What grinds my gears...

[The Year Of The Fox]

I tend to put 'English' in the 'other' section if the option isn't already there.

[flowwolf]

 

Flowolf just reminded me of something in another thread.

When I fill forms in and it is asked what country I am from the only choice that is close is United Kingdom.

For the record UK is not a country.

 

This is embarrassing, agreeing with Flowolf.

Eureka ! I have it !

[flowwolf]

I tend to put 'English' in the 'other' section if the option isn't already there.

 

You should not have done that. They have your name and address on the questionnaire. You have now been put on the dangerous racist list at Whitehall. 

[Webbo]

If the option exists I tend to put "prefer not to say" as it's nobody's business except mine.

[Jon the Hat]

Flowolf just reminded me of something in another thread.

When I fill forms in and it is asked what country I am from the only choice that is close is United Kingdom.

For the record UK is not a country.

 

This is embarrassing, agreeing with Flowolf.

 

I figure if dozens of international organisations treat the UK as a country, I can probably live with it on a form.

[Guest MattP]

How expensive the trains have become.

Just booked Leicester-London return and its now £125.

Should be encouraging people to use it.

[Guest]

How expensive the trains have become.

Just booked Leicester-London return and its now £125.

Should be encouraging people to use it.

Exactly. I've long maintained I'd happily get rid of my car if there was a regular, reliable and affordable option of train travel. Along with being prohibitively expensive the hours of service and regularity are poor to say the least.

[Rincewind]

I have to renew my over 60's card at some point. At the beginning of July I get free bus travel and half price local train travel.

A travel card is £20- £60 depending on length and I thinks its a 1/3 off.

[flowwolf]

I would like to know the names and addresses of the designers who ( 1 ) designed the interior car fabric that acts like fvcking Velcro so that every bit of shit known to man sticks no matter how hard you try to hoover it clean, and ( 2 ) the smart arse who uses old sheets of sandpaper to make the tags in the back of shirt collars.

 

I would risk a lengthy jail term just to be able to letter bomb the bastards.

Edited 10 June 2013 by flowwolf

[Guest MattP]

Exactly. I've long maintained I'd happily get rid of my car if there was a regular, reliable and affordable option of train travel. Along with being prohibitively expensive the hours of service and regularity are poor to say the least.

Yep. They dont want people taking short haul flights but then the other option is being ripped off.

[Rincewind]

I should hate to be in their shoes if they did anything criminal.

[Guest MattP]

I have to renew my over 60's card at some point. At the beginning of July I get free bus travel and half price local train travel.

A travel card is £20- £60 depending on length and I thinks its a 1/3 off.

What's local train travel classed as and does the discount include first class?

[Wymsey]

Having a private medical check-up (which could be painful) at 8:30am on Wednesday. 

Edited 10 June 2013 by Wymeswold fox

[Rincewind]

What's local train travel classed as and does the discount include first class?

 

 

Its between certain hours and just standard travel. On the buses it's free from 9 AM hal before.

Not sure if the trains are free in the Midland region. Will need to find out if it is worth renewing my card.

Depends on my money and spare time.

[Fox92]

How expensive the trains have become.

Just booked Leicester-London return and its now £125.

Should be encouraging people to use it.

 

I watched a rail program about two/three months back now, not sure if anyone else watched it. Was mainly on the east coast line (Kings Cross, Leeds, Peterborough etc)...

 

They get so much pinched off them, the tickets go up. Copper wire from the track is the big one. Actually unbelievable what people go through to pinch from rail companies. Then you've got people killing themselves, accidents etc which cause delays and for every minute a service is delayed, the train company has to pay around £1000 a minute (or something stupid like that). Just like National Rail have to pay the companies when the disrupt services via maintenance.

 

I'm not disagreeing with you, because I use trains quite a lot, but some people (a lot of people I know) don't realise how train companies have to cope at times/pushed to limits.

