What do you think about rail fares?

well to be honest.... I don't think I can really say my true thoughts..... I am worried I will be banned 

However I think it unfair to raise the prices as high as they have, especially when they are trying to encourage people to go back to work, peoples weekly budgeting on commuting, will not give workers a higher standard of living. Also I would assume since the environment is a concern to a lot of people, encouraging public transport would be a benefit if it was reliable and affordable. but all this is opinion and not fact, however my personal annoyance is the town i stay in (a large town south of glasgow) 6 days a week has great service about 3 trains an hour to the city on a sunday, trains in once an hour (which is an annoyance but I believe most people have something similar) HOWEVER between 7pm and 10:30pm (ish) there is no trains between glasgow and my town BUT you can go between my town and Glasgow during that time. So i do grudge paying the "normal rate" for an "unnormal" service. 

ooh good to get that rant out  

At the end of the day someone has to pay for it, I think the average season ticket has gone up around £150 a year. The congestion charge in London has recently gone up £390 a year, parking has also gone up. So getting to work by train isn't to bad, everyone has a choice of where and how they get to work. I don't see why any public transport is subsidised by the taxpayer when the company's that operate them are private. I guess your opinion is based on depends on which mode of transport you use. There's nothing I hate more than seeing an 86 seater bus with 2 people onboard whizzing down a bus lane whilst I'm sitting in a traffic queue. What gives them the right to get to where their going quicker than me?

Had a few meetings in Edinburgh over the last few months, so have been watching with interest the final touches to the new Tram service, and then it's launch. On the face of it as a visitor it seems a really good service, direct from the airport to the city centre.

But it has been a horrendously expensive project for the tax payer, that was fraught with problems and spiralling costs. Speaking to locals, there doesn't seem to be many people with a good word to say for it, and none of the trams I saw were particularly busy, even during rush hour. But it is a brand new service, so maybe it will take a while to bed in. Will confess to using a taxi, which was just laziness.

Going up again in a couple of weeks, so looking forward to trying it out, and see if it's got any busier.

But to get to Edinburgh, I wouldn't dream of using the train. I fly.

The cheapest return ticket to Edinburgh is £132 if I'm flexible with times, otherwise it's £270. That will take me just under 5 hours 

Or I can fly from Birmingham Airport, and including parking will cost £145 return (with an extra bag) and takes 1 hour 20 mins.  If the train was a lot cheaper, then maybe it's worth the longer journey and do some work on the way. But current prices doesn't make any sense.

Going to London is more practical on the Train. If I book a couple of weeks in advance, I can get a return ticket for £42 from Warwick to Marylebone, which I think is a pretty good price, and gets me into London for 09.30.

I drove into London last time, accidentally wondered into a congestion charge zone without realising so got stung for that, the NCP carpark cost more than my car, and by the time you add in fuel, I should have just stuck with the train

The train service to London has definitely got better over the years, and cost wise seems pretty reasonable, although trains are always very busy, which is maybe why they can keep prices down compared to less busy routes.

Recently took the family to London for a weekend, travelled off peak, and a family train ticket was ridiculously cheap. Coupled with a good old Premier Inn Family £79 room, opposite the London Eye, made for a really cheap break.

I guess a lot of the argument will be down to your location and the services available. That's at least one advantage being in the Midlands, surrounded by a good road and rail network, both North and South.

Indeed I think it does come down to location and services available. Just sadly we can't have it as cheap or regular as they do in Hong Kong (it so cheap an hour first class is equivalent of £2.00 ish) but again they have more people using it, and also you not always guaranteed to get a set as they are design to pack in as many people as possible. It is true it need to be paid for someone, just sadly everything seem to be a rising cost and this has a knock on effect. (though i do stand buy that sunday transport should in this modern age be the same as any other day ) 

Yeh the tram thing in edinburgh is interesting, I not used it I not even been there since they came "live". Locals hate them after the inconveniences, traffic jams etc and some people say they will make a loss, and a ticket on it costs more than the same journey by bus (though I don't know how accurate that info is) But maybe tourist will like it. and in the long term it may help congestion. I guess only time will tell. 

But yeah when i go to longo I try and book early and fly if possible. It great alternative to getting the train down if you can get a good price. plus it quicker

Least we live in the modern age and not have to get around like Fred Flintstone  

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