Christmas Travel

[caddyman]

I haven't decided yet (though I shall have to, shortly) whether I am going home today or very early tomorrow. I have already had a text from my sister telling me my youngest niece wants me to go home today; the emotional blackmail begins before breakfast.

I have done the early run home on Christmas Eve before and once started, it isn't so bad. You can always doze off on the train. It's a bind, but not really a problem.

Coming back to London after Christmas will be a problem. The West Coast Line is being dug up again. I think that since the Paddington rail crash in 1999, there has been about one year when the lines have not been subject to hectic maintenance. I don't think much more than a fiver in maintenance was spent on the entire network between Nationalization in 1948 and de-Nationalization in the mid 80s, and maybe a tenner in the ten years before the rail crash. People have to die before improvements are made and that's what happened. So, time to get 60 years of maintenance done in under ten years.

The upshot is that on 29th when I aim to come back to London, I have two options: I can either take the usual route from Shrewsbury to London. That will involve rail replacement buses between Birmingham International and Northampton. Total travel time over 155 miles? Three hours 55 minutes.

Or, I can take the train from Shrewsbury to Birmingham New Street, walk across the city centre to Moor Street Station and travel down to London Marylebone. Total travel time a much more acceptable two hours 46 minutes but with a 20 minute walk in the middle with bags. If I take this option, I can't get a return ticket as I shall be using a different series of rail companies. That will effectively move the fare for the holiday from an already extortionate £45 to around £90...

I hate traveling in the UK.

Comments

[bitofstuff.livejournal.com]

There's something wrong with a system where in order to get a cheap ticket you have to book three years in advance. There's also something wrong with a system where if I buy a cheapday return to London, I'm not allowed to get on 90% of the trains coming back to Reading should I end up coming home between the hours of 4 and 7. I have spent a lot of time in Paddington station since I discovered this delightful piece of rail company money-making frippery. I understand that one has to pay for improvements to services and such; however, it now costs me 2.90 for a return bus ticket into town, a distance of less than a mile (I'd walk, but I'm a cripple at the moment). What happened to providing reasonable low cost services that actually made it possible for people to live and travel without owning a car?

I suppose at least we don't have to fly everywhere since our country is really rather bijou.

[nyarbaggytep.livejournal.com]

It only takes 5 mins from New Street to Moor Street. New Street to Snow Hill is more like 20.

[bluesman.livejournal.com]

Would it be cheaper to rent a car, Bry? Still, traffic on the way back will be grottoid.

[phil99.livejournal.com]

I must be getting too used to train fares, but I don't think £45 is bad for a return ticket from London to Shrewsbury. It's gonna cost that much in petrol, never mind adding on "wear 'n' tear"