibe.

I could go on but we'd be here forever. You're certainly not alone though.

 

[317 forever]

Naturally there have been problems due to strikes, or the fear of strikes. There have been more cancellations due to staff shortages.

There was also the 3 hour delay for which Northern declined my Delay Repay application and declined my appeal too.

I now still use the train where it is the most practical option or a new development of interest. For example, I rode a 717 at Easter and shall do the Borders Line in September. (These will be new rides for me even if not entirely recent in the wider scheme of things).

However, where there is a suitable National Express coach service and nothing new in terms of the railway route or rolling stock, I often use the coach instead now.

 

[greyman42]

Apart from hot days, I miss trains with opening windows that gave you the sensation of travelling at speed.

And cause a draft for the rest of the passengers and make the carriage cold.

 

[Kite159]

A bit for me, not only is the risk of strikes being called causing plans to get ditched or modified but the endless game of cancellations/delays on the network meaning some journeys are just stressful.

Especially when you book advance tickets for trains which disappear from timetables and the staff basically couldn't give two hoots as it was run by another TOC, oh there is another train in 4 hours time, you must wait for that unless you want to buy another ticket valid on our trains.

Will SWR run that train, will it be on time to make the connection at Basingstoke (for example), will that connection be running on time etc etc.

These days I'm using the railways mainly to get places to go walking.

 

[bramling]

I used to travel extensively by rail, but find myself doing this less. Part of it is because having moved, the bus is now much more convenient (I don't drive nor can I). But there is another side in which the industry really isn't helping itself, namley trying to make itself as offputting as possible to anyone who knows even a thing about the railways. The compulsory reservation flag is a big one for me, I used to commute almost exclusively on off peak day returns as this was cheaper than a season, however the TOCs are using this as a sneaky way of getting round the fares manual and buying an off peak day return at short notice has become harder, it would be even worse with single leg pricing, whereby I have to take the calculation of what ticket do I need with will I actually use it in advance, or risk not being able to buy my way home (I often would get the last train).

Then there's TOCs attitudes towards passenger rights, P-coding in particular and you can't rely on the last train anymore, something which used to be considered sacred - again my working hours mean that a change at 10pm the day before is unacceptable. Thank goodness I don't rely on trains anymore! However much I used to be critical of certain elements of the industry, at least there was always replacement transport laid on if the last train was cancelled and I could rely on being able to work my hours. Any disruption that meant I wouldn't get home was either something like a storm, in which case I could leave early and make up the hours as work would understand and would in any event be forecast or engineering work, again announced well in advance.

But the key issue for me is that the railway just doesn't seem to want passengers the way it used to, I'm pro-nationalisation by political instinct but fear we're heading down an 'Irish Rail' style route rather than a 'Nederlandse Spoorwegen' or 'Deutsche Bahn' or 'BR MK II' style one (recent DB issues notwithstanding). The other issue is the TOCs, in particular, don't seem focussed on hiring people who know and care about the railways, instead going for generic customer service types, rather than focussing on railway types with excellent customer service skills, presumably becasue this is easier? And then there's the likes of Carlisle Security who are lacking knowledge of either field, probably because they're cheap and can be used to undermine union power. It seems we now have the worst aspects of both private and public ownership.

The other reason I guess, apart from not being able to rely on the railways (which I was always willing to pay a substantial premium over coach or air for), is that now they're just becoming too expensive for most purposes. If I want to visit my parents I'd typically previously get the train for a day return. Now, I get two buses and tend to spend the night if I have two days off in a row. That said the £2 bus fares help with this.

Of course it's not all bad, but something that's quite telling is that one of my previous least favourite TOCs was Northern, and along with CrossCountry, they're now my favourites. Not because they've improved, just because they haven't gotten worse in the way that TPE or Avanti have. LNER is a mixed bag but still has nothing on the previous operators, barring perhaps VTEC. Don't get me wrong, train journeys can be a good way to get around, and I intend on doing some serious rail travel around the Netherlands. There are also pockets of the UK that are still good. But I used to be able to name, for all the things that got worse over the years, something that has improved. Now I'm not so sure. I do apologise for the overly negative tone of this, I also used to like a good fight with the powers that be on the railways, especially when it came to fares and ticketing but now it seems like we've lost completely.

