planes, trains and buses

[Amp34]

Rather a 40min flight and the transfer than a days worth of bus or train travel.

You'll save about an hour going by air when you consider checking in and waiting past security as well as the flight, probably even less depending on where you live in comparison to the airport/train station - train stations are usually closer as they are actually in town.

Plus a train is just an all round nicer experience than being crammed in a dry tube for an hour.

 

[Scrutinize]

You'll save about an hour going by air when you consider checking in and waiting past security as well as the flight, probably even less depending on where you live in comparison to the airport/train station - train stations are usually closer as they are actually in town.

Plus a train is just an all round nicer experience than being crammed in a dry tube for an hour.

Not internal flights from a local airport. Takes 30 mins from entering the airport to boarding or quicker. It's 2 hours all in including the flight (worse case) vs a day on the train.

 

[scorza]

How many other train journeys in this country were completed without delay in that same day?

None at all on the East Coast Mainline. A similar thing happened yesterday for the West Coast Mainline too, with a trackside fire at Euston.

 

[Amp34]

Not internal flights from a local airport. Takes 30 mins from entering the airport to boarding or quicker. It's 2 hours all in including the flight (worse case) vs a day on the train.

Four and a half hours on the train (plus an hour on the tube).

Have you also factored in the fact most people are not going to be arriving half an hour before a flight if it's not a regular commute and the fact you have to pick luggage up at the other end. From past experience individual internal flights have to have about two hours extra to the flight time.

You're basically paying twice the price to save yourself a couple of hours, but have to deal with a lot more crap.

Edit: oh and good luck getting through security within that half hour time limit if you ever fly from somewhere like Luton or Stansted at a remotely popular time. It can take 45 minutes just in security. No idea what the security wait at Glasgow is however.

 

[Six6siX]

None at all on the East Coast Mainline. A similar thing happened yesterday for the West Coast Mainline too, with a trackside fire at Euston.

Ah I see so one off major incidents delaying trains on one line over a period of a few hours at a time = unreliable trains in the whole of the country. Gotcha!

 

[arknor]

Not internal flights from a local airport. Takes 30 mins from entering the airport to boarding or quicker. It's 2 hours all in including the flight (worse case) vs a day on the train.

doesn't it usually tell you when you book a flight that boarding closes 40minutes before take off?

okay it doesn't seem like that actually happens but you would be an idiot to turn up at a local airport just in time for boarding to open.

newcastle airport is tiny, usually security has no queue, one time decided oh it never has queues anyway, turned up at the airport doors 40minutes before take off and barely managed to catch the flight because for once security had a lot of people, and most people are morons who take forever to actually empty their pockets, take off their belts, get the electricals out etc.

I'd never turn up to an airport again after the luggage drop off for my flight has closed which is a long time before the gate has been announced.

you don't give your self much room to catch the flight even if you don't have luggage.

in my experience train over plane, but I don't travel on UK trains which may be far less superior compared to the swiss trains which are double decker, pretty god damn long, have a restaurant car and are 80% of the time exactly on time.

I do a 3.5hour train to zurich from geneva even though the plane even including airport time would probably be 1-1.5hours quicker and about the same price..., no stress, can choose where to sit and don't feel like my privacy is being invaded by someone elses arm.

 

[scorza]

Ah I see so one off major incidents delaying trains on one line over a period of a few hours at a time = unreliable trains in the whole of the country. Gotcha!

Two major incidents of disruption in two weeks affecting two different lines. Using the train is just not a risk I'd be prepared to take if I had to be anywhere important. Sorry if that offends you. Have you ever had to stand up for five hours on a dangerously overcrowded train as it trundles through the Lincolnshire countryside at 20mph?

 

[tom_nieto]

The cheapest that I can find Buckfast online is £7.99. We'll assume that you can find an extra quid down the back of the sofa and buy 4 bottles for £32 with the saving of the bus fare over the train. This will probably give ample entertainment for you and, by proxy, your fellow passengers for a 9 hour bus ride. We'll also assume that you're a true Scotsman and will drink all four bottles straight away without spacing them out. This will allow you to finish off the booze and be sober enough to board your flight at Heathrow by the time you arrive.

Take the bus.

 

[Six6siX]

Two major incidents of disruption in two weeks affecting two different lines. Using the train is just not a risk I'd be prepared to take if I had to be anywhere important. Sorry if that offends you. Have you ever had to stand up for five hours on a dangerously overcrowded train as it trundles through the Lincolnshire countryside at 20mph?

It doesn't offend me at all - why would that be offensive? I've had my fair share of bad train journeys too. And 'dangerously overcrowded'? 'Crowded', sure I can believe that - we've all been crammed into carriages standing up on various trips which is not comfortable but maybe get some perspective on what 'dangerously overcrowded' actually is - look at some other countries and their standards of rail travel! We have extremely safe rail travel in comparison - even if you do have to stand up in someones armpit.

But anyway, not taking the train because you perceive the risk of a delay to be too large is entirely subjective and personal choice. But that does not somehow translate into fact that all the trains in this country are unreliable - in fact, the majority of major rail operators consistently run with over 90% of trains on time over reasonable sample periods. That's a lot of journeys without delay every day.

 

[Things change I've changed]

I practically live on the train (West country main line) and find that they really aren't too bad, anytime they've been late and I've missed my connection they've booked me a taxi and I've arrived home quicker than I would've done on the train! Also another thing about using the train is keep a track of live train times using your phone, there are often cross-country trains that run in between the main intercity services that you can grab early if your train is running late.

 

[Surfer]

As mentioned above its an hour on a tube (which is bad enough, even if your not been on a mega bus for 9hours already) from Victoria to Heathrow, so factor that in to your cost & time. That does seem a very cheap train from Glasgow to London so go for train 1, or even better pay £80 and get a first ticket (although check what sort of service you get on that line, you may well get free booze and a decent meal!)

They emailed me to offer a 1st class upgrade for £20 i would just show them the email and the cash when boarding to get moved to 1st class.

All you get though is slightly better seats, free wifi and a complimentary meal with a drink. So i think i will pass. They already gave me a wifi voucher to use on the train...though it doesnt say for how long it lasts.

 

[Surfer]

Balls! i forgot that Thailand doesnt take scottish bank notes...sigh. And my bank said the machine they use for changing to english notes isnt working....marvelous. So will have to hope another bank will be happy to change scottish notes to english ones. Tried RBS already and they wont do it unless you're a customer of theirs.

 

[Surfer]

What are my options if my bank cant help me. The teller even said to me "yeah you will be able to exchange them in Thailand no problem"

Well it becomes a problem if exchanging a scottish note i get either a) no deal no exchange b) a massively reduced exchange rate value for them)

Im not sure this qualifies yet but ..........