teecee- Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Which must be worth a reasonable amount if you're lucky enough to be on a busy route. Say Dumfries to Glasgow on International match day. Some stations do not have ticket issuing facilities therefore everyone departing from them pays on train. Also travellers choose to purchase on train although they can buy at their station. Probably earn an extra £50. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParisInAKilt Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 99% certain the on-train staff get a cut of the tickets they sell on the train. They do / did. Think we did as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParisInAKilt Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 £99.50 an hour wouldn't be good money for that job. Hence why I lasted 3 months and left to go back to a call centre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teecee- Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 £99.50 an hour wouldn't be good money for that job. Hence why I lasted 3 months and left to go back to a call centre Would imagine conductors earn more than call centre workers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellyman Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 The best time to book tickets on Abelio is 5 to 6 weeks before you travel, also book on a mon or tues as you get the best prices, I don't know why this is but i have now done it 5 or 6 times and its worked for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParisInAKilt Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Would imagine conductors earn more than call centre workers. They do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auld_Reekie Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Im not yet ready to wire in to Abelio as it's too early to judge them IMO. A lot of the improvements we seen from First Group and what we are likely to see from Abelio are probably specified up front in the franchise agreement by Transport Scotland. Some will be their own initiatives but service provision is steered mostly at behest of Scottish Government I think. Major issue for me is cost of travel. I've since given up on using the train as it's just not cost-effective in any way. It's cheaper for me to drive the car Larbert - Edinburgh on my own every day than it is to get the train. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellyman Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Im not yet ready to wire in to Abelio as it's too early to judge them IMO. A lot of the improvements we seen from First Group and what we are likely to see from Abelio are probably specified up front in the franchise agreement by Transport Scotland. Some will be their own initiatives but service provision is steered mostly at behest of Scottish Government I think. Major issue for me is cost of travel. I've since given up on using the train as it's just not cost-effective in any way. It's cheaper for me to drive the car Larbert - Edinburgh on my own every day than it is to get the train. I know how u feel, prior to some cheap train tickets to London and only doing it the way i have quoted above, i have booked flights, compare below ----- stansted to edinburgh [ryanscare] - £49 ipswich to edinburgh - [train] - £90 luton to inverness [sleazyjet] - £49 ipswich to inverness - [train] - £125 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donaldo87 Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Was thinking about going to go to the Southampton game at the weekend then found out its £40 for day return from London. So its not just in Scotland they rip the pish with train fares Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossy Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 We shouldn't be too harsh on Scotland's trains (and public transport in general). In lots of ways it oustrips many countries in Europe. Two major bugbears I have though ; -pricing. Get one feckin pricing structure in place.....i.e. a single to XXXX costs £XX at all times. Same with a return. -get public transport more integrated. Last time I was back I took a train from Lochgelly to Thornton, hoping to get a bus from there up to Glenrothes. I got off at a wet, windy and deserted Thornton station to find out that the bus to Glenrothes had left 5 minutes before....the next one was in an hour, just before the next train pulled in. No way I was spending an hour in Thornton, so I called a taxi. That's madness. Get bus and train companies talking to each other, and get some joined up thinking going on. Public transport in Scotland should be completely integrated....not just a bunch of random companies running buses and trains, all separate from each other. Oh, and as a minor 3rd point, trains in Scotland in general don't run late enough...especially at the weekends. Most trains between most destinations finish at around 23.00.....that's 1960's and 1970's thinking and doesn't reflect the reality of the modern world where people travel to the cities at weekends for dinner, a show, or a night out, and don't want to have to run for a train at 22.30 because that's the last option. Europeans laugh at that, get it sorted. Aside from that, Scotland's doing OK... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larky Masher Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 Within the UK we are mid-table at best http://www.networkrail.co.uk/about/performance/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lamia Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 We shouldn't be too harsh on Scotland's trains (and public transport in general). In lots of ways it oustrips many countries in Europe. ... Until it is cheaper than driving I will be harsh. There are absolutely no benefits to me taking the train when it is more expensive. Even if it is cheaper it would have to be significantly so to compensate for the lack of flexibility and the usual discomfort - lack of leg room, general passenger behaviour, inability to control temperature etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossy Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Until it is cheaper than driving I will be harsh. There are absolutely no benefits to me taking the train when it is more expensive. Even if it is cheaper it would have to be significantly so to compensate for the lack of flexibility and the usual discomfort - lack of leg room, general passenger behaviour, inability to control temperature etc There aren't many instances when train travel is (or ever has been) cheaper than driving. On the other hand, taking the train as opposed to driving gives you the convenience of no tiring journeys, no traffic jams, no wear and tear on your car, no city centre parking charges, and (generally) hassle free travel. Them's your travel options, unless you want to wait for Star Trek-like teleporting to come along.