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All those choosing to fly. Thanks from the undeveloped world for continuing to **** over the planet for short term gain.
For those who point out the trains ate expensive and take ages. Anyone who was old enough to vote in 1992... you got what you voted for. Dissolution of an integrated railway system.
And all those who want to cancel HS2... see why we're becoming a 3rd World backwards declining country. Because we don't have a decent modern transport system. France and Germany would have built a high speed line to Aberdeen 25 years ago and be getting the benefits now and for the next hundred years. And would have fares at 1/4 the GB prices because they want sustainable viable transport.
(Turkey has more high speed track and trains to use it than Britain ! FFS).
I get on the train and can then work all the way
This is a good point. I used to regularly travel between Edinburgh and Leeds/London and had the option of train or plane. I'd use the time to read all of the stuff I had to know before the meetings and would usually be the best-informed person around the table etc. I also hated all of the additional faff of flying, queue for check-in, queue for security, queue for boarding ...
A lot of people seem to ignore the extra time required to get to airport, clear security, get out at the other end and hen travelling to your final destination.
I live in North Northumberland, in my previous life, for business in the City of London, I could do it in 4 hrs door to door by plane or about 4.5 to 5 hours door to door by train.
However, that's ignoring the advice of Newcastle airport to be there 2 hours before and getting there about 45 minutes before. The train would be quicker if their strong advice was followed.
Passengers are strongly advised to check-in at the airport at least three hours before a charter flight and two hours before a scheduled flight.
Train every time, far more comfortable.
The OP was talking of going down the night before, so he’d have hotel costs, which you don’t have with the sleeper.
Every time I've thought "oh yes I'll take the overnight and then skip a hotel room" I rediscover how tough it is to get a decent night's sleep on any form of transport (sleeper or plane), regardless of being lying down. YMMV
Anyone who was old enough to vote in 1992… you got what you voted for. Dissolution of an integrated railway system.
the train system in the UK was in way worse shape in the 80s than it is now.
If you are not in a hurry go with train otherwise plane.
LOL! Using sleeper train just to go to a meeting and having to travel "one" day in advance. That's no Oriental Express you know.
Yes, the hassle of flying is having to go through the security check, cavity search etc but it is still slightly better I guess.
The last time I traveled by train from Newcastle to London was alright but it was sloowwwww. I tried to fly but all cheap tickets were gone and I hate security checks and having to carry my passport.
Anyway, please report back to let us know how you get on.
I regularly do London to Edinburgh for business and social. In the noughties that was stansted to Edinburgh early doors to be in the office sort of vaguely morning. That meant being out of bed horribly early and being on the go petty much non stop so by the time I get to the office I was always knackered. Leaving the office at 4ish to rush for the return and being totally washed out by the time i eventually got home - horrific. Looking back I don’t know why I did it to myself! Less enlightened times
I’ve done first class on the train a few times and it’s a much more civilised affair - either get a bit of work done or chill out watching a bit of YouTube and browsing STW whilst having breakfast and you’re in Edinburgh 4 hours later. Lush
These days if I’ve got the family in tow then the car is (sadly) the only practical option but if it’s just the two of us then train all the way. We’re on the Lumo this weekend £130 return for 2 adults booked 10 weeks out
Aberdeen obviously doubles the journey but a day sat in first class with your laptop out and someone bringing you snacks isn’t much worse than a day in the office in my book.
The last time I traveled by train from Newcastle to London was alright but it was sloowwwww. I tried to fly but all cheap tickets were gone and I hate security checks and having to carry my passport.
What nonsense.
There are loads of trains from Newcastle to London that do it in under 3 hours, there is even 1 that does it in just over 2.5 hours. That's much quicker a journey to the centre of London than any flight from Newcastle.
What nonsense.
There are loads of trains from Newcastle to London that do it in under 3 hours, there is even 1 that does it in just over 2.5 hours. That’s much quicker a journey to the centre of London than any flight from Newcastle.
