[stevesimmons]

UK rail pricing is insane, 3 to 7 times more than in the Netherlands, to make a comparison I know well. Totally unaffordable for spur-of-the-moment trips unless a company is paying. Here are two comparable length journeys.

- London to Manchester (2h26): travel tomorrow: GBP148; travel in August: GBP64

- Amsterdam to Maastricht (2h25): travel tomorrow: EUR25 = GBP22; travel in August: EUR25

Dutch rail prices are simple and predictable. Essentially a fixed rate per km, with an optional 40% off for offpeak travel after 9:30am. The UK apparently has 55 million different fare combinations. Totally bewildering. Not to mention the condition of the trains and the reliability of the service are much worse.

UK rail prices are so bad it is almost always cheaper to fly than go by train. Consequently, my partner and I take 10 European holidays by air for every UK holiday by train. That's a massive loss for the UK tourist industry.

[beojan]

That's what happens when you privatize the rail system.

Though as I understand it, it's still subsidized just not to the same extent as in the Netherlands. Rail is just a very expensive mode of transport to operate.

[tolien]

Speaking of the Netherlands, it's worth pointing out that Abellio, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Dutch national rail operator, runs the Scottish, West Midlands, Merseyside and Greater/East Anglia rail franchises.

1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abellio_(transport_company)#Ra...

[switch007]

> The UK apparently has 55 million different fare combinations.

Small correction: there are 65.6 million, one for every person. They are reviewed monthly based on births and deaths and adjusted accordingly.