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teecee- Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Until it is cheaper than driving I will be harsh. There are absolutely no benefits to me taking the train when it is more expensive. Even if it is cheaper it would have to be significantly so to compensate for the lack of flexibility and the usual discomfort - lack of leg room, general passenger behaviour, inability to control temperature etc My journey to work and back is 70 miles. Off peak on train £9.10 return, canna beat it. No traffic jams or road rage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossy Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Within the UK we are mid-table at best http://www.networkrail.co.uk/about/performance/ I'm not saying that Scotland's trains are perfect, but in general the standard is high and (IMHO) rail travel in Scotland compares favourably with rail travel in other countries. As I said earlier, the NS in The Netherlands is a poor copy of what it used to be 25 years ago and is going downhill fast. The TGV in France is fantastic, but I've been on local trains that are graffiti-filled cattle trucks. Germany has the ICS 'high-speed' trains....that can only go high-speed on dedicated tracks. Otherwise they're just long pointy trains that use normal tracks at 40 miles per hour....you also don't need a dedicated seat reservation so they pack them full. One of the worst journeys I've ever had was on an ICS train from Hannover to Basel on a 'non high speed' track, filled with people with no seat reservation who jammed on and filled every available space going. I spent 4 miserable hours getting poked by skis and God knows what else. The train was nicely painted though. Don't even get me started on Belgium. No country in the world has a 'perfect' train system, unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flora MaDonald Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 I don't think I've ever paid Trenitalia in my puff - excellent service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toepoke Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 stansted to edinburgh [ryanscare] - £49 ipswich to edinburgh - [train] - £90 luton to inverness [sleazyjet] - £49 ipswich to inverness - [train] - £125 How much to get to the airports from Ipswich though?... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deedee Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 I hate how they've got ticket barriers at the main stations now yet nowhere to buy a ticket if you get on at a wee diddy station. You've then got to stand in a queue to buy a ticket to then stand in a queue to get through a barrier. At Ayr the other week they had 1 guy selling tickets and 3 guys manning the barrier. HOW ABOUT YOU PUT ONE OF THEM ON THE TRAIN SELLING TICKETS? My personal favourite is when the ticket machine at the station is broken, then the conductor can`t be arsed going around to check/sell tickets. Then the big queue at the station to buy a ticket at the barrier, and the conductor walks past playing with his/her phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbcmfc Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 (edited) I know how u feel, prior to some cheap train tickets to London and only doing it the way i have quoted above, i have booked flights, compare below ----- stansted to edinburgh [ryanscare] - £49 ipswich to edinburgh - [train] - £90 luton to inverness [sleazyjet] - £49 ipswich to inverness - [train] - £125 Can't remember the exact details, but I looked into getting the train down to visit my mate near Warrington (so I didn't need to worry about drinking and driving home the next day). Turned out I could fly via Dublin to Liverpool or Manchester cheaper than I could get the train from Motherwell to Warrington. Edited November 17, 2015 by sbcmfc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rossy Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Turned out I could fly via Dublin to Liverpool or Manchester cheaper than I could get the train from Motherwell to Warrington. How long would that take you door to door though ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exglasgowasc Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Over 8000 recently applied for the 300 train driver jobs they are creating over the next three years. Think that was in the main due to them advertising the full salary package which after 6 months training is >24K and once training is comple 18 months after that the package is between 42 and 44K. Not too shabby. Someone i know currently training says it's the hardest job in the world to get into but by all accounts the easiest job to lose!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbcmfc Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 How long would that take you door to door though ? Think it was 20 minutes quicker, but that doesn't allow for an hour before at the airport or the airport being slightly further from my start and end point. Would've been quite fun, but just drove and stayed 2 nights IIRC? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbcmfc Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Someone i know currently training says it's the hardest job in the world to get into but by all accounts the easiest job to lose!!! The opposite of being a school teacher then. I considered applying, as medium to long term it looked quite attractive, and everything in told suggests they are good to work for (as far as pay, pensions and benefits go). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lamia Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 There aren't many instances when train travel is (or ever has been) cheaper than driving. On the other hand, taking the train as opposed to driving gives you the convenience of no tiring journeys, no traffic jams, no wear and tear on your car, no city centre parking charges, and (generally) hassle free travel. "Generally hassle free" is not a description I recognise - if it was actually was I might find it more appealing. I can't actually remember a train journey I would describe as hassle free. Driving is pretty hassle free for me and enjoyable - even the hassle free train journeys I wouldn't describe as enjoyable but I suppose if people don't like driving maybe they do enjoy trains My journey to work and back is 70 miles. Off peak on train £9.10 return, canna beat it. No traffic jams or road rage. Lucky you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Endell Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 "Generally hassle free" is not a description I recognise - if it was actually was I might find it more appealing. I can't actually remember a train journey I would describe as hassle free. Driving is pretty hassle free for me and enjoyable - even the hassle free train journeys I wouldn't describe as enjoyable but I suppose if people don't like driving maybe they do enjoy trains Lucky you. Not really, it takes him back to Cumnock at the end of the day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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