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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jan/02/five-reasons-why-guardian-readers-hate-taking-the-train
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| Four reasons why Guardian readers hate taking the train | Four reasons why Guardian readers hate taking the train |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| 1. They are expensive | |
| Case study | |
| Bath to London – GWR | |
| Molly Conisbee, 46, a researcher, commutes from Oldfield Park in Bath to Bristol for work and also cares for an elderly relative in London, regularly travelling from Bath Spa to Paddington – “paying anything £50 to £150 depending on time of day and urgency with which I need to travel”. | Molly Conisbee, 46, a researcher, commutes from Oldfield Park in Bath to Bristol for work and also cares for an elderly relative in London, regularly travelling from Bath Spa to Paddington – “paying anything £50 to £150 depending on time of day and urgency with which I need to travel”. |
| “I have done the Bath-Bristol commute for nigh on 13 years and it has never been so poor. Pretty much every day one or both journeys are heavily delayed or cancelled. Trains are packed. The number of services from my local Bath station have been reduced despite massive housebuilding in the area meaning, presumably, more commuters. Often toilets don’t work and the trains are filthy. | “I have done the Bath-Bristol commute for nigh on 13 years and it has never been so poor. Pretty much every day one or both journeys are heavily delayed or cancelled. Trains are packed. The number of services from my local Bath station have been reduced despite massive housebuilding in the area meaning, presumably, more commuters. Often toilets don’t work and the trains are filthy. |
| “The staff seem ground down and sometimes are understandably pissed off with customers because they are the front line of the service and bear the brunt of our complaints. I have written to GWR to complain and what is frustrating is that you get a response that could have been written by a robot. There is zero-accountability for the terrible service, and the frontline staff are left to bear the brunt of all of our frustrations as travellers.” | “The staff seem ground down and sometimes are understandably pissed off with customers because they are the front line of the service and bear the brunt of our complaints. I have written to GWR to complain and what is frustrating is that you get a response that could have been written by a robot. There is zero-accountability for the terrible service, and the frontline staff are left to bear the brunt of all of our frustrations as travellers.” |
| 2. They are overcrowded | |
| Case study | |
| Southern | |
| Courtenay Blench, 27, an account manager, commutes at peak times from Brighton to Wimbledon with an annual season ticket costing £4,000. She has two changes, at Haywards Heath and Clapham Junction. | Courtenay Blench, 27, an account manager, commutes at peak times from Brighton to Wimbledon with an annual season ticket costing £4,000. She has two changes, at Haywards Heath and Clapham Junction. |
| “I’m commuting on a Southern train so it’s like being in the seventh circle of hell – a never-ending limbo of delayed trains, strikes, cancellations, reduced services, overcrowding and seats so small you’re sat on top of your neighbour. Thankfully I only have to commute three days a week, but that’s still a good six hours spent on the disastrous service. Poor souls who go the full five. | “I’m commuting on a Southern train so it’s like being in the seventh circle of hell – a never-ending limbo of delayed trains, strikes, cancellations, reduced services, overcrowding and seats so small you’re sat on top of your neighbour. Thankfully I only have to commute three days a week, but that’s still a good six hours spent on the disastrous service. Poor souls who go the full five. |
| “There are delays nearly every day which is not helped by the fact I get three separate trains. If any one of them are delayed then my journey is considerably longer. Trains are frequently overcrowded. It’s practically inhumane how crowded they can get. God help you if you want to reach the bathroom. Since the new timetable came in the Brighton to London service is less frequent and there are no direct trains to Clapham at peak times – what madness is that?” | “There are delays nearly every day which is not helped by the fact I get three separate trains. If any one of them are delayed then my journey is considerably longer. Trains are frequently overcrowded. It’s practically inhumane how crowded they can get. God help you if you want to reach the bathroom. Since the new timetable came in the Brighton to London service is less frequent and there are no direct trains to Clapham at peak times – what madness is that?” |
| Case study | |
| Woking to Waterloo – South Western Railway | |
| Lesley Ferrando, an employment regulatory specialist, commutes at peak times from Woking to Waterloo which costs £21 per day, £400 per month. | Lesley Ferrando, an employment regulatory specialist, commutes at peak times from Woking to Waterloo which costs £21 per day, £400 per month. |