[Guest MattP]

Interesting stuff.

Just don't understand why its so cheaper elsewhere.

[MooseBreath]

Train fares have gone up because the government has been reducing the amount they subsidise them by. So now more of the cost is passed onto the actual consumer in the form of higher ticket prices, and less of it is paid by the taxpayer who may never even use the service. Which is the right way to go in my opinion, but it does highlight how poor the trains are from a value for money perspective.

Edited 10 June 2013 by MooseBreath

[leicsmac]

Interesting stuff.

Just don't understand why its so cheaper elsewhere.

 

Lack of desperate thieving bastards? Or better at catching them?

 

South Korean rail service was by far and away the best I've ever travelled on. KTX from Cheongju to Seoul (probably about Leicester-London distance wise) cost about 15 quid return and got you there in less than an hour. Pre-booked seats and clean too.

Edited 10 June 2013 by leicsmac

[leicsmac]

Train fares have gone up because the government has been reducing the amount they subsidise them by. So now more of the cost is passed onto the actual consumer in the form of higher ticket prices, and less of it is paid by the taxpayer who may never even use the service. Which is the right way to go in my opinion, but it does highlight how poor the trains are from a value for money perspective.

 

This is true enough - the market influence making itself felt. You wonder how much more the spiral of reduced users and increased ticket prices will go up before the service actually collapses due to people not using it.

 

I wonder how they could make it cheaper, more efficient and therefore encourage more people to use it?

Edited 10 June 2013 by leicsmac

[Guest MattP]

Train fares have gone up because the government has been reducing the amount they subsidise them by. So now more of the cost is passed onto the actual consumer in the form of higher ticket prices, and less of it is paid by the taxpayer who may never even use the service. Which is the right way to go in my opinion, but it does highlight how poor the trains are from a value for money perspective.

Agree taxpayers shouldn't be subsidising fares.

It's worrying though, with price rises and my own financial situation getting worse im dreading the day ill be sat in the standard carriage.

I walked through one a few months back and it was absolutely ghastly.

Edited 10 June 2013 by MattP

[Guest MattP]

Lack of desperate thieving bastards? Or better at catching them?

South Korean rail service was by far and away the best I've ever travelled on. KTX from Cheongju to Seoul (probably about Leicester-London distance wise) cost about 15 quid return and got you there in less than an hour. Pre-booked seats and clean too.

Australia is very good as well. Cheap and clean

[Guest]

Agree taxpayers shouldn't be subsidising fares.

It's worrying though, with price rises and my own financial situation getting worse im dreading the day ill be sat in the standard carriage.

I walked through one a few months back and it was absolutely ghastly.

Did they knock your monocle off?

[sphericalfox]

Agree taxpayers shouldn't be subsidising fares.

It's worrying though, with price rises and my own financial situation getting worse im dreading the day ill be sat in the standard carriage.

I walked through one a few months back and it was absolutely ghastly.

 

 

[purpleronnie]

I don't use the trains a lot but when I have its always been nice, always on time, very clean and I always search round for the best deals...still expensive compared to other countries though.

[MooseBreath]

This is true enough - the market influence making itself felt. You wonder how much more the spiral of reduced users and increased ticket prices will go up before the service actually collapses due to people not using it.

I wonder how they could make it cheaper, more efficient and therefore encourage more people to use it?

For a start I would remove all government subsidy and make it a pure profit or loss game for the rail companies. At the moment they are guaranteed profit due to the subsidies which effectively means you get the worst of nationalisation, and the worst of privatisation. The rail companies know that no matter how poorly they perform they'll still make a profit, so where is their incentive to improve?

If you fully privatise the entire industry then the market will decide optimal service and pricing levels. Where it will end up, who knows. It may well be the case that the railways simply aren't profitable in this country. Or maybe the rail companies, motivated by profit, will drive so much efficiency into the system that we'll actually end up with a cheap, reliable and popular service.