18 May 2015

Moan on Monday - the pain of the train

The Cornelia Parker exhibition at the revamped Whitworth art gallery is nearing its final days. We plan to go see it on Saturday. I looked up train fares and after grappling with the trainline site found this ...
Cheapest (admittedly it's an open return, off-peak) is £163 for the two tickets ... which shoots up to £658 if travel during rush hour is involved. And first class ... nearly £1000!

On another site, with a much easier booking system, the cheapest fare for two is £79, which makes it almost affordable. That system allowed you to specify if you have railcards, but you had to choose a train time both ways.

Book two months ahead, though, and a one-way ticket, per person, can be had for £15 - £60 return for two, if you can fit in with train availability.

Spontaneity doesn't come cheap, where rail travel is concerned. But spending 9 hours on the coach, however little it costs - though "FROM £12" could mean anything - is not an option.

1 comment:

M said...

Booking 12 weeks in advance gets you the cheapest train tickets I've found. I travel to Aberdeen annually and the 'normal' fares are ridiculous. It's sad that spontaneity is only affordable to the wealthy. I'm sure years ago before privatisation we usually bought tickets on the day we decided to travel. Certainly not months in advance!