| “It’s terrible, a rip-off. I dread the two hours [travelling time] that it’s become. The service is completely unreliable, and there’s been a massive decline over the last 18 months. Trains are delayed every single day. It affects my job, my health and my social life. It drains me, stresses me and prevents me from doing other things because I can’t plan anything. | “It’s terrible, a rip-off. I dread the two hours [travelling time] that it’s become. The service is completely unreliable, and there’s been a massive decline over the last 18 months. Trains are delayed every single day. It affects my job, my health and my social life. It drains me, stresses me and prevents me from doing other things because I can’t plan anything. |
| “Trains are mostly overcrowded and getting a seat is a mission. It’s often uncomfortable, and I’m thinking I’m going to pass out. I can often only get on the second or third train.” | “Trains are mostly overcrowded and getting a seat is a mission. It’s often uncomfortable, and I’m thinking I’m going to pass out. I can often only get on the second or third train.” |
| 3. Some rarely run on time | |
| Case study | |
| LNER | |
| David Handley, 41, a lawyer, commutes from Peterborough to King’s Cross on LNER – with an annual season ticket costing £8,412.50 including tube travel – about to rise to £8,680. | David Handley, 41, a lawyer, commutes from Peterborough to King’s Cross on LNER – with an annual season ticket costing £8,412.50 including tube travel – about to rise to £8,680. |
| “It’s a disgrace. Not only is it half the national average wage – taking tax into account – the service rarely works. There are delays almost on a daily basis. It might only be a few minutes a day but over the course of a year those minutes add up to significant lost time. The delays are also mainly caused by avoidable issues such as broken down trains or signal failures. Though the services seem to be the same in number, the times – especially in the morning – have become much less convenient.” | “It’s a disgrace. Not only is it half the national average wage – taking tax into account – the service rarely works. There are delays almost on a daily basis. It might only be a few minutes a day but over the course of a year those minutes add up to significant lost time. The delays are also mainly caused by avoidable issues such as broken down trains or signal failures. Though the services seem to be the same in number, the times – especially in the morning – have become much less convenient.” |
| Case study | |
| Transpennine | |
| Julie Smith, 42, works for a mental health charity in Leeds, commutes from Huddersfield on a £1,662.80 annual corporate pass, which is deducted from her wage. | Julie Smith, 42, works for a mental health charity in Leeds, commutes from Huddersfield on a £1,662.80 annual corporate pass, which is deducted from her wage. |
| “It’s cheaper than it would be if I were paying on a daily basis, but I don’t feel that the continued rise of rail fares is justified, given that the service is so unreliable and overcrowded. | “It’s cheaper than it would be if I were paying on a daily basis, but I don’t feel that the continued rise of rail fares is justified, given that the service is so unreliable and overcrowded. |
| “The service is terrible. Overcrowded, unreliable and comparatively expensive. My trains are delayed every day, that’s the only thing that is reliable! Often I check the train times online on my way to the station and they look to be running on time. I get to the station to find that they are usually running at least 5-10 mins late. On some occasions they are cancelled due to the lack of a driver. It’s worse in the evening rush hour. I often let the train go and wait for the next to arrive. There are additional train services on this line, but these are very unreliable.” | “The service is terrible. Overcrowded, unreliable and comparatively expensive. My trains are delayed every day, that’s the only thing that is reliable! Often I check the train times online on my way to the station and they look to be running on time. I get to the station to find that they are usually running at least 5-10 mins late. On some occasions they are cancelled due to the lack of a driver. It’s worse in the evening rush hour. I often let the train go and wait for the next to arrive. There are additional train services on this line, but these are very unreliable.” |
| 4. Overall satisfaction is low | |
| Case study | |
| Southeastern | |
| Rory Oliver, 41, software developer in London, commutes from Bearsted to Blackfriars, paying £113 per week (£116.60 from January). | Rory Oliver, 41, software developer in London, commutes from Bearsted to Blackfriars, paying £113 per week (£116.60 from January). |
| “I work four days a week so am currently overpaying by around 20%. I don’t bother buying an annual as when you calculate holidays etc it’s no saving over buying a weekly. | “I work four days a week so am currently overpaying by around 20%. I don’t bother buying an annual as when you calculate holidays etc it’s no saving over buying a weekly. |
