Let's get started with something that really hacks me off about Third Rate Western - the fares. Now I'll grudgingly accept that they are not the only company ripping off commuters, but they do a damn fine job of it.
From Bristol Temple Meads station to London Paddington station, it's about 117 miles by road. Ask Google Maps, it's true!
A Ford Focus 1.6TDCI costs 40p per mile to run, including fuel, wear and tear, maintenance and depreciation. I don't have an economical Ford Focus, of course, but if I used the cost per mile of my car, I might just prove that trains are cheap, which would be a bad thing.
A standard class return train ticket from Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington at peak time (which is, let's be honest, when most of us need to travel - you know, to do our jobs) costs £125
So, if I go by car on my own, it's going to cost me 117 x 2 x 40p - that's £93.60 compared to £125 on Third Rate Western and frankly the bacon roll that's been in my glovebox for the last 3 months tastes better than the ones on the train so we're looking at a win-win situation here.
But wait, what if I go with 3 colleagues? By train, that's going to cost us a cool £500. In the car, well hang on, it's still going to be £93.60.
These trains, they're a bit of a rip-off really, aren't they?
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Good point - and something I've considered doing.
I commute from Swindon to Reading.
Cost wise - its costing me about £6 more a day, to use the train, than if I drove to work.
The reason I use the train is, I work on-call. If its been a particularly heavy night of work, and I drive into Reading for my office hours, chances are, the central reservation of the M4 becomes my bed.
So I get the train, get 30mins sleep, or read and also, the right to live.
Paying a train company so I can stay alive, that's freakonomics for you.
But I whole-heartedly agree - the train fares don't add up.
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