Two friends have compared the same bus and plane journey to expose the delays and inconveniences affecting Britain’s rail systems.
Narisa and Anji traveled from Bristol to Edinburgh, and while the plane ticket cost £48.98 and only took one hour and 15 minutes, the train ticket cost a whopping £214.70 and, with delays, took eight arduous hours to complete.
The couple showed on Channel 5’s The Great British Train Scandal, which airs tonight at 8pm, how radically different their journeys, which took place in June 2023, were.
Anji began his journey at 9:36 am.
“I’ve just arrived at Bristol Temple Meads station and checked the timetables and it appears my train to Edinburgh from Birmingham has been cancelled.” he told the show. “So now I have to try to find an alternative route.”
Narisa (left) and Anji (right) traveled from Bristol to Edinburgh, and while the plane ticket cost £48.98 and only took an hour and 15 minutes, the train ticket cost a whopping £214.70 and, with delays, it took an arduous eight hours to complete
Meanwhile, the EasyJet flight from Narisa, scheduled to depart at 11:25 am, took off a little earlier.
“It took me about 30 minutes by car to get from the city center to the airport,” he said. “It took me about 15 minutes to get through security.”
At 12:15, Anji, who was heading to the train, said Narisa sent him a text message to inform him that it had landed, with about another six hours left.
Because the train was so full, Anji, who did not reserve a seat from Birmingham to Edinburgh, revealed that not only did she have to change seats three times, but staff were also unable to push food carts through the aisles due to the overpopulation.
After eight hours on the rails and no tram service, he finally met Narisa in the Scottish capital at 6.40pm, after he was initially scheduled to arrive two hours early.
“My day has definitely been a lot better,” Narisa told the show. ‘I went through the airport very quickly and then caught a tram from the airport to the city centre, which took about 30 minutes. And from then on I only had free time.’
“My trip was much less pleasant,” Anji said. “The train left Bristol on time, but then the train I was supposed to take from Birmingham was cancelled, so I had to stay on the train, which took me about an hour and a half later than I was supposed to. I had to get here. Actually I think almost two hours.
“Honestly, I don’t think I would ever take that trip again if I had the choice, and I would definitely fly.”
The couple showed Channel 5’s The Great British Train Scandal, which airs tonight at 8pm, how radically different their journeys, which took place in June 2023, were.
After eight hours on the rails and no tram service, he finally met Narisa in the Scottish capital at 6:40 p.m.
“Overall, it wasn’t worth that price,” he added. —For that I might as well have taken a long-distance flight.
“It’s obviously more environmentally friendly…if I was in it for less time I’d be fine.”
Even with Narisa’s additional costs (a £20 taxi to the airport and a £7.50 tram to Edinburgh city centre), you still paid less overall (£76.48), and your plane ticket also included the choice seat.
Meanwhile, Anji, in addition to her fare, also paid for an Uber to the train station, leaving her with a total of around £227.40 for the entire trip.
The first episode of the show also looked at safety concerns relating to our railways and saw the presenters experience just how germ-riddled the London Underground is.
Even with Narisa’s additional costs (a £20 taxi to the airport and a £7.50 tram to Edinburgh city centre), she still paid less overall, and her plane ticket also included seat choice .
A Department for Transport spokesperson told the programme: ‘Our trains played a vital role in supporting key workers during the pandemic.
“Passenger numbers have doubled with privatization, underscoring that a reformed public-private partnership is the best model for the future.”
Meanwhile, Network Rail said they “have been working to ensure the structure reviews are up to date” and “recognize there is still work to be done”. They also stated that they are “in contact with the ORR to get back to normal.”
And The Rail Delivery Group said: ‘The rise in government subsidies during the pandemic reflects the unprecedented challenges facing the industry.
“He is committed to working towards more reliable service.”
He added that train operators are paid a fixed performance-related fee of 1.5 percent.
The Great British Train Scandal airs tonight at 8pm on Channel 5.