It was several years ago (think more than 5 years ago) so not that recent. Yes, it is still slooowww. Mind you I was not in a hurry so not an issue. Bring on HS2! I want it to be under 1.30hr.
I will going to London next April so will try out the new LUMO service as I was told it should be faster.
Train every time.
A plane might take the same time overall, but will be broken down into a hour on a bus, 2 hours in a terminal, half an hour boarding, taking off, an hour on the plane where you actually get to sit back and work, then reverse the whole process. It's always a stressy faff, ad you're beholden to the RMT anyway as any strikes will leave you stuck miles outside the city anyway.
Train you're on it, and you've got all that time to do whatever you like.
There's also a much nicer sense of traveling on a train, it's like riding a bike around a city (or between villages) gives you a much better sense of place and geography compared to driving that leaves you feeling that the country is made-up of concrete arteries linked by the time it takes to travel them rather than by distances and the places on the way.
Just avoid standard class in the new east coast hitachi trains, brutally uncomfortable!
Newcastle to London was my commute for a bit, the train South was the best bit of the week (because for some reason the South train was always empty, the train out of London was packed).
Newcastle to London was my commute for a bit, the train South was the best bit of the week (because for some reason the South train was always empty, the train out of London was packed)
It was packed the last time I used them as it was summer. Have you tried LUMO yet?
It was packed the last time I used them as it was summer. Have you tried LUMO yet?
Yea, that's the new hitachi trains, maybe they're comfortable if you fit in the middle of the hitachi ergonomic bell curve, but for 6ft 15st me it was just brutal. They feel like bus seats, absurdly narrow considering the trains must be the same width as the old ones?
[edit] apparently, they both run the same Hitachi trains, I've no idea then why one set seem so uncomfortable, they just are. Maybe the seats just need breaking in a bit! As the LNER ones seem fine.
Much preferred the old 225's, some of those were like being in 1st class! Not all, just some. Was there some 'downgraded' 1st class carriages or rolling stock doing double duty as a sleeper?
Anything over 5 hours total journey time and the plane starts to win. Brussels and Paris from anywhere within 100-150 miles of London is usually pretty close so long as your connections for the train are okay.
By comparison - It's a 6.5 hour total journey time to Munich from my house, via Heathrow T5 (110 miles) including check in and trabel at both ends (Munich Flughaffen is MILES away from the city), but it's 23 hours using the train...
Only complaint we had about the last lumo trip we did is the seats we had were in a position where there was no window. The seats themselves were perfectly decent. Not up to first class on the azuma but all told, perfectly comfortable
There is a very small window of what ‘works’ in using a train for me for work, as I rarely travel in the UK. However, this year we had a couple of work things at the NEC, and its one of the few places it’s quicker for me to get it, rather than driving.
My tester last year identified it would be acceptable, only if I went First, as paying £90 to stand for an hour and a half and not be able to work, rendered it pointless.
So, with a bit of planning, I needed to go there on 5 separate occasions this year, and avoided staying away from home. Pre-booked tickets, early start down to the station, patiently waiting…
4 of the 5 trains cancelled, all with less than 30 minutes notice 🙄
I won’t be bothering any more.
Bring on HS2! I want it to be under 1.30hr.
Er HS2 going nowhere near any station on the ECML.
Azuma seats are shite compared to 225.
One of my team went out to Geneva by train from London on Sunday morning for a client meeting today. He worked on the train going over and will do a bit more on way to Berlin to meet his girlfriend tonight. He's off tomorrow and back in London on Wednesday. He won’t fly and has taught me a lot about how much easier European trains are than flying for work..pretty much normal behaviour for the youngsters now - teaching me a lot as well!
It was several years ago (think more than 5 years ago) so not that recent. Yes, it is still slooowww. Mind you I was not in a hurry so not an issue. Bring on HS2! I want it to be under 1.30hr.
