Crazy Train Prices

The UK are said to have the most expensive train fares in Europe and they’re set to rise again in the New Year. Apparently, commuters in the UK pay almost a staggering ten times more than some other European countries! I was always thinking how expensive travelling cost in the UK, and after reading about it this week, it really hit me! It seems like it is now officially a fact that travelling by train in the UK is expensive!

It can seem like a great proportion of one’s pay packet is paid on their weekly commuter ticket or just on travel in general. A lot of people by now, I think, are so used to the expensive prices that they now just see them as the norm. It is as if people are just pleased to find a seat on the train and get home safely! With fare prices to increase, many are asking what improvements are going to be made— will there be more seats on trains, more frequent trains, less delays etc? There is so much overcrowding on trains. It is horrible paying an expensive ticket to sit on the floor. Plane journeys do not charge people to sit on the floor and wouldn’t allow people to do that either. The list of complaints and improvements to be made could be endless.   

With pressure to be green in the UK, it’s hard to be more so when travelling by train is so expensive. Taking the car can be much of an easy option. However if the UK and other parts of the world are committed to being green, surely greener options to travel should be cheaper and supported. It’s a contradiction having expensive train fares and a commitment to being green! I think train fares should be a lot cheaper, not just for the green reason, but for many other reasons too.

With cheaper train fares, I believe that this will be greater encouragement for people to get out more, see the world, explore, visit museums, see friends and family etc. Expensive train fares are a barrier for people in their everyday lives. Additionally, for job seekers out there it can cost a fortune to constantly pay to travel to interviews. I’m sure many job seekers cannot afford to pay to travel to interviews! You could say that train fares in general have been a deterrent!

Just sitting here now, thinking of all the places I would travel to, if train fares were low! Oh and of course the extra money one would have if train prices were to decrease! On the plus side though, it’s always a great buzz hearing, seeing and feeling the train pull away from the station whilst knowing you’re on your way home! Oh and course seeing the buffet cart come round! 

Happy New Year Message!

As cliché as it sounds, how quickly has this year gone? So much has happened though: we’ve had the hacking scandal, Amy Winehouse died, Kate married Will, high unemployment figures, Katy Perry and Russell Brand are now getting divorced…! And that’s just in showbiz! In our personal lives we’ve all had so much going on as well.

Who knows what the New Year will bring us all? Who knows what crazy stories will be in the media? By the time you’re all reading this, New Year’s Eve would have passed, and I hope you all had a good one!

Whatever you have planned in the New Year, make sure to dream big and follow your goals, think positive, try to keep those New Year’s resolutions, and make the most of life! I’ll sign off now and just wish you all a Fabulous and Happy New Year!