Sorry for the rant but does anyone feel the same? I'm sure it has to get better at some point but I just don't see it in the foreseeable future.

Agreed. For me there’s a number of issues coming together:

1) Rail has become very non-dependable. My rail use is massively down on what it was a few years ago, yet seemingly *every* time I attempt to use a train there is a problem. If it’s not engineering work (okay I accept that isn’t a new thing) or industrial action then it’s disruption or late running. One can add that when disruption does occur it also now seems to be handled very poorly, which just makes things worse.

Also there seems to be absolutely zero effort made by anyone to make up time after delays - on the contrary PPM-style regulating remains alive and well, so it’s typical for a small delay to then grow into a significant one simply because the service then goes to the back of the regulating queue. From the perspective of someone using a train to get somewhere, I find it extremely risky to know if a small problem occurs there is nowadays a high likelihood that this will end up with a late arrival of potentially up to 20-30 minutes or more. It’s one thing this happening when there’s genuinely something major going on, but 5 minutes at a signal because of a slightly late finish to engineering work at 0500 in the morning shouldn’t result in getting to the final destination 25 late simply because every other train has been prioritised and they have made no attempt to use the infrastructure to make up time - as occurred with me on Wednesday morning.

2) Clientele has nosedived since Covid as have standards of behaviour on trains. This seems to be reflective of society in general rather than rail in particular, but the slight tipping from business to leisure journeys has not helped. It just doesn’t make rail attractive when on every journey there now always seems to be someone making a thorough nuisance of themself in one way or another.

3) Timetables are still reduced from what they were in 2019 in some places. My local line is still missing pretty much all of the former peak extras. Again this makes rail very unattractive for what used to be the local bread-and-butter, that is journeys to/from London. For me it is no longer the default way of travelling to London, which is quite bad really considering back in the 90s it was a 29-minute journey.

4) Many new types of train just don’t offer an attractive experience from a user’s perspective. Something like an IET is a step down from an IC225. I’m not a fan of Aventras either. With more and more of these unattractive trains coming on stream in various places, again it just serves to further tip the scales away from using rail.

It does seem to be the case that rail reached a plateau some 10-15 years ago, and is now sliding down a hole. This is reflective of the country as a whole thanks to poor government on both sides of the political spectrum going back at least as far as 1997. I’m properly finished with *all* the main political parties now, unlikely to vote for any of them again (certainly not without significant injection of fresh talent, which seems unlikely for the foreseeable future). As I feel the unwritten political “contract” between state and individual is no longer delivering its side of the bargain, don’t expect me to respect my side of it. I know so many people who feel the same way.

 

[Cymroglan]

It’s both reassuring and sad that I’m not the only one who feels like this.…
I’m attending a day course at Hampton Court palace on 07/07 and simply can’t establish what the state of play will be with SWR on that day as it’s ASLEF overtime ban time.
It’s a journey that involves several changes of train from Brockenhurst to Hampton Court and if one of the trains is cancelled, I will probs miss the all important first session.
So I will almost certainly go by car, which is bad for the environment and for me as I hate driving at the best of times. But I need to get there and no one at SWR can tell me whether my journey will be possible! What a mess the railways are in.

 

[87electric]

It's something to mostly be endured these days rather than enjoyed.

You nailed it with that. Just need to add that it feels like passengers are herded around like cattle.
I can now take it or leave it concerning rail journeys now, but the odd gala or City visit via creative ticketing does happen. I've plenty more hobbies that I indulge in.
The decline of railways and all public sectors is alarming really. There's a pattern and all the dots will join up over time for those who can't see it right now.

 

[fourtytwo]

From what has been said by many here it is quite obvious that investment will decline with the inevitable results. If the workforce are determined to continue disruption we all know where that leads.

 

[joncombe]

I am also traveling less by train and a big part of the reason is the inability to plan. If you book something there is a high risk of strikes ruining your plans. Happened to me twice already this year. Then this ridiculous timetable of the day nonsense meaning the train you planned to catch can just disappear.

