Rail fares to rise by RPI + 1%, Good value? Options

[Biker1]

FGW rail fares are to rise by approx 6% in the new year.
Is this good value bearing in mind that it is reported that motoring costs have risen by twice that amount in the last 12 months?
Is the extra revenue to go on shareholders dividends or to be re-invested in the infrastructure as we are told?

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

Difference is with the road transport, we pay road tax, fuel duty tax plus VAT on all of that. The roads are made by councils, governments etc where as trains are private. No comparison.

[On the edge]

Difference is with the road transport, we pay road tax, fuel duty tax plus VAT on all of that. The roads are made by councils, governments etc where as trains are private. No comparison.

That's today's model - which makes comparison very difficult indeed. As to ownership, arguably the Roads are one of the last nationalised industries - the Government had to take over the turnpike trusts (private) when they started to fail. Starting with a clean sheet of paper - the comparitor costs / benefits are quite interesting. Take an example which affects us. A34 say Oxford to Southampton hundreds of lorries all needing 'hundreds' of engines and drivers - whereas one train on the closed railway would have replaced good number - with one biggish engine and one driver.

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

That's today's model - which makes comparison very difficult indeed. As to ownership, arguably the Roads are one of the last nationalised industries - the Government had to take over the turnpike trusts (private) when they started to fail. Starting with a clean sheet of paper - the comparitor costs / benefits are quite interesting. Take an example which affects us. A34 say Oxford to Southampton hundreds of lorries all needing 'hundreds' of engines and drivers - whereas one train on the closed railway would have replaced good number - with one biggish engine and one driver.

The problem with trains comes true here completely. Trains can only go to one location - Southampton train station. How do the goods unload themselves from there and reach Sainsbury?s which I'd guess is not built directly adjacent to Southampton train station (at least I hope not or my point is a bit moot)

With roads, you can go where you want, when you want. Unless you get randomly pulled over for a spot check by the police. In which case you are slightly delayed but no worry, if you want to pull over and admire the scenery, you can. Spot of tea? No bother - unfortunately with trains you go back and forth at a pre-set speed and have timetables to adhere to.

Trains are still used for transport of certain goods, mainly to major construction sites which, conveniently, often have mini rail terminals which go directly into the building site itself...they work, because they are practical in that situation. Like all things there's a time and a place and for the majority of goods, sugar, clothes, and food, they are poor due to logistics

Do do do, do do do, do do do, do do do, that's logistics.