@neil even as someone who like trains, I just don’t travel on the trains as much as I could because it’s just not viable for my needs

The cost of a rail fare with the timetable and the unreliable service occurs just often enough in enough cases that I would rather drive considerably more (even with the current price of petrol) than take the train

(Doesn’t help that my local health board does not offer shuttle services between the main train station and work, rather providing a park and ride service that operates further from home, with a frequency that makes it hard for anyone to arrive for a normal working shift)

@neil it is deranged. My return to London isn’t as bad as yours (about £40), but if I want to take the family into Brighton (which is closer than London, and a much nicer place) it’s several hundred pounds and multiple hours to go by train, versus a 40 minute drive that costs less than a fiver in electricity (yes plus parking, but even that only adds about £25).

@neil the scary part is that they make Herculean efforts to ensure that the commuter trains run on time, because it affects the most people. (And most refund-savvy folks at that)
Travelling off-peak on trains is a disaster. Weekday afternoons services just evaporate. Weekends? Lol.
Of course, the answer is the extraction of profit, the lack of capacity and redundancy, the poor treatment of staff etc.
Glad I don't live in Leeds any more. Until recently, trains were still made out of old buses.

@neil I'm also commuting today and lucky to be far enough out to get a seat. Not sure how it will be on the DLR later

@neil And don't forget to pray it doesn't fall apart in the small time between you leaving the house and arriving at the station.

@neil Or indeed running at all, since it rained heavily last night, so chances are the track will be flooded AGAIN.