The timings haven't changed for decades. Trains, with the exception of HS1, are limited to 125mph in the UK.
I used it a lot in the early 90's and the timings were basically the same.
HS2 will never be anywhere near the North East.
HS2 will never get north of Birmingham if it even ever gets there.
Azuma seats are shite compared to 225.
Second that. I really find them uncomfortable compared to 125, 225 and 390 (Pendolino).
4 of the 5 trains cancelled, all with less than 30 minutes notice 🙄
I won’t be bothering any more.
This is the train problem at the moment.
I have a friend (ironically the sustainable transport person in local council!) who is keeping a tally of how many times her daughters train to college is cancelled - currently running at less than 50% operating this term...
My sons have moved from trains to buses - the new electric Ember buses are free for them (under 25) and both Glasgow-Dunblane or Edinburgh-Dunblane are faster than the train. You can also pre-book bikes on. There is also the existing CityLink and new Flixbus - which are free for under 25's and often only a few minutes slower. And RELIABLE.
Why, why would you take the train at the moment in our area?
While technology gets us so far in reducing how many meetings are in person, some things cannot be replaced and therefore I still have to travel. So the multiple train cancellations have meant I have been back in car or (gasp) have booked a flight down (train back...) to a multi day event in south England - because I cannot trust the train.
The timings haven’t changed for decades.
I think that electrification has helped a bit - the times from Cardiff to London seem to be about 10 mins quicker.
Edinburgh / Glasgow is a bit quicker since electrification ( 47 mins not 54???). Edinburgh / glasgow has been 4 hours for the last 25 years
OK. I will amend my statement.
The timings haven’t changed signifcantly for decades.
I've done London to Glasgow dozens of times for work - nothing other than flying makes any sense.
From my house its a 40 min drive to Gatwick, then and hour on the plane..
I think i've managed to crack 5 hours door to door when i've got my timings right, and whilst i'm not a fan, I have done it as a day trip (although this makes a very long day)
Train would involve commuter train into London, tube across London, etc... And the cost is sometimes comical when compared to EasyJet.
Our travel for work policy now has a red sentence in it stating something like we should choose the least emitting option practically possible. It seems to have made a difference in adoption of train instead of driving.
The fact that flying is even an option for anyone shows how unlikely we are to address climate change in any meaningful way.
Edinburgh / Glasgow is a bit quicker since electrification ( 47 mins not 54???). Edinburgh / glasgow has been 4 hours for the last 25 years
Aye, but the cost of the focus on saving 7 minutes around the central 'triangle' that is Glasgow, Edinburgh and Stirling is that Dunblane & BofA has routinely cancelled services, so that any delay over 4 minutes can be 'caught up' again by missing BofA and Dunblane. And express trains don't stop because they are express...
This is the train problem at the moment.
I have a friend (ironically the sustainable transport person in local council!) who is keeping a tally of how many times her daughters train to college is cancelled – currently running at less than 50% operating this term…
It's a bit ironic because, during and after Covid, trains were actually very good indeed, they kept a lot of services running for the essential workers but were then faced with a huge backlog of training (due to social distancing stuff you couldn't have drivers crammed together in cabs or in classrooms) so there was a dearth of new drivers coming through, the system became overly reliant on overtime working and goodwill, a lot of the infrastructure and maintenance wasn't kept up to date (again, social distancing plus a few other Brexit / Covid realities) and now the whole lot is falling to bits.
I don't mind a long train journey but what I do mind is turning up to find a load of cancelled services and at the moment, I wouldn't risk trying to get to an important event via train unless I could factor in leaving at least 1 day early.
OK. I will amend my statement.
The timings haven’t changed signifcantly for decades.
You didn't account for the pedants on here 🙂
I seem to remember Cardiff to London was due to come down to 1h40 or something - psychlogically that seems way shorter than 2h15. It doesn't seem to be quite that quick atm though.
But hey that's what HS2 is for and people are complaining bitterly about that.