| “Our journey is 39 miles and it takes 90 minutes or so. Absolutely disgraceful! It is often late, and is always full. It never arrives within 60 secs of the advertised arrival time so I would say it’s late 100% of the time. My train is overcrowded; it is eight carriages when it should be 12. I get on quite early in the journey but I feel for those more than two to three stations further down the line as they never get a seat.” | “Our journey is 39 miles and it takes 90 minutes or so. Absolutely disgraceful! It is often late, and is always full. It never arrives within 60 secs of the advertised arrival time so I would say it’s late 100% of the time. My train is overcrowded; it is eight carriages when it should be 12. I get on quite early in the journey but I feel for those more than two to three stations further down the line as they never get a seat.” |
| Case study | |
| Northern | |
| Alison Johnson, 50, commutes at peak from New Mills Central to Ashburys, buying a £9.70 open return (£10 from January) as she is not in the Manchester office every day. | Alison Johnson, 50, commutes at peak from New Mills Central to Ashburys, buying a £9.70 open return (£10 from January) as she is not in the Manchester office every day. |
| “I catch the train, not because it’s more convenient, quicker, easier or cheaper but because I feel strongly that commuting by car is ecologically a choice I shouldn’t be making. The pricing policy is mind-boggling. Promise after promise of improvement is made but in reality all we get is deterioration of the service. | “I catch the train, not because it’s more convenient, quicker, easier or cheaper but because I feel strongly that commuting by car is ecologically a choice I shouldn’t be making. The pricing policy is mind-boggling. Promise after promise of improvement is made but in reality all we get is deterioration of the service. |
| “Since I started this commute four years ago the cost has gone up, the frequency of trains has reduced, and the short-formed trains are more and more frequent in rush hour. I checked the figures for last month and my evening train was delayed on 100% of its journeys. My train to work leaves on time but is consistently 5–7 minutes late by the time it reaches its destination. | “Since I started this commute four years ago the cost has gone up, the frequency of trains has reduced, and the short-formed trains are more and more frequent in rush hour. I checked the figures for last month and my evening train was delayed on 100% of its journeys. My train to work leaves on time but is consistently 5–7 minutes late by the time it reaches its destination. |
| “Overcrowding is horrific. The train company don’t seem to understand the consequences of halving the capacity on a rush-hour train. Now there’s one train an hour and if the target train is too full to get on it’s a long time until the next one on a station without a waiting room, exposed to the elements of Manchester’s unholy winter weather.” | “Overcrowding is horrific. The train company don’t seem to understand the consequences of halving the capacity on a rush-hour train. Now there’s one train an hour and if the target train is too full to get on it’s a long time until the next one on a station without a waiting room, exposed to the elements of Manchester’s unholy winter weather.” |
| Case study | |
| Great Northern | |
| Jason Flynn, 46, an insurance broker, commutes at peak times from Letchworth to King’s Cross, with an annual season ticket costing £4216 (£4338 from January) | Jason Flynn, 46, an insurance broker, commutes at peak times from Letchworth to King’s Cross, with an annual season ticket costing £4216 (£4338 from January) |
| “Since May 2018, it’s been terrible. Since late August it has been better but still too many trains cancelled or delayed. It is often overcrowded. Unless you leave home at 6am, many of the 7am–8am trains can be standing room only; it really varies. Overall I’ve never had to leave home so early, so regularly, in my entire working life. | “Since May 2018, it’s been terrible. Since late August it has been better but still too many trains cancelled or delayed. It is often overcrowded. Unless you leave home at 6am, many of the 7am–8am trains can be standing room only; it really varies. Overall I’ve never had to leave home so early, so regularly, in my entire working life. |
| “We’ve also lost services. The majority of fast trains in the evenings disappeared in May 2018 but most are coming back in December due to amazing work by our local Rail Users Group. | “We’ve also lost services. The majority of fast trains in the evenings disappeared in May 2018 but most are coming back in December due to amazing work by our local Rail Users Group. |
| “The buck stops with the goverment and the [Department for Transport). Terrible management and huge lack of investment for over 30+ years means we are where we are. The current model is broken. National Rail get away nearly scot-free, hiding behind the blame generated against the train companies; they need to take their share of the blame and in plain sight, not hiding in the shadows.” | “The buck stops with the goverment and the [Department for Transport). Terrible management and huge lack of investment for over 30+ years means we are where we are. The current model is broken. National Rail get away nearly scot-free, hiding behind the blame generated against the train companies; they need to take their share of the blame and in plain sight, not hiding in the shadows.” |
| Case studies and quotes are from Guardian readers who responded to a Guardian callout | |
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