Then the fact that to use the train for a weekend away I want to know if the trains will be running. It used to be you could book 3 months out with some degree of certainty. Not great if you want to book a hotel which tend to go up in price or get full the longer you leave it. Now I think it's an aspiration of 8 weeks in advance now, but an aspiration that is rarely met in my experience. My local toc SWR quite often can't seem to produce a timetable for weekend services until a day or 2 beforehand now if there is works on making it difficult to plan anything time critical. They often also serm to have a habit now of cancelling at least 50% of rail replacement buses saying they could not get enough buses and sometimes in the evening that can rise to 100% meaning passengers are advised to find taxis and claim it back.

Add to that that since COVID services are less frequent, more expensive and often slower due to added stops it is far less attractive. Many TOCs no longer offer catering which I used to use a lot. Fewer advance fares too and typically at much higher prices. It's a shame but there doesn't seem to be any improvement likely either.

 

[neilmc]

Since moving to a rural area I have hardly used the train, I used Tesco vouchers to buy a Senior Railcard twice on the off chance I MIGHT use it but never did. I would have to pay to park at a railhead such as Penrith or Appleby before using the train, then the tickets aren't exactly cheap and the connections very hit and miss. What we did instead was to buy a hybrid car which has much better mpg than the previous petrol one so the cost/convenience/reliability ratio swings towards the car, even more so if both my wife and I are travelling together.

Main likelihood of using the train is if one of us has to travel for a prolonged stay to somewhere like Manchester or London where you can get around cheaply on frequent buses but parking is extortionate and driving a nightmare. My wife went to Skipton recently by train so I dropped her and picked her up from Appleby, that was broadly comparable in cost and left me free to use the car for other things, and the S+C is a nice ride.

 

[NewClee153]

You’re not at all alone. I’ve been feeling the same recently with all of the rail strikes, sheer amount of delays and shortformed stock. The bus is far more convenient, affordable, frequent and (in terms of NXWM platinum buses) much more comfortable.

In my area, I can get the 87 to Birmingham and get into the city centre before 6 on a Sunday. While on the Snow Hill line, my first train doesn’t get me there till 10:30

 

[geoffk]

But the key issue for me is that the railway just doesn't seem to want passengers the way it used to, I'm pro-nationalisation by political instinct but fear we're heading down an 'Irish Rail' style route rather than a 'Nederlandse Spoorwegen' or 'Deutsche Bahn' or 'BR MK II' style one (recent DB issues notwithstanding).

Can you explain your reference to "Irish Rail" style route please? I've not been to Ireland since 2014 and things may have changed but on my visits I've found the service reliable and was impressed by the amount of investment in the Dublin area. There's another thread about the current situation with DB.

 

[gingerheid]

Despite my bread and butter journeys being 755s and therefore being served by really nice trains, while I like the theory of travelling by train better than the alternatives, in practice all the journeys I've been in the habit of taking have slowly been knocked out for one reason or another, including:

- Cost (commuting v car)
- The difficulty getting a sensible ticketing option for a journey that includes multiple operators (Cambridge - WCML - Scotland)
- The requirement to buy a ticket at the "right" time; not as early as possible (which at least leaves you knowing where you stand but the right day for whichever happens to be the key operator for your journey) (WCML)
- Too many changes creeping into the journey as the network is simplified (Cambridge to Ayrshire without a Stevenage or Peterborough to Glasgow C ECML journey)
- Journeys that were hideously overcrowded seeing service reductions (Cambridge - Stansted Airport)
- Just being too freaking expensive (sleeper)
- Abusive customer service (Stansted Airport)
- Rolling stock being so unpleasant you'd consider just going somewhere different (720s)

The unwelcome recent development in GA land has been ticketing being leg dependent rather than even operator dependent (for example things like a return from Cambridge to Ipswich being less than half a single from Cambridge North with GA connections).

The fact that the railways have become so disfunctional has been a real opportunity for the bus industry to also demonstate that capitalism definitely doesn't equal either efficiency or competition. Imagine having a rail network turn into something nasty around you at a time when the government will subsidise any attempted expansion with £2 tickets, yet still not being able to...

 

[richa2002]

And cause a draft for the rest of the passengers and make the carriage cold.

Well obviously only during weather warm enough to have them open... Only an inconsiderate arse would open the windows for their own pleasure on a chilly day.

 

[Magdalia]

I am also traveling less by train and a big part of the reason is the inability to plan.

On the other hand I don't want to plan. For health reasons I want to travel when I'm ready, something I don't know in advance. Outside of the old NSE area it is becoming increasingly difficult to do that.