Train Services In The UK

Book two weeks in advance at a non-peak time, and still the journey from London to Newcastle is way more expensive than a cheap flight on a budget airline.

I’m usually a placid beast, but one thing guaranteed to bring me out in a consummate rage is the disgracefully-priced British railway system. In an era of cheap flights and budget airlines I find it absolutely disgusting that a return flight to Barcelona, Berlin or Prague can cost me less than the return journey to or from London Gatwick, Luton or Stansted airport by train.

This simply doesn’t make sense, especially when the British Government is trying to encourage people to travel by rail rather than road.

It’s worth bearing this in mind if planning to go to festivals and events in England, Scotland or Wales – the cost of the train ticket may cost you more than the three day pass for a music festival involving some of the world’s greatest bands.

I was recently looking at prices for a train journey from London to Newcastle, and I was absolutely staggered at how much it would cost for a return journey. It would be genuinely cheaper to fly with a budget airline, if the cost of getting the train to the airport hadn’t got to be factored in.

One of the main tips I’ll pass on to visitors when looking into booking trains in England is to buy two singles instead of a return ticket (it’s almost invariably cheaper). It also pays to book at least two hours in advance and at non-peak times, as then the prices drop to merely outrageous from absolutely scandalous. Even so, I was looking at a price I just couldn’t justify – and decided that I’d be better off heading to Croatia or Malta instead.