Just don't Tel Mrs. Bucket.

I can invite a friend to chaperone? haha

Just to round this off. The travel was exemplary around Spain.
The trains are comfortable, reliable and have buffet cars Buses weren't too bad either. Barcelonas underground and tram system works too.
Everything was comprehensible and we soon got into the swing of it, not until returning to the UK did we realise how run down our travel network is. In Spain the bus depot is near the train station which, in the case of Santander, is also near the port. Returning to Portsmouth, walking 15 to 20 minutes to the train station (next bus half an hour), to find an old and clanky ride in an over subscribed service (sardines), a million miles from assigned seating and some reasonable coffee. Not to mention the weather either but thats hols for you.

I imagine a lot of Europeans quietly p!ss themselves laughing at how god awful public transport in the UK is (relative to the cost anyway)... right up until they have to use it.

Generally they don't know how bad it is, until they come to use it.

I know my cannot was horrified when we had to get from Stansted to Brighton.

The Italians moan about their trains all the time. But you can get from Milan to Rome in 4 hours for about £30 in style and comfort. It's actually cheaper for me to make a one-way car rental from LGW or LHR to Cornwall and fuel it the 300 odd miles than it is to take a [LIFTED] train with no power sockets, a crap interior and zero customer service from either the attendants or buffet car (if there even is one).

The overnight sleeper I took a couple of weeks ago from Kuala Lumpur back across to Southern Thailand was on par with the quality of current regional UK rolling stock. It cost us £15 each for a proper bed. The same service from Redruth to Paddington is usually about £60.

Trains pretty much everywhere else are amazing. I've yet to try the American ones, but it's on my list...

Glad you had fun EF

The busy Circumvesuviana isn't much fun in 30 degree heat

Italian friends were planning a visit, and we had a phone call to try and explain the train system to them. It went something like this:
"Hello, we're looking at the train times from London to Exeter, we can't seem to find the express times."
"There isn't one, I'm afraid."
"Oh. Ok. But it's only a few hundred miles, why does it take so long?"
"Erm."
"Oh and why is it I can pay so many fares to use the same train?"
"Erm..."

Embarrassing having to explain that the system is a shambles, and apparently, we're ok with that.

I doubt very many people are 'OK' with it. Just since a bunch of [LIFTED]ers sold it to their mates from under us there's not much we can do about it.

But people still use it. Vote with your feet.

I'm typing this from the Travelodge at Gatwick. Just got here. Drove from Cornwall (Penzance to be specific) at 60mph in a rented A3 (intermediate car) from Europcar. Car cost £57, just filled it down the road - £27!!

Train cost for the same journey?

£110 (plus I have a 2m ski bag, a suitcase and a backpack to cart across town on the tube).

Until they fix it, I won't use it. I do, however, partake of the Italian system on a regular basis.

Becuase there is little practical choice. Even with the chaotic ticketing, going long distance by train is much quicker than going by coach, especially if changes are involved.

Laughable. As if all the people who get the train every day in the UK do it because they have better options but decide to not take them.

You're lucky, you can drive. What about people who haven't passed their test, or have vision problems, or other issues that make long car journeys impractical? What would happen if all the people who commute in smelly, old, overcrowded commuter trains got on the roads instead? What if you don't live near somewhere that will rent you a car?

You are lucky, you have options. Not everyone does. That of itself doesn't mean they deserve the crap deal the british rail network generally is.

Jon

I only use the trains to get to work and not to travel to other parts of the UK. However I had to look in to prices for trains to Grimsby last week.

Book tickets in advance £26
Buy them on the day £84

It's a joke

Friends of ours use trains to commute to work as it's massively cheaper than their local bus service.

...and for people like me who commute into London its the only viable option