| "It is considered the most improved rail network year on year since 1997" Improved in what way? Punctuality? Frequency of services? Affordability of tickets? Refurbishment of stations? New rolling stock? It's a claim that doesn't match the experiences of many passengers. What is the source? "It has some of the lowest fares if you book far in advance" Even if this is true, it's little consolation for the vast majority of passengers who need to commute daily. The reality is that, for most passengers, rail in the UK is expensive. Here is a monthly season ticket comparison from 2017: UK vs Continental Europe: - UK: Luton to London St. Pancras (35 miles) | Monthly season ticket cost: £387 - UK: Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Piccadilly (32 miles) | Monthly season ticket cost: £292 - Germany: Dusseldorf to Cologne (28 miles) | Monthly season ticket cost: £85 - France: Mantes-la-Jolie to Paris (34 miles) | Monthly season ticket cost: £61 - Italy: Anzione to Rome (31 miles) | Monthly season ticket cost: £61 - Spain: Aranjuez to Madrid (31 miles) | Monthly season ticket cost: £75 Source: https://www.tuc.org.uk/industrial-issues/transport-policy/uk... |
Dublin/Pleasanton to San Francisco - Embarcadero (35 miles): $6.80 each way, which works out to ~£204 per month for 40 trips.