Why do posters always post the most expensive fare as an example, if you travel off peak there's huge discounts available.
Because that's the train I travel on with the flexibility I need, and clearly I'm not alone as other people travel on the "peak" trains. There isn't even a through ticket from my local station on the slow train so it's a split ticket with all the hassle that brings.
If I need to go to London, I either buy the ticket the day before (or on the walk to the station), which even now with nobody using the train means no advanced tickets. It currently means leaving home at 0750 to get the 0815 train to crewe to change to the 0843 getting into Euston at 10:17 and to the office for 10:45. £142
one way. If I decide to beer it in the evening (from April 12th onwards) I can get a £60 off peak single to get back. Of course with covid timetable the
last train is leaving at 1830 to get the 1910 getting me home for 2145, otherwise it's another £20 for a taxi home, so in reality I'll stay overnight. In pre-covid times this would be the 2010 or 2110 getting home really late.
If I'm not beering then I'll want to be leaving on the 1710 to be home for 1950 to see the kids before they go to sleep, or maybe the 1810.
So with beer that's
£200 in standard, without beer that's
£280.
Alternatively I order a car to be delivered the night before for £60, I leave at 7AM, I'm parked in London Q-Park (c. £30) on the Marylebone road for about 1030, so it's about an hour slower. Another £60 for petrol, so still cheaper than the peak+off-peak trip, and far far cheaper than peak+peak.
On the way back I leave office at 1630, in car for 1700, back for 2045. leave at 1600 though and I'm back for 2015. That's the problem with the train -- if I leave at just the right minute I can get the shortest time. If I leave at the wrong time it adds an hour to the trip.
So yes, it's worth the train - even with the extra price - it saves 2 hours on the trip
The value of open tickets are flexibility and speed. Remove those (by travelling on LNWR or booking in advance for an £80 ticket instead of £160) and the pendulum swings.
Crucially for the industry -- these pricey tickets are the ones that make the money. People have, in the past, paid £500 return for Manchester-London. How likely will it be for those those lucrative peak time tickets to be used in future, when travelling for a day is less important, and travel is for connections (so more of an occasion) rather than just quick meetings?
Imagine this world where the railfans win and everyone books in advance on "cheap" tickets or travels "off peak". That means revenues collapse even more, and the railway can't afford that. Imagine where the value of the standard open tickets is diluted with compulsory reservations, that means more people drive or fly instead.
To reduce subsidies, the railway needs either
1) passengers to spend more per passegner
2) more passengers to travel
(2) is not going to happen post covid - at least some meetings will no longer be in person, at least some people will no longer commute as often as before, so how is the railway going to get more money from passengers? Already high prices for peak trains are competing with flights (at least from Manchester + Scotland) and cars. They mainly win on time for single travellers. If you have a team of 3 going to an important meeting from Manchester to London to seal the deal on selling a dohicky. You could spend £1500 on a day return for your team on the train - and hopefully you'll get a semi-private table where you can discuss stuff on the way, or you could instead drive down in a fancy car you hire for £300 return including parking, spend £400 on a hotel, and have £500 to spend on a nice preparatory meal the night before.