Un-Fucking-Believable
Posted: Wed 26 August, 2009 | Author: Lyle | Filed under: 1BEM, Customer Services, National Express East Anglia, Travel, Work-related |7 Comments »In the spirit of being organised, I’ve just been booking accommodation and train tickets for the rest of the contract, which takes me through to the end of September.
I’d already booked stuff for next week, and that was all sorted.
However, it looks like 5th September is National Price-Rise Day – and in the case of the train tickets in particular, it’s abso-fucking-lutely extortionate.
This week and next, the return ticket from Attleborough to London (including Tube to get me to the office) is £39.50. Which, in fairness, is pretty good value.
For travelling on the 7th September, that self-same return ticket is – are you ready for this? – £74.
Yes, for reasons known only to themselves, National Express East Anglia think it’s acceptable to pretty much double the price. How the fuck can that be justified?
We’re much nearer to London than you and it’s already £44 for a peak time return from here.
Indeed. But this is off-peak (well, it’s “Anytime”, as National Express East Anglia seems to have given up on concepts like peak and off-peak) which was £39.50, and has now nearly doubled in price.
To me, it looks like National Express East Anglia have “simplified” their ticket structures by making one-price-whatever-time tickets that are (unsurprisingly) more in line with ‘peak’ prices than ‘off-peak’
Well they have to pay for the strike cave-in fiasco somehow. Not only do we suffer during the process but we also pay for it afterwards.
The “anytime” ticket is considered to be a peak fare. Are there no other options?
Currently, no, that’s the best you’re going to get.
I’ve just noticed that there’s a “find cheaper fares on slower trains” link at the bottom of that page, but trying it resulted in no tickets available whatsoever for off-peak travel.
Mind you, they do seem to be doing some significant fucking about with the Trainline site today, so I’ll retry it later.
Have you checked the price to the mainline station only (ie no tube)? I once found a massive difference in prices (raileasy)
Yep – about £3.
And the tickets for this week and next also included Zone2 Travelcard for the £39.50 (for just the Attleborough->London, it’s £36